Customer Service Will Help Your Business Opportunity Grow

A Home Business Article Contributed by Donna m. Brown

Your Business Opportunity Can Grow into a Thriving Company

Treat your start up business opportunity like a tender young seedling that could grow up to be a fruit-bearing forest some day.

If you cultivate it, tend it, feed it and protect it from the elements, you can become a successful gardener in the forest of competitive corporations.

Fertilize Your Business Opportunity with Customer Service Expertise

It's one thing to declare your customer service policy verbally. It's another to commit it to writing. Start your business opportunity out right with a healthy dose of reality. Remember, you may give each and every customer the utmost of care, but as your company grows there is potential for the dwindling presence of your home-grown touch. If you write your customer service policy down and share it with both customers and employees, there should be no confusion about what you expect.

The customer service chain will grow stronger and will be linked straight to you - the one who cares most about this business opportunity.

Customer service is often the difference that helps one competitor succeed over another. As you add employees to your business, make sure they are very clear about customer service policies. Explain how important it is to you to help this business opportunity (and it is a business opportunity for you and any of your employees) grow and bring forth a healthy income for everyone involved with your company. In addition to giving them instructions, offer your employees the means and power to make decisions they believe will be in the best interest of your customers and your company.

Reward employees who show excellent customer service skills. Everyone likes to be recognized. Your customer service recognition program will help employees to feel like your business opportunity is their own. Ownership is a powerful tool to motivate employees.

Make sure that your commitment to customer service is genuine and so apparent that others catch your enthusiasm just from being in the same room with you.

Before you get too wrapped up in giving customers what you think they want, ask them. While your business opportunity is still very young, take a formal or informal survey of your customers and potential customers and ask them what they want and expect. Share the results with everyone in your company.

Remember, traditionally customers value attention, dependability, promptness and competence. Share information with people on the front lines. Meet with your employees regularly to talk about improving service. Solicit ideas from employees-they are the ones who are dealing with customers most often. Make your customers feel important by referring to them by name as possible. Depending on the type of business opportunity you have seized, you can cater to the specific needs of your target customers.

The Fruits of Your Business Opportunity Will be Sweeter If Your Customers are Happy and Confident in You

Repeat customers and customer loyalty are the elements that will keep your business growing strong throughout the years. Every customer is valuable to you and wants to feel valued. Provide training for your employees (even if you are the only one) to help employees learn to use phrases that will make a customer feel welcome and in charge.

Approach customers before they approach you with a problem. Be pro-active and on the offense, not the defense. Contact customers regularly and ask if they are happy with your service. Words like, "How can I help you? " will impress customers.

If you discover a problem that needs to be solves, state clearly, "I can solve that problem, " and then do so as quickly as possible.

Encourage employees to take responsibility for their areas of expertise and encourage them to state often, "I will take responsibility."

"I don't know, " is never a satisfactory answer for your customer. Encourage your employees to add, "I don't know, but I will find out."

Customer service will help your business flourish so use it and never use it sparingly!