By Mike Mirshams Submitted On February 16, 2015
If you are a business owner, you must already know that any business absolutely cannot operate without a reliable customer base. So, it makes sense that you should make customer focus a top priority in the workplace. Here are 5 easy tips to improve the customer focus of your business.
Size Up the Competition:
Step one of improving your customer focus is to size up the competition. What do other businesses in your field have going for them? What do they have in common with you? What do they offer that makes their company different from your company? Make note of the things that you think are better about your business and the things that you think are worse. Then, look at how you can improve to get a leg up on the competition.
Focus on the Customers:
It may seem silly, but one of the simplest tips for improving the customer focus of your business is to focus on the customers. In other words, make sure that you have a clear understanding of what your clients want and expect.
There are a number of common methods for figuring out what the needs of your clients are. They are commonly known as customer relationship management techniques. One such technique is doing periodic customer surveys. Those can be done by phone, e-mail, regular mail, or even in person, if you regularly have face-to-face meetings with your clients.
Another customer relationship management technique that cannot be ignored is social media. These days, it’s absolutely amazing how much can be accomplished online. If you don’t have the time to manage your social media websites yourself, you may want to hire a person whose sole job it is to handle online customer service and social media interactions.
Make Your Customers Feel Important:
The next tip for improving customer focus in your company is to make your customers feel important. People like to feel like their opinions are valid and their concerns are being addressed. So, you need to be able to really listen to what your customers are saying. Depending on the size of your company, you may even want to set up a designated customer service department to handle complaints.
Agree with Your Customers:
The phrase “the customer is always right” may seem like a cliché, but there’s a reason that it’s still a common phrase. It can often pay in multiple ways to replace goods or give refunds, even if your company didn’t necessarily cause the problem. Of course, there are some times when that’s not practical, but most of the time it pays to agree with your customers. After all, happy customers will refer friends and family members to your business.
Adjust Your Business for Your Clientele:
A large part of customer relationship management and general customer focus involves adjusting your business for your clientele. Consider what types of clients you have and when and how you can cater to them best. For example, if most of your clients are other businesses, you may want to adjust your hours of operation to accommodate them. You might also want to offer special bonuses or incentives to larger businesses that use your products or services.
If, on the other hand, the majority of your customers are individuals, it helps to take a more hands-on approach to customer service. Be sure to make yourself accessible and visible to the clients. Essentially, you can build up your client base as if it is a big, happy, family. Something as simple as a friendly smile can go a long way towards turning a one-time buyer into a repeat customer.
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