When there’s only one of you running your home business, things can get bogged down and pushed to the side. You may forget to tell your clients or customers important things, or forget to pass on information that they really need to have. You may think that since you are a small business, the flow of information isn’t such a big deal–but it can be…
After all, when there’s just one of you–who do you need to tell? Unlike a more traditional job or business, where you might be part of a department or group or have a boss to report to, in a home-based business you are probably just reporting to yourself. However, if you have clients or customers who are supporting your business, you do need to make sure that they get the information they need. Information like a change in prices or business hours, or inventory, or the process by which you go about things. If you make changes to a time line or service delivery, it is imperative that you let everyone who might be affected know about the changes. It sounds silly, but it is easy to overlook such notification when you are just a tiny, one-person business.
It might help to set up a system for notifying customers or clients of any changes–if you have a regular newsletter or website or e-mail list, these are perfect ways to keep information flowing to your customer and client base. If you have products that you ship or deliver, including information on a packing slip is another typical way that businesses share information. If you have a major upcoming change, or are planning a vacation or shift in service delivery, it might be worth your while to call your clients or customers and inform them of the changes (granted that you only have a few and it is manageable). Keep in mind that if things change in your industry, or there is a recall or other information your clients need to know, be sure to share that as well. Keeping the information flowing between your business and your customers will strengthen their loyalty and your business reputation.
Also: Simplifying Business Communication
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