How to give your small business a service oriented reputation

You know that word-of-mouth marketing can be your best resource, but what happens when that resource starts to work against you? If you are known for your bad customer service, you will have a dwindling customer base.

Satisfying customers should be the goal of your small business. Satisfied customers can use word-of-mouth marketing to your advantage. Here are a few ideas to make sure your small business has a great reputation for service.

 Be sure you understand your customers. It's a good idea to look at your business from their point of view. One way of doing that is to hire secret shopper to come in and give your business an evaluation. Customer surveys are another way of knowing how your customers feel about you. Take customer opinions serious and act on their complaints.

 Take a look at your store, or in some cases your website. When they first see it is it inviting? Do they get welcomed upon entering? Also look at how clean your store is, how accessible the registers are, and how easy it is to get to the restroom. How your customers feel about their surroundings will make an impact on their feelings about the store.
 Make sure that your staff is making a good impression. A secret shopper will be a good judge of that. Are your employees smiling, do they take pride in their appearance, and do they look professionally dressed? What about their knowledge? A customer should be able to ask them lots of questions and get straight answers. It's ok if every employee can't answer every question, but every question should be able to be answered by at least one employee.
 Make your employees' customer service their idea. Let them in on brainstorming for how to improve customer service, they may have great ideas and they will feel like they are important.
 Are you keeping up with what your customers want? Even if you always have the same customers, they are still going to have changes in taste. If you offer something outdated, that is ok. Some customers come back just because you offer something hard to find. But with the stuff you have always carried you need to add updated products. Give them the choice of upgrading without finding somewhere else to shop.
 Be open to making special orders. Any company that offers to order in something for just one customer makes that person feel special. Loyalty can be created by making someone's day.
 Don't forget to be personal. Learn regular customer's names and call them by name when you greet them. Give rewards for repeat business, maybe set up a "club" for repeat customers that offers rewards. Make them feel exclusive in your business.
 Talk to customers. If they are feeling something, good or bad, about your business they will tell you. Remember that they came there by choice, thank them for choosing you. Always be willing to help in any way.
 When problems do arise, be professional about handling them. Get them taken care of in good time and resolve the problem to the best of your ability. Take control and hold your head high. Feel good about your decisions.

The customer is always right, one of the well known rules of business. But remember that for your employees to treat customers right, you need to treat them right. Give them are reason to make you look good. Your employees will reflect how you treat them over to your customers.

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