Have you taken a look at your business recently to see if it is truly moving at the speed you want it to?
For many business owners, things happen so quickly on a daily basis that they oftentimes don’t have the time to comprehend all that is going on. As a result, sometimes attention to detail gets overshadowed, resulting in unhappy customers and some lost revenue.
If your company hasn’t quite been on top of its game in recent times, there are some areas you can focus on to get better traction in the business world.
Review What Works and What Needs Work
To start off with, review those you’ve hired.
Did you make good decisions or just fill spots in order to put warm bodies there? How much time did you take with interviewing and vetting candidates for positions? Do you see your company adding positions in 2016 or possibly having to let some folks go? What are your most urgent employee needs over these next 10 months?
Another area of concentration should be with your products and services, both those you sell and those you need to buy from vendors.
When it comes to the latter, whether you are purchasing supplies and/or services for your office, a lab (bio-tech, pharmaceutical etc.) or even a large facility that makes any number of products, be sure you buy the right equipment or services the first time around. Not only does doing this keep your business humming along, but it also saves you money over the long term.
For example, if you are in a lab and require a medical centrifuge or other such item for your operations, make sure you purchase one that keeps your lab at a high speed, still retaining efficiency and a long shelf life. Research the various vendors out there, especially if you’re not happy with your current provider.
Never Overlook Customer Service Initiatives
Also review your customer service efforts.
Face it; business can easily be won but also easily lost if your customer service goes over well or falls flat. While your goal should be the former, make sure you address those times when the latter happens. Look at what went wrong, how you can fix it, and of course what needs to be done to try and get the customer or customers back.
A couple of the ways to win back those customers who went away unhappy include:
- Quick responses – One of the biggest irritants customers find is when a business does not respond in a quick manner to their concerns and/or problems. Whether it is online, over the phone or even in-person, a quick and satisfactory response can do wonders in receiving more business from a customer who may be on the fence;
- Online specials – With more and more consumers turning to the Internet for their browsing and buying needs, going online to reach them makes perfect sense, allowing you to grow your business at the same time. Offer them savings for returning with half-off deals and other specials.
It is also important that you emphasize customer service importance to your employees.
While most workers get the connection between good customer service and maintaining their employment with you, some may fall short in this important area.
Always err on the side of caution and remind your team how important each customer service initiative is.
From answering the phone within a ring or two to responding to email and social media questions and complaints, never keep the customer in a prolonged waiting situation. You likely do not like it when you’re the buyer and a business leaves you hanging, so don’t do it to those consumers who are coming to you with their product and/or service needs.
Finally, it is important to keep setting goals for your business to achieve on a regular basis.
While your brand may come up short on reaching those goals from time to time, it is nevertheless crucial that you have them, striving to meet as many as possible.
When your business has goals, both employees and many consumers for that matter see you as a company with a plan, a plan that ultimately allows you to speed past the competition.