So, you’ve launched your business and things have gone quite well. But now you probably want to expand and improve things as much as possible. This is where you need to focus on the most important element of business – the customers. Making your company more customer-oriented is a recipe for success. So it’s important to think about how exactly you’re going to achieve this. There are a lot of things you can do to help you make the company more about your clients. Consider their needs and desires, and make alterations accordingly. Here are a few incredible changes that will help make your company more customer-oriented.
Change Location
Sometimes you might have to take drastic measures to put your customers first. One of the key things you need to work on as a business owner is the location of your company. Assess this as much as you can, and do whatever is necessary to get the best location. You want the company to be based somewhere where it is accessible to the greatest number of people. The location in which your company is based is actually really important. It’s instrumental in driving people to the company, and increasing your business traffic. Consider how great your current location is, and think about where might be better.
Take Feedback on Board
Taking feedback on board is one of those things we all have to deal with. A lot of it is going to be constructive criticism, and you have to use this to try and improve the company. You can improve interactions with your customers by asking them to give you feedback. Then you can use this to change parts of the company you feel need improving. We all need feedback, and we all need to change and evolve. You might think your company is pretty perfect right now, but it’s not. You can always get better, and you can always do more. So make sure you take this feedback on board, and do as much as you can to implement it. Get people to Tweet you, email in, and phone up and submit feedback. This is a really important part of customer service, and you have to use it to do what’s best for your customers.
Deal With Complaints in a Timely Manner
When customers make complaints they want them to be dealt with in a thrifty manner. There’s nothing worse than making a complaint to a company, and having them not address it. You need to take your customers’ complaints seriously and work towards a solution. Stats show that if customers have a negative experience they are likely to tell twice as many people as they would a positive one. Statistics tell us that 33% of customers would recommend a brand that provides a quick but ineffective response. This shows us that people are more concerned with convenience, and with having their issues addressed quickly. Time is money in 2016, so you can’t afford to have your customers waiting around for days while you try to solve their problem.
Online Store
It’s really important to make little changes that will make a big difference to your clients. The internet has changed the face of business these days, and you have to embrace that. If you want to get the best possible outcome for your company, you need to create an online store. This is going to provide your customers with the chance to make purchases really easily from the comfort of home. Of course, having a proper retail store and retail merchandising is also essential, but you need to ensure you have an online store too. This makes things much easier and makes your company more accessible to a larger audience. People can buy your products and services at home, or even on their smartphones from anywhere! About 71% of Americans these days shop online, so you need to take advantage of this. People are so busy these days that they place a lot of value on convenience and simplicity.
Help the Local Area
One of the big things people look for in a business is philanthropy and a sense of community. If you want to become more customer-oriented as a business, you need to reach out to the community. So, have a think about where you could help the local area. This might mean giving apprenticeships to young people in the area. Or, you may want to choose a local charity to support financially. The local area is a really important part of helping to grow your company. You need to grow as a local business first, and then you can work toward becoming a global powerhouse. People will look on you favorably if they see you care about the local area. You are much more likely to attract positive attention from people if you choose to help the local area.
Membership Scheme
A lot of businesses employ a membership scheme for their clients. This is a great way of allowing you to give something back to your customers. It’s always good to have a loyalty system in place because people will remember this. Look at what a lot of megastores and grocery stores do. They have a points system whenever people make purchases. And these points can equate to money off at a later date. People like loyalty and reward programs because they like to feel as though they matter. It’s important for them to know they are important to you. Did you know it costs 500% more to attract new customers than it does to retain existing ones? That should highlight to you the importance of having a great membership scheme. Focus on incentivizing loyalty among your customers.
Work on Presentation
You must never underestimate how important stuff like presentation is. People need to be aware of the fact that you care about making a good impression. And the way to do this is to ensure that you present yourself, and the company, in the best possible way. Think about how you come across to your customers, and what they are looking to get out of the business. First up, you have to be sure that you and all your staff look presentable and professional. That means everybody well-groomed and wearing what they’re supposed to be. You also have to make sure the company itself is presentable. That means clean and professional looking premises, as well ensuring your brand image is squeaky clean. Being more presentable is the best way of making sure your company attracts as many clients and customers as it possibly can.
Improve the Car Park
There are a lot of things that matter when you run a business, but they may not be obvious right away. For instance, if you have a retail store, the car park is hugely important for both staff and customers. You are providing them with a useful service, and somewhere secure to park their vehicles. But, that’s why you need to make sure you are providing the best quality customer car park you can. You may want to look at getting the surface re-laid to make it safer and nicer to look at for customers. Consider looking into asphalt services, and bring in pros to get the surface of the car park looking great. Also, you should look into how you can improve the visual aesthetic of the car park. Try to get some greenery in there if you can, and breathe a bit of life into an otherwise dull area of the business.
Treat People Well
Treating people well is the best way of developing a positive reputation. You want to do as much as you can to get people interested in your business. Attracting clients and customers is crucial for driving sales and marketing the company more secure. So, how do you gain customers? Well, the solution is that you treat them as well as you can. Make sure you give them great service and provide them with the products they need. But, also, give them something more, something extra. Go above and beyond what they are used to, and make sure you wow them. It’s estimated that loyal customers, in the long run, are worth ten times as much as their first purchase. Remember this when you look at how you treat your business clients. But, don’t just treat your customers well, extend this to your staff as well. Treating people with respect and kindness costs nothing, and it leaves a really great and lasting impression.
Your business is your livelihood, so you have to make sure it performs as well as it can. And the only way to truly get it to perform well is to make it more customer-oriented. This is crucial for attracting people to the business, and helping to drive and push more sales for the company. Try to follow the ideas and suggestions on here, and use them to help you do the best you can for your company. You’ll be surprised by how much of a difference your will see by making just a few changes.
