3 KEYS TO PROVIDING GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Customer service is a critical part of our company and every company. Here are the key things I’ve learned:
1. Be Where Your Customers Are. Social media has changed the way companies operate. More people now expect to be able to engage with your brand online. Your content and customer service strategy goes hand-in-hand. Often users will ask product questions on social media. Make sure someone is available, around-the-clock, to answer questions. It makes a big difference to the way users feel about your company. The deeper your understanding of how social media works, the better.
2. Keep Your Customers Informed. According to a Kissmetrics survey, 81% of people are more likely to give a company repeat business after a positive customer service experience. Keeping users informed is the first step to avoid a negative customer service experience.
When a customer contacts you with an issue, they’re hoping for a solution. Go over and above, keep them informed, and be up-front if you can’t immediately solve an issue. Make certain they have a positive experience. The majority of customers say they’d prefer to access self-help information, if it is available. Providing a support center is a great way to do this.
3. Give the Customer a Voice. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has an empty chair in all his meetings. It provides a constant reminder the most important person, the customer, is not in the room. Keep that invisible customer in mind when you’re making decisions. A customer-focused organization puts the customer first.
Great customer service requires effort from your entire organization. Integrate your support team with marketing, product development, engineering, etc. Have regular meetings to discuss any relevant support issues or feedback that is coming through your various customer service channels.
Everyone on your team needs to understand the importance of happy customers. Regularly share feedback from customers with the whole team. Sharing positive feedback helps boost the team’s morale and keeps everyone focused on your users.
Customer service is at the core of every great company. It influences the way you design your product, how you interact with your customers and how your team functions.
The Basics of Start-up Financing
When you are just starting out, you’re not at the point yet where a traditional lender or investor would be interested in you. So that leaves you with selling cherished assets, borrowing against your home, maxing out credit cards, dipping into a 401(k), and asking loved ones for loans. There is a lot of risk involved, including the risk of bankruptcy with your personal finances and soured relationships with friends and family.
This is the hard part behind starting a business — putting so much at risk. But doing so is the rite of passage to both success and failure. It’s what sets entrepreneurs apart from people who collect paychecks.
A major key is to ramp up initial operations as quickly as possible to get to the point where outside investors can see and feel the venture, as well as understand that you took some risk getting it to that point.
Some businesses can also be bootstrapped. They can be built up quickly enough to make money without aid from investors who might otherwise come in and start calling the shots.
With so much at risk, it is important to have a strong business plan in place, and to seek out advice from experienced entrepreneurs and experts — people who might also invest in your business someday.
Seek out local entrepreneurship advice programs at http://www.empowernigeria.com.
What’s Next: Once you get over the initial hump, it is possible to seek out funding sources available to more advanced start-ups and early stage companies.
20 Questions Before Starting A Business.
Is Entrepreneurship For You?
STARTING A BUSINESS: THE IDEA PHASE.
Many people believe starting a business is a mysterious and difficult process. They know they want to start a business, but they don’t know the first steps to take. We will let you find out how to get an idea for a business and how you figure out exactly what it is you want to do and then how to take action on it.
But before we get started, let’s clear up one point: People always wonder if this is a good time to start their business idea. The fact is, there’s really never a bad time to launch a business. It’s obvious why it’s smart to launch in strong economic times. People have money and are looking for ways to spend it. But launching in tough or uncertain economic times can be just as smart. If you do your homework, presumably there’s a need for the business you’re starting. Because many people are reluctant to launch in tough times, your new business has a better chance of getting noticed
Everyone has his or her own roadblock, something that prevents them from taking that crucial first step. Most people are afraid to start; they may fear the unknown or failure, or even success. Others find starting something overwhelming in the mistaken belief they have to start from scratch. They think they have to come up with something that no one has ever done before, a new invention, a unique service. In other words, they think they have to reinvent the wheel.
But unless you’re a technological genius, another Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, trying to reinvent the wheel is a big waste of time. For most people starting a business, the issue should not be coming up with something so unique that no one has ever heard of it but instead answering the questions: “How can I improve on this?” or “Can I do this better or differently from the other guy doing it over there?” Or simply, “Is there market share not being served that makes room for another business in this category?”
How do you start the idea process? First, take out a sheet of paper and across the top write “Things about me.” List five to seven things about yourself, things you like to do or that you’re really good at, personal things. Your list might include: “I’m really good with people, I love kids, I love to read, I love computers, I love numbers, I’m good at coming up with marketing concepts, I’m a problem solver.” Just write down whatever comes to your mind; it doesn’t need to make sense. Once you have your list, number the items down one side of the paper.
On the other side of the paper, list things that you don’t think you’re good at or you don’t like to do. Maybe you’re really good at marketing concepts, but you don’t like to meet people or you’re really not that fond of kids or you don’t like to do public speaking or you don’t want to travel. Don’t over think it; just write down your thoughts. When you’re finished, ask yourself: “If there were three to five products or services that would make my personal life better, what would they be?” This is your personal life as a man, woman, father, husband, mother, wife, parent, grandparent, whatever your situation may be. Determine what products or services would make your life easier or happier, make you more productive or efficient, or simply give you more time.
Next, ask yourself the same question about your business life. Examine what you like and dislike about your work life as well as what traits people like and dislike about you. Finally, ask yourself why you’re seeking to start a business in the first place. Then, when you’re done, look for a pattern to emerge (i.e., whether there’s a need for a business doing one of the things you like or are good at).
One way to get ideas is to listen to your own (or your co-workers’, family’s or neighbors’) frustrations. The opportunities are all there; you just need to search them out. If your brain is always set in idea mode, then many ideas may come from just looking around or reading.
Inspiration can be anywhere. Getting an idea can be as simple as keeping your eyes peeled for the latest hot businesses; they crop up all the time. And don’t overlook the tried and true. Hot businesses often go through cycles. In other words, you can take any idea and customize it to the times and your community. Add your own creativity to any concept. In fact, customizing a concept isn’t a choice; it’s a necessity if you want your business to be successful. You can’t just take an idea, plop it down and say “OK, this is it.”
One of the best ways to determine whether your idea will succeed in your community is to talk to people you know. If it’s a business idea, talk to co-workers and colleagues. Run personal ideas by your family or neighbors. Don’t be afraid of people stealing your idea. It’s just not likely. Just discuss the general concept; you don’t need to spill all the details.
Hopefully by now, the process of determining what business is right for you has at least been somewhat demystified. Understand that business startup isn’t rocket science. No, it isn’t easy to begin a business, but it’s not as complicated or as scary as many people think, either. It’s a step-by-step, common-sense procedure. So take it a step at a time. First step: Figure out what you want to do. Once you have the idea, talk to people to find out what they think. Ask “Would you buy and/or use this, and how much would you pay?”
Understand that many people around you won’t encourage you (some will even discourage you) to pursue your entrepreneurial journey. Some will tell you they have your best interests at heart; they just want you to see the reality of the situation. Some will envy your courage; others will resent you for having the guts to actually do something. You can’t allow these naysayers to dissuade you, to stop your journey before it even begins.
In fact, once you get an idea for a business, what’s the most important trait you need as an entrepreneur? Perseverance. When you set out to launch your business, you’ll be told “no” more times than you’ve ever been told before. You can’t take it personally; you’ve got to get beyond the “no” and move on to the next person, because eventually, you’re going to get to a “yes.”
One of the most common warnings you’ll hear is about the risk. Everyone will tell you it’s risky to start your own business. Sure, starting a business is risky, but what in life isn’t? Plus, there’s a difference between foolish risks and calculated ones. If you carefully consider what you’re doing, get help when you need it, and never stop asking questions, you can mitigate your risk.
You can’t allow the specter of risk to stop you from going forward. Ask yourself “What am I really risking?” And assess the risk. What are you giving up? What will you lose if things don’t work out? Don’t risk what you can’t afford. Don’t risk your home, your family or your health. Ask yourself “If this doesn’t work, will I be worse off than I am now?” If all you have to lose is some time, energy and money, then the risk is likely worth it.
Determining what you want to do is only the first step. You’ve still got a lot of homework to do, a lot of research in front of you. Buying this book is a smart first step. Most important: Do something. Don’t sit back year after year and say “This is the year I’m going to start my business.” Make this the year you really do it!
Culled and edited from http://www.entrepreneur.com.
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