Customer Centric Operating Plan

Your customers are the lifeblood of your small business. Keeping them happy, engaged, and coming back — as well as encouraging them to send you referral business — is essential to creating long-term success in your company. Here are some key strategies to help you expand your all-important customer base.

Set a Customer-Focused Agenda

One way to prioritize high-quality customer care is to ensure every element of your business planning keeps the customer front and center. Is your website easy to navigate? Can customers reach a person by phone? Do you have enough friendly and knowledgeable staffers on hand to serve your customers? Are you pricing yourself competitively and providing high-quality products and services? When you focus on everything you do in your business, from providing adequate parking to saying thank you, you’ll start building a long-term and loyal customer base.

Ask for Input

Another way to provide high-quality service is to ask customers for their input. When they like something, do more of it! When they don’t like something, fix it, and let them know their voices were heard. Also encourage your front-line staffers to let you know about customer concerns as they arise, and look for patterns that can help you adjust your service levels. When possible, empower frontline staff to resolve customer issues on the spot, rather than make them jump through hoops to reach a solution. If you make a mistake, try to rectify it before the customer has to bring it to your attention.

Give Customers “Extras”

Many businesses operate on a model of trying to get as much as they can from every customer via upselling. While that’s appropriate in some environments, it’s not the go-to for all situations. Look for ways you can give customers more than they anticipate or more than they ask for. They’ll be pleasantly surprised, you’ll set yourself apart from your competition, and your customers will return — with friends in-tow! You may also find that when you provide good products and services, you don’t have to resort to gimmicks or trickery to boost sales. Psychology Today says there’s a reason people like freebies — it makes them feel appreciated.

Carve Out Time for Engagement

Business owners are notoriously time-strapped, but customer engagement should always be a priority. If you haven’t already established yourself as a limited liability company, or LLC, consider the benefits. In addition to protecting yourself from liability, you’ll also free up time normally devoted to paperwork that you can allocate to customer care. Visit this web page to learn more about the LLC formation process.

Consumers have many options when it comes to selecting products and services, and in a crowded market, the competition can be fierce. Making a genuine effort to focus on your customer’s satisfaction with your business will go a long way in moving you to the top of the list.

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