Tips for improving customer service for your business

How important is customer service? When the question of what factors contribute to the success of a business arises, customer service is rarely left out. Providing excellent service and making it your priority to keep your customers happy is one of the ways which you can set yourself apart from your competitors. If you continue to work on improving your customer service, you increase your chances of success. Bad customer service can inconvenience the client, costing them their time and money. As a result, some customers are even willing to spend more money for better service and convenience.

Reviewing the quality of the service you offer your customers allows you to continuously look for ways to improve it. This article will give three tips that will help you improve the customer service in your business.

Knowledgeable staff

Not all staff members come in direct contact with customers. Whatever roles the various staff members occupy, it all boils down to one thing – the clients. Assisting, servicing and resolving customer issues is one of the most important parts of the business. If not the most important!

Testing how well your staff members know the product and the business will allow you to gauge the information gap that still needs to be filled. Training sessions can be structured around areas that need to be improved, opposed to touching on information that the staff members are already well acquainted with.

When new systems are implemented in the business, ensure that staff members are informed about those changes or have them go for training if necessary. This is especially important when the changes directly impact the customers. In some instances, staff members who don’t fully understand the product or the business still manage to be fully operational, carrying out their daily duties successfully. The issues only arise when they have to answer questions and resolve issues. A discerning customer will quickly pick up that the staff member doesn’t know what they are talking about. Staff members might look like they know what they doing, but it’s always good to run training programmes that include tests to make sure that they fully understand the business.

Efficiency

Efficiency means different things for different businesses. It can mean delivering goods to the client on time, reducing the waiting period, resolving queries speedily, etc. Whatever efficiency means to a business – improving it, improves the customer experience.

Depending on the nature of the business, efficiency can be improved by making some changes i.e. increasing the number of staff or using more efficient systems in the business. If there are no feasible structural changes you can make in order to improve the efficiency, looking into the technology space could be the answer. Getting new systems and training the staff costs time and money. A small business has a much smaller pocket when compared to more established businesses. Conducting a loss and gains review by comparing the money you will spend on new systems and training, with the long-term rewards you will reap with a more efficient system could prove that the investment is be worthwhile. If the money spent on improving the technology can be recovered, it’s a risk worth taking.

Soft skills

It’s important for staff members who come in contact with customers to possess soft skills. Trained staff members know how to communicate with the clients in a way that will not irritate them, this is especially important when resolving misunderstandings, solving problems or giving the client unfortunate news.

Not everyone is naturally empathic or able to express empathy well. Training will help staff members improve their use of language in showing empathy and other soft skills. Soft skills or good interpersonal skills also touch on other aspects of human interaction such as having a good work ethic and being a good team player. A good work ethic gives staff members the will and desire to help the customers. They understand that it’s not just about doing the job for the sake of doing it, it’s about going the extra mile to ensure that the client is happy and satisfied.

Recording phone conversations between staff members and customers is a good way to promote accountability. Having listening sessions with the staff members allows them to listen to themselves and see areas where they can improve. Practise makes perfect, when it’s part of the organisations culture to be courteous, and staff members are encouraged to communicate respectfully with each other. It will be much easier  to continue with this trend when communicating with customers.

Challenges of starting a business

According to smallbiztrends, “one-third of business owners admitted that running a company is harder than they initially thought”. It would be unreasonable to think that challenges faced by small business owners only surface once the business is up and running. From inception, entrepreneurs are faced with challenges, of which some they did not anticipate.

Is it harder to start a business today than it was 10 years ago? Possibly, new technology and other advancements contribute to the convenience we enjoy today but it also adds a new set of challenges. These challenges are totally new and unique to this high technology era, but some challenges are common and totally unrelated to the advancing technology.

Unforeseen circumstances

When trying to develop an idea into a business, it’s only natural to think about risks and the challenges you may encounter. Forecasting these potential challenges helps you prepare better for them. However, good preparation doesn’t make you immune to unexpected challenges that may interfere with the plans you have for the business. This does not mean that a prospective business owner should not put in effort and take time to plan. Yes, unforeseen circumstances will most likely come up but having a plan will help you see how far you have deviated from it.

Giving up might seem to be the only way out when starting a business is a lot harder than you expected.

Unforeseen circumstances can come in the form of extra costs.  Raising the capital can take up a lot of time and effort, when you have finally raised enough money to get your business started, the last thing you want to hear is that there are extra costs that need to be covered. These sort of challenges require a level of mental strength.

Hiring staff

Hiring talented individuals to be part of your staff can fast track the success of your business. On the other end, hiring staff members that still need to be trained over a certain period of time before they are ready can be time consuming – or it might not be a problem, depending on your personal timeline for the business.

The process of getting staff members on board is hardly ever easy. Small companies may struggle to compete with big companies in terms of salary packages. Staff retention can become an issue. When skilled staff members gain the skills they need, they may leave their work at small companies to work for more established companies that will pay them more money.

Comparing candidates and having to choose the “best one” is a bit tricky. Having to choose between someone that’s highly qualified but doesn’t have a personality that matches the organisations culture, and someone that’s fairly qualified but has the right personally to match the culture of the organization, can be challenging. You don’t want to make the mistake of choosing incorrectly and having to live with the consequences. There are laws in place to protect employees, you can’t simply get rid of someone when you no longer want to work with them, certain procedures need to be followed.

Self-doubt

Your first attempt at opening a business is usually nerve-wrecking. It only becomes less daunting when you are a more experienced entrepreneur – after having pursued other ventures. It’s your first shot at it, you might not believe that you have what it takes to run a successful business. You have left your stable job with a stable salary to become an entrepreneur. As if your own anxieties are not enough, people in your life keep reminding you about all the financial responsibilities you have to meet. In a moment of panic and anxiety self-doubt might start creeping in.

In order for investors, sponsors or clients to take your business seriously you need to be confident. If you don’t believe in your own idea it becomes hard for them to believe you, no matter how brilliant the idea is. A great idea needs a strong minded person to get it off the ground.

New entrepreneurs should guard against coming across as arrogant in an attempt shield their insecurities. It’s difficult to work with arrogant people but apart from that, arrogance comes across as over-selling and over-compensation. When you pitch for your business in an arrogant tone it sounds like you are over exaggerating the facts, you become less authentic and believable. When you are starting a business you need to find a balance and think carefully about how you present yourself.

Effective sales strategies to close deals faster

Passively waiting for sales to pick up without formulating a strategy to aid the process is like expecting a crowd of eager concert goers to sing along to a complicated song that they have never heard of. It might be a really good song as much as you might have a really good product. You trust the product, and you are certain that it is sure to fly off the shelves. No matter how great the product is, you do still need to formulate a sales strategy in order to create awareness. Sales will always remain a focus point because a business that’s not making money is sure to fail.

The rate at which a business closes it’s deals also counts. If the business takes too long to take off, it might crash before it gets off the ground. Having a sales strategy is good, but being able to close deals faster is even better. This article explores the sales strategies that will help you close the deal faster.

Clarity

Reluctant buyers are usually unsure due to the lack of clarity. When prospects are not sure about the product or the business, they may ask a series of follow up questions in order to get more clarity. It can be a good sign when customers ask questions, it shows a level of interest. However, there are customers who are immediately turned off when they don’t readily understand the business or the product. Grey areas and ambiguity should be avoided at all costs – some clients lose interest and it can take much longer to close deals.

Keeping the sales pitch as brief as possible to avoid overwhelming your prospects is a good approach, but it’s also important to carefully think about the questions they might have about the business or the product – before and after drawing up the pitch. In your sales pitch, make sure that all the important questions are covered. The more transparent and forthcoming you are, the higher the chances of closing the deal quickly.

Listen

Walking away from rejection without a lesson is more disappointing than the actual rejection. In order to find a lesson, try to take time out to listen to the reasons why your prospects are not signing up for your products or services. You might realise that the rejection follows a similar trend or realise that you need to make certain changes to your sales strategies.

Feedback that’s not coming from your target audience can be distort, focus more on what your target audience has to say.

When doing sales calls, communication is instantaneous. It’s a more intimate way of speaking to your prospects. A sales consultant can make the mistake of focusing too much on their sales pitch and what they have to say opposed to listening to what the prospect is saying. A robotic emotionless tone should be avoided at all costs. The conversation becomes one sided. The prospect might not feel comfortable enough to respond back or ask question because on their end it feels like they are talking to a machine.

Follow up, but don’t annoy

You do want a definite answer from your prospects so that you can decide whether you should continue to pursue them or not. In order to get a definite answer you might have to do some follow-ups with the people that you have spoken to. Follow-ups are important but they tend to borderline annoying. Some believe that you need to annoy the prospects if you have to until you get the answer you want. You can only use this approach if you are 100% sure that it won’t turn the potential prospects off. You can use different approaches for different kinds of people.

Why is annoying a potential or business associate a bad thing? Simply put, they might never want to talk to you again. As long as the communication line is still open there is always a chance that you will be able to sway them. If they block you from communicating with them, the chances become slim.

What would typically annoy clients? Calling them profusely and/or frequently sending them e-mails and SMS’s. Prospects might specify the times they are available to talk, when these times are not respected it might annoy them and make them feel like their space is being invaded. A condescending tone when talking to customers in an attempt to show them that you know what you are talking about and they can trust you, does more damage than good.

Reasons why most South African businesses do not survive beyond a generation

On May 14, 2019 Stats SA released South Africa’s unemployment rate figures. The official number of South Africans who are unemployed is 6.2 million, out of this figure, 55.2% comprises of young people. The high unemployment rate in South Africa and the gap between the rich and poor, combined with other factors affect how South Africans do business. Many South Africans are living pay-cheque to pay-cheque due to increasing financial pressure. Losing their job or a sudden change in their finances leaves them broke and struggling to make ends meet.

Survival

The state of the economy puts pressure on those who are trying to earn a living through opening their own businesses, it forces them to be highly depended on their businesses to survive. This limits the amount they are able to invest back into the business. Money invested back into the business can be used to expand the business or can be used to explore other opportunities. A business that’s not growing is likely to start receding with time. Building a legacy involves building structures that will survive through generations. Building such structures to solidify the business might need the business owner to pull as little money as possible from the business. Depending on the business for basics such as food, clothing and shelter limits the amount you are able to invest back into the business. The cycle of poverty in South Africa, for most South Africans, means you are not only taking care of your own needs but you also end up having to support other immediate or even extended family members.

Competition

Not being able to invest back to the business due to financial constraints can reduce the growth rate of the business. It gets even more difficult to compete with bigger companies that have access to more resources. Yes, approaching investors can leverage the gap between small businesses and bigger companies. However, if the competition is too stiff the investors become reluctant to put money into the business. When small businesses are not diversified it stiffens the competition. When the competition is too stiff and the market too saturated, the chances of the business surviving past a generation become slim.

Cheap imports are a tough competition for South African businesses. “Support local businesses” campaigns are not enough to keep customers from going for cheaper options.

Failing to dream

It’s possible for a business to grow past what was initially envisioned. However, if you don’t dream big, you limit your own growth prospects. Smaller goals are steps towards realising bigger dreams. A good example is formulating a succession plan for your business – anything can happen at any given moment. If you want to pursue other interests and wish to be less hands on, there should be equally skilled people who are well trained and ready to continue running the business. Some businesses are forced to shut down due to the sudden death of the founder of the business. A succession plan will ensure that such doesn’t happen.

Some South Africans put a limit to what they think they can achieve. They don’t believe they are capable of building empires. An empire doesn’t just feed you today and provide you with security today, it feeds generations to come whether you decide to keep it in the family or not. This is greatly influenced by their own realities. They might have had to start from scratch without the help of generational wealth or an inheritance. This might lead them to being less concerned with building a brand that will continue to survive even after they die. Some might feel that because they have had to work so hard, they don’t want to share their wealth, they don’t mind dying with it. As crazy as it sounds such a mentality exists among some South Africans.