Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Running a Small Business With a Big Impact

Because of the Internet's connectivity, many businesses run directly out of a private residence. These businesses must compete with some of the larger names in the industry, which makes a company's reputation important with each transaction. Learn how to run a small business that feels like an established corporation. Your customers may never know that only one or two people run the show.

Hire an Answering Service
Any business can get busy, which makes answering the phone a difficult task. As a solution, hire an answering service that's trained in your industry. They can field calls, offer some suggestions and pass the information off to you. Customers still receive a personalized answer without compromising your productivity. As a result, your company appears large and helpful without adding more employees to the payroll.

Packing Details
Matter Your company's reputation is reflected from the moment that customers receive a shipment in the mail. The box should be new and not reused from a previous shipment. Go the extra mile and purchase personalized packing tape. This tape covers most of the box when you package it correctly, and it offers free advertising as it moves through the shipment process. Use clean packing materials too so that the shipment receipt is free from any product damages.

Answer Customer Questions
Customers expect answers to questions within a reasonable time frame, especially in today's connected world. Be aware of your social-media posts, blog comments and website inquiries. Reply to any questions or concerns that arise in these areas. A customer that waits too long for an answer will move onto another company that has a better response time. Maintain a personalized experience in order to drive sales from repeat customers.

Stock Up Appropriately
A customer will be instantly frustrated if you don't have their desired item in stock. Keep a solid record of popular inventory items, and keep them stocked at all times. Your professionalism shines through when you have all of the common items ordered by most clients. Special orders should be the only items that require a backorder period.

Mistakes are bound to happen in any business. If you discover an unhappy customer, deal with the situation as calmly and fairly as possible. Your reputation can be marred if these customers become so unhappy that they spread the news to your other clients. Resolving the situation will only improve your reputation over time. 
 

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~Hayley