Tag Archives: customer service

What Are Your Customer’s Expectations?

We often talk here in the Home Business blog about what our expectations are for ourselves and our businesses, and we also chat a little about customer service—but one thing that comes into play in our businesses is that our prospects, clients and customers have expectations of what they will receive from our business and how well we meet those expectations will influence our success. The tough thing is that we might not even know or understand what those expectations are! Think of your own experiences as a customer or purchaser—when you go to a restaurant, you may be expecting … Continue reading →

Promptness Gets My Attention

I try to notice and look for things that other businesses and individuals do that I appreciate so that I can incorporate them into my home business. This is just one of the ways I attempt to bring new ideas and inspiration into my work. Maybe it is a form of “copying” but if someone gives me really great customer service or a business impresses me, I try to take note of it and see if I can use the same techniques. One of the things I am finding that dazzles is me is quick turn-around and promptness. While I … Continue reading →

How Many Contacts Does it Take for a Sale?

I have heard all sorts of theories about how many conversations and contacts or “touches” a business owner can anticipate before a sale is made or a customer brought on board—everything from five to ten to twenty different “touches” in order to finally reel someone in. Instead of focusing on the numbers, however, I do think we can concentrate on interacting with our prospects in different ways and making sure we “layer” our approach in order to reach them. Here is a personal example from my own life: nearly two years ago, I signed up to receive an e-mail newsletter … Continue reading →

The Letter of Complaint

There is probably a good chance that you have written a letter of complaint sometime over the years, but have you ever received on in your home business? What do you do when you are on the receiving end of a well-written (or not so well-written) letter of complaint? Do you take it seriously? Do you take it personally? How can you react reasonably and constructively and make the most of an unpleasant situation? It takes a lot for me to write a letter of complaint, but I have done it a few times. I guess I have found that … Continue reading →

Finding People Who are Easy to Work With

We tend to talk about those customers and clients who are challenging and difficult to work with in our businesses here in the Home Business blog, but I thought it might be a little more fun, and a nice change of pace, to talk about how to find and keep those customers, clients, colleagues, and vendors who are EASY to work with. They are out there, and I think every business deserves a few people who are pleasant joys to work with–instead of only those who make things difficult! What is “easy” to work with for you? Is it people … Continue reading →

When Complaints Come

We cannot please everyone all of the time and even the most careful, dilligent home business owner who is known for fabulous customer service is bound to get a complaint now and then. How we handle complaints says as much about our integrity and our businesses as how we avoid them. Sometimes, the complaints are justified–we really have slacked off, or provided poor customer service; or there is an actual problem with the product or service delivery. Taking the time to fix these problems and make apology may be all that is necessary. Other times, the complaints seem completely unjustified–it … Continue reading →

Give Options When Possible

As organized and simplified as we would like to keep our home businesses, it is also important to remember that people really do like to choose. I know that it sometimes seems like human nature is just the opposite—that people want to be told what they need and have things handed to them, but I believe that people respond more favorably when they have options and feel like they are in control of choosing what is right for them. When it comes to your products and services, as well as service delivery and other details—give the client or customer some … Continue reading →

Can You Offer More Customized Products and Services?

I think that one of the great things about a small business is that operations, services, and products CAN be more customized and personal. Many of us try to make our small businesses into “mini” corporations and keep things as standardized as possible. But, we might be missing out on a way to really make our business practices stand out amongst the competition. It might just be that personalized service or special adjustments to products and deliveries that make our home businesses shine. Now, like anything, we can get so carried away with special orders and customizing our services that … Continue reading →

Do You Offer a Free Trial Period?

We have talked a little bit about guarantees here in the Home Business blog and how they can help with sales and customer service, but some businesses find that offering a trial period in which the customer can “try out” the product or service to see if they are satisfied to be an advantage. With a trial period, the customer gets the product in their home, or experiences the service, and then can return it for a refund if not completely satisfied. This can be a way to boost sales and improve customer service, but it takes management and some … Continue reading →

When Customers and Clients Try to Make Their Problems Yours

There is a difference between great customer service and getting sucked into taking on someone else’s problems. There is a place for good limits and boundaries in business too and just because our clients and customers have problems and “issues” does not mean that we always have to take them on… One of the most common “problems” that customers or clients try to pass on is when they have difficult time management—they delay taking care of something, do not manage their own affairs until they are in crisis, etc. and then they want someone else to come in and bail … Continue reading →