When it comes to growing your small business, the focus is often on attracting new customers. But that completely ignores the potential of your existing customer base. So if you’re looking to grow, make sure to add improving your customer experience to your to-do list as well.
Whether you want to grow by increasing your sales, reducing your marketing costs or growing a loyal customer base, having a stellar customer experience is key!
It’s all about delivering the best possible service to your clients and ensuring they enjoy every step of the process.
Why you should improve your customer experience
So, why the focus on your existing customers? First of all, when someone goes away feeling happy after interacting with your business, they’re likely to leave positive reviews, give you repeat business and, importantly, refer you to their friends and family.
Second of all, it’s so much easier (and cheaper!) to target customers you already have than try to win over new ones.
But the only way they’re going to stick with you is if they have had a great experience with your brand. So, let’s have a look at how you can improve your small business’s customer experience!
Put yourself in their shoes
To improve your customer experience systematically, you have to look at your small business from a customer’s perspective.
To do that you have to become one of your potential customers: Go through the same process they are going through to find out more about you, make an informed decision and ultimately buy from you.
While you’re going through the steps of researching and making a decision, scrutinise how your small business interacts and communicates with you at every point.
Throughout the whole process, take notes and look for things that are helpful and things that need improvement.
Questions to ask yourself could be:
- Do you find things easily on the website?
- Can you find all the information you need before you buy?
- Is the language easy to understand or full of lingo?
- Is it easy to get in touch if you have questions?
- How quickly do you get a reply to your questions?
- How’s the communication – are the replies friendly and helpful?
- Is it easy to buy from them? Does the checkout work smoothly?
- How clear is the pricing?
- Is there an easy way to return the item or a way to get a free trial?
- How fast and convenient is the delivery?
- Is the product packaging practical and easy to dispose of?
- Do you find everything you need on the invoice?
- How is the documentation? Do you know where to find help if you need it?
And it doesn’t have to be just you, ask your staff, family and friends to do the same and give you their feedback. You can even ask some of your happiest customers what you could do to improve your customer experience.
It might also be helpful to have something to compare your customer experience to. So think about the last time you bought something from a shop or a service provider. What did you find useful? Where could they have done better?
And how about your competition, what does their customer experience look like? Go and buy from them to see what you’re up against. And then take all of your notes and ideas and use them to improve your own customer experience. Here’s how!
Ways to improve your customer experience
I have been in charge of many customer experience reviews and it’s amazing how even the smallest tweaks to how you deal with customers and clients can hugely impact your business.
Below, I’ve collected a few ideas I’ve implemented in the past for my clients – and I think they are a good starting point for you, too. And keep in mind: Nothing is too small or insignificant when it comes to your paying customers and clients.
1. On the phone: Show high engagement
- Always answer the phone with your full name and company, and be friendly and helpful.
- Speak clearly and make sure background noise is minimal.
- Take your time and, if you’re too busy at the moment, agree on a callback and follow it up.
- Don’t just answer their questions; give them any information YOU think they need.
- Brief and equip your receptionists so they can answer frequently asked questions themselves and send out further information by email. Let them forward the contact to the responsible staff member for a follow-up.
2. By email or direct message: Be comprehensive
- Answer as quickly as possible, especially if an inquiry came in via social media.
- It’s okay to use templates especially when it comes to quotations, but be sure to customise them.
- If there’s additional information that’s useful, don’t hold back.
- Feel free to include relevant offers or discounts, but don’t oversell.
- Tell them their options if they have any further questions.
- Always thank them for getting in touch.
3. Marketing material: Be relevant
- Always tell people where to find you and how to get in touch. Give them options so they can choose their preferred way to communicate.
- Be precise and lead them directly to the information they want.
- Make it easy for them to buy from or contact you; lengthy forms or complicated booking systems are off-putting.
- Give real-life examples of how your product or services can benefit them.
- Don’t use jargon or abbreviations that they don’t understand; speak their language.
Seriously – you’d be amazed at the difference avoiding jargon can make – find out more here!
4. Your premises: Make a good first impression
- Keep your office, shop or workshop as clean and tidy as possible.
- Be visible with suitable signage, branded blinds or windows.
- Make access easy and direct people to the car park and closest entrance.
- Replace outdated or worn furniture and fittings and let your decor represent your brand.
- Always have someone ready to welcome visitors or customers with a smile.
5. Your staff: There to help
- Appropriate clothing and good personal hygiene are a top priority for customer-facing roles.
- Smile, be nice and make everyone feel welcome and cared for.
- Put down the smartphone and avoid eating at the workplace. As soon as a customer comes in, greet them and ask how you can help.
- Wherever they are, your staff represent your company. Ensure they share your values, know what you offer and why people should choose you over your competitors. If your staff believe in you they’ll be happy to recommend you when not working, too.
Read more about how your staff can play a key role in growing your small business.
6.1 Your product: Keep it simple
- Ensure your product packaging is sensible, represents your brand and is easy to open.
- Be sustainable, use as little packaging as possible and make it easily recyclable.
- Offer fast and reliable delivery with online tracking and text alerts that inform your customers of the exact delivery time.
- Add a short, straightforward and simple manual to help them get the best out of your product.
- Enclose a personalised letter giving any information they need about their order and what to do in case of a problem.
6.2 Your service: Communicate
- Make sure your client knows exactly what to expect, and when, throughout the whole process.
- Contact them regularly and be open about problems or delays.
- Be on time, reliable and explain everything you do and why.
- Don’t be afraid to talk money; tell your clients what cost to expect and why.
- Give your clients options and be flexible to deliver the best possible service.
7. Customer service: Be accommodating
- Mistakes happen, so be lenient when it comes to returns or re-deliveries.
- In case of complaints be understanding and helpful; apologise and do your best to make up for any problems, even if it’s not your fault.
- Send loyal customers a thank-you every now and then, especially if they refer your business to friends and family.
- Consider sending an email with a brief recap of anything discussed afterwards.
- Your invoices, booking confirmations and any other written communication with customers or clients should be consistently branded and communicate all your contact details.
WANT TO READ MORE?
To read more about this topic, have a look at these:
Ideal Clients: How to Define & Attract them to Your Small Business
An Important Marketing Tool You’re Forgetting: Your Staff
How to Use Your Existing Customers to Grow Your Business
4 Clever Copywriting Tips for Small Businesses
