Your most genuine dream may be having a business of your own. But since you did not have enough financial resources back then, you had to wait for the right time and opportunity to come along. If that perfect time comes, what’s next?
Building a business takes more than just having enough capital to start business. There are so many things that need to be considered, such as:
1.Type of business
2. Knowledge
3. Supplier
4. Location
5. Staff
While these may seem easy, an entrepreneur needs to be prepared for many things. First and foremost, one should have a passion for making all his dreams a reality. And when the business has been built, a few other essential things need to ensure – sustaining the business. How does one do that?
Entrepreneurs should have a creative team that would put their name on top. Creating excellent marketing techniques is your gateway to penetrating the market. Looking into how the competitors do it can help a new entrepreneur in which he may come up with a much better strategy, adding flavor to make it unique. Some entrepreneurs, however, may just have their eyes on selling their products and services. It should be clear that the responsibility of any business to a client or customer does not end after handing out what the client and customer need. The failure to extend their services after a sale or closing a deal is what could make the business die.
How many times have you been disappointed after purchasing something from the wall? Was the salesperson able to address your concern? How long did it take before action was provided? I am sure that you have come across a grouch salesperson. Someone who would answer a customer and would not find ways to soothe an angry customer. How, you may ask? You, as an entrepreneur, would save thousands of pesos if you teach your employees to be presentable, approachable, and friendly to your clients and customers. When a client or customer leaves happy and satisfied with the product and service they availed, the salesperson who attended to them provides them with assistance. A single customer could quickly share their experience with others, driving more clients or customers into your business. Customer satisfaction should be the goal after each sale. Therefore, when a customer asks for help or reports that they are not happy with the product or service they have availed of. The salesperson or sales representative should apologize for the inconvenience and promise to resolve the problem.
There may be instances that a customer/client may be abusive. So they would like to either irritate the salesperson by constantly complaining or threatening the company to complain to the business owners or report the incident to authorities. Your sales representatives should be trained to determine if the complaints are valid or not. This also leads to the point that every salesperson/employee of the company should be aware of what they sell. Product knowledge seminar/training is very important before a newly-hired employee is assigned to their post.
How To Improve Customer Service
I see how newly-hired employees can be diligent in following everything taught to them after training, only to become lazy to keep the diligence after a few months of working. When this happens, it hurts the company’s revenue because, slowly, customers would seek other companies that offer the same kind of products and/or services. Today, consumers will not just base their decision on choosing the brand they want by checking the price tag. It is equally important to have excellent customer service because this is an assurance that the company cares about protecting its name. Consumers want someone to talk to when they need help and that some action can be provided right away.
Customer service is extending assistance to your customers and clients. It is not enough that someone answers or responds to a message through the business’s Facebook Page. ACTION needs to be done. And when an after-sales representative informs the customer or the client that their complaint will be resolved, it should really be done. A commitment is made. Therefore, the client/customers expect the problem to be fixed ASAP.
1. Listen to your customers. Social media platforms have become very influential in letting businesses know about their experience. Customers may provide suggestions to help the management improve their products and/or services and deal with problem employees. It also allows the business owners if the customers are truly getting what they expect and paid for.
2. Be true to your word. Customers want to feel that they are being valued. There are incidents wherein a customer calls to complain about a defective product they have purchased. Instead of being provided with a solution right away, they are asked to call back numerous times until such time when a customer just gives up trying. When this happens, be prepared for what a customer shares about how poor your service is on social media.
3. Take action immediately. Facebook Page is vastly used by businesses all over the world. It is supposedly the easiest way to get into any company to inform them about an incident. However, some social media managers do not perform well. You may have heard some saying, “na-seen zone lang ako .”It is a feature of Facebook wherein the other party will know if the message they sent has been read by the recipient. That being said, a reply is expected. However, sometimes it takes hours or days or even never. Again, when this happens, customers get turned off, and for sure, another negative review would soon spread across Facebook.
4. Hire competent individuals. If you want to stay in business, you need to find the right people to do their jobs well. Never choose someone who agrees to pay less than the others. Sometimes, not being paid according to the kind of job given to an individual affects their performance, too. Clearly, you must state the scope of work for each employee and inform them of their participation in making the business successful.
Indeed, an entrepreneur needs to wear quite many hats, including training the employees on how to properly deal with clients, uphold the values of the company, and be an effective salesperson wherein every inquiry turns into a sale. An entrepreneur should be vigilant in checking the attitude of his employees. More than a well-written resume and experience, the mood of the employees should be exemplary. Suffice to say, your character reflects on how your employees treat your clients and customers. Therefore, by setting a good example, they are encouraged to perform well in their jobs.
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You may contact Armando “Butz” Bartolome for questions and more information.
By email: aob@gmb.ph
FB Page: Armando Bartolome
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franguru/
Website: https://www.gmb.ph
