Put the “Wow” In Your Customer Service

Happy customers drive successful businesses. Unfortunately, according to research by NewVoiceMedia, businesses lose $75 billion per year due to poor customer experiences. Faced with limited time and plenty of choices, modern customers have high expectations. A Salesforce survey showed that 76 percent of customers believe “it’s easier than ever to take their business elsewhere.” The business world has become a buyers’ market and, if your company doesn’t anticipate and meet customer needs, they’ll find a competitor who will.

The key is for savvy business owners to spend time getting to know their customers. First, understand the problems and pain points your customers face so you can meet their needs and expectations. Be prompt, provide quality service, and offer excellent customer service. You’ll not only delight your busy customers, but you’ll also gain loyal brand enthusiasts.

Pleasing your busy customers is easier than you might think. New Jersey’s Heartland shares how to get started.

Online Presence

In the digital age, an online presence is essential. Consumers favor the convenience of e-commerce sites like Amazon or Etsy to brick-and-mortar stores, as major corporations like Blockbuster, Toys-R-Us, and even Bed Bath and Beyond have discovered. Customers also prefer websites that offer usable and timely content about your products or industry.

At the very least, your business needs a website and social media presence. Luckily, social pages are free, and website hosting is relatively affordable these days. For example, you can sign up for a bargain web hosting plan for just a few dollars per month. You can also easily resize an image for Instagram for free, a simple task that makes posting to Instagram a snap. This online tool automatically crops and resizes based on the social media platform’s aspect ratio for photos, whatever the orientation, saving you time in the process.

Usable Design

Having a website alone isn’t enough in our technology-driven world, where human attention spans are shorter than ever. Your website has approximately eight seconds to capture someone’s attention and convince them to make a purchase. Make sure your site is aesthetically pleasing, easy to understand, and delightful to use.

How might a customer react when using your site? Are you making it easy or difficult for them to find what they need? Are you listening to them? Ask your customers what they need, then deliver it with a clean design and intuitive experience.

Customer Focus

Remember to be customer-focused. Provide top-notch customer service. Avoid your customers’ pet peeves. Be transparent with your pricing. According to Leo Frishberg, the senior manager of Home Depot’s User Experience team, customers “need to know the costs of services they’ll incur as quickly and transparently as possible.” These qualities matter in the long term, whether you’re selling to individuals or businesses.

Brush Up on Your Business Skills

If you’re the type of person who wants to understand how every moving piece in their operation works, your passion and drive will come across when you interact with your customers. Going back to school to get an MBA, for example, may seem impossible when you’re running a business, but there are many online options available that allow you to set your own schedule. It may take some extra work on your part to balance these two worlds, but the knowledge you gain can help your business grow.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling vintage clothes on eBay, building a vacation rental empire, or hosting yoga retreats around the world. The key to your success as a business owner boils down to customer satisfaction, with nearly 100 percent of business executives ranking it as the number one factor in a company’s success. By making positive customer experiences a priority for your business, you’ll be creating a solid foundation for your continued growth.