By Henry Brown
It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting out on the long road of entrepreneurship or whether you are an old hand at your own business venture, you need to recognize that your customer should come first. In the 21st century, the success of any company relies heavily on the level of customer service it can provide.
Scrimp on this aspect of your company ethos, and you could be left with a poor reputation, low customer loyalty, and an inability to attract new business. On the other hand, if you can give customer service the attention it requires, you could find yourself with a money making entity that thrives on its exceptional reputation and ability to attract business nationwide.
Never underestimate the impact of review sites
On a planet where the Internet is king, it is vital that you pay more than mere lip service to customer service. If you scrimp on this or become complacent, you could find that negative reviews of your goods or services spring up on sites or spread across social media. Unlike yesteryear, when there was no such thing as the World Wide Web and people relied on their friends and family for recommendations, planet Earth is now a much smaller place. Anyone can go online and find out about a startup’s reputation in less than sixty seconds. It’s vital that you put in the effort to make outstanding customer service a pillar of your brand.
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A simple way of proving your worth in the reputation stakes is to under promise and over deliver. If you know that you can ship a product and have it delivered within 48 hours, state that you will have it to your customer’s door in 72 hours. This way, when it arrives a day early, they will feel the warm fuzzy glow of receiving their item ‘early’ and will be in a positive frame of mind when leaving you feedback online. If you draw up contracts with your suppliers and customers, make sure you take out a surety bond to give your services or products a legal backing. This can enhance your credibility as a business entity.
While most people construct a business vision around goals, targets, sales and revenue and add a sprinkling of ethos, consider making customer service a huge part of your vision. Write it in black and white that you will strive to be an industry leader when it comes to ensuring that your customer is always satisfied. If you don’t have one already, ensure that you have a policy and clear procedure that strives to resolves complaints quickly and fairly. Your customer needs to feel respected and valued, so show them that their satisfaction is your priority.
If you are finding that other competitors are expanding or developing at a faster rate than you, take a look at their customer service. The chances are they put their loyal customer base first. If you are eager to see your startup succeed, ensure that you give your customers the attention they deserve.
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
