Tag: customer service

Advice That Will Help Your Business Soar

Scott Asai1 Comment

Owning and running a business requires a lot of dedication and hard work on your part. Unfortunately, there isn’t a playbook to ensure everything goes right all the time.

The reality is that you are going to have challenges and setbacks in your career. What’s most important is that you stay focused on the initiatives that matter the most. Here you can review some advice that will help your business soar so you can find long-term success and outsmart your competitors. 

Set More Detailed Goals

It’s essential that you have a business plan when you are running your own company. It’s a roadmap that will help get you through the good times and bad. Make sure that you not only establish goals and define what resources you need but that the information is very detailed. You should know exactly what you’re after now and in the future and have a step-by-step process documenting how you will grow and move your business forward. 

Focus on Your Clients & Sales

Your customers should matter a great deal to you as a business owner. They are the reason you are in business and why you will stay in business down the road. Focus on your clients and train your sales team so that you can increase your profits. Get more organized and consider looking into using the solutions at ZBrains to help you stay on top of all the moving parts as it relates to your customers. It’s important that you are as efficient as possible when it comes to serving and managing your clients.

Treat Your Employees Well

These days it can be challenging to find good and the right kind of help. Therefore, consider having a recruiting strategy and that you don’t always hire the first person who comes along as an option. Once you have the top talent in place then commit to treating them well and offer attractive benefits. Make sure you are dedicated to keeping them working for you and that you work together as a team to achieve your goals.

Gather Feedback Regularly

You should never assume you know it all as a business owner. The reality is that you can always be growing and learning from others. Think about different ways you can gather feedback regularly from those around you. Other business professionals, your staff, and customers all have different perspectives in mind and can share information that’s only going to help you accomplish more in the long run. Once you gather these insights make sure you use them to your advantage.

Invest in Training & Professional Development

Another piece of advice that will help your business soar is to invest in consistent training and professional development opportunities. You and your employees should always be striving to do better and correct past mistakes. Get to know your strengths as well as your weaknesses, and then commit to working on the areas that need your attention the most. Your employees will likely stick around longer when they can see that you care about their personal and professional growth and development.

5 People Your Business Cannot Afford to Annoy

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Running a business is a bit like hosting a never-ending dinner party. You’ve got a house full of guests, and they all have their quirks. Upset the wrong one, and the party could come crashing down! Here are the guests, or rather, people, that your business simply cannot afford to annoy.

1. Your Customers: The Life of the Party

Customers are the life and soul of your business party. They’re the ones doing the Macarena on your sales floor and giving your business its beat. Annoy them, and you risk turning your party into a ghost town faster than you can say “the customer is always right!”

2. Your Employees: The Unseen Party Planners

Your employees are like the invisible elves working behind the scenes, prepping the nibbles, mixing the drinks, and keeping your party afloat. If they’re unhappy, your party (read: business operations) could descend into chaos. A disgruntled employee can disrupt productivity, and their discontent can quickly spread.

3. Your Suppliers: The Key Ingredient Providers
Picture this: you’re throwing a pizza party, but you’ve annoyed your cheese supplier. Result? No cheese on your pizza, what a bummer, right? Your guests will be so disappointed. So, you can see how your suppliers are crucial to the success of your business. If you find a good industrial supply of metal or bolts or whatever it is you need to sell your goods, then you need to hold them tight. Annoy them, and you might find yourself trying to make a Margherita without mozzarella!

4. Your Investors: The Party Sponsors

A good party needs money. If you want to blow your guests away with amazing decorations, a lit band, and catered food like they have never tasted before, then getting a sponsor who can pay for it all and them some is the dream. And, you’ve guessed it, your company’s investors are like the sponsors of a truly great party. They’ve backed your idea and given you the means to proceed with your soiree in a way that is impressive and effective, Keep them happy and the party will never end. 

5. The Local Community: The Party Neighbors

Just like throwing a party in a residential area, you need to keep in good graces with your local community. They aren’t just youtube business’ neighbors, but they could well be your best customers too, so if you annoy them by taking noisy deliveries at 3 a.m. when they’re sleeping, for example, it could spell .ots of bad reviews for you, not to mention less revenue too.

Navigating the Business Party

Your business is the ultimate social affair, a carefully balanced ecosystem of diverse roles and relationships. Rubbing any of your key stakeholders up the wrong way could upset this balance and disrupt the harmonious functioning of your business. 

So, make sure your party stays bumping! Keep the tunes pumping, the guests happy, and most importantly, keep yourself from becoming the host of the world’s worst business shindig. After all, everyone loves a good party, and your business is no exception!

Why Mastering Inventory Management Is Crucial

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As a business owner, you must spend time mastering inventory management. Knowing what you need and when will help you make better decisions and reduce real-time operational costs. Fortunately, it is easier than you think using apps. And here are some of the immediate benefits.

Better Order Processing

When fulfilling orders, you need to know where products are in the chain. This helps you deliver vital customer service but also allows you to process orders more efficiently. As a result, you cut costs and keep everything working like a well-oiled machine. This is why Jasdeep Singh CT places inventory management among the most critical aspects of running a modern business. You can use apps such as Management Engine or partner with a reputable fulfillment center.

Enhanced Warehouse Efficiency

With a warehouse full of goods, you need to be able to manage what you have. Otherwise, you risk misplacing items, losing track of orders, and even increasing shrinkage. However, a well-organized warehouse benefits from faster fulfillment and lower costs. This is because you will need to use up fewer resources and spare more time to do what you do best. It helps to keep accurate records of stock on paper as well as digitally with popular apps such as Zoho.

Mastering Inventory Management Lowers Costs

The more you save, the more you can invest back into your company. And this only makes your position stronger in terms of competition, customer service, and driving results, such as:

  • Immediate savings on fulfillment costs
  • Quicker shipping of eCommerce products to your valued customers.
  • Better use of your business’s time.

And when you are processing orders, time is all you really have. Getting your products where they need to be could be under strict time limits under a service contract or customer guarantee.

Better Customer Service and Retention

Further to customers, you will only serve them better with a solid inventory system. And when customers are happy with your service, they will come back. This is why paying attention to customer service is vital, as 90% of consumers place this high on the list of priorities for using a company. In direct relation to inventory, it will help if you have systems in place for order tracking. First, it helps stop customers from receiving the wrong orders or even damaged goods.

Easier Future Planning

It is challenging to know what you need when you don’t keep track of orders and stock. Overstocking means wasted money and potentially longer shelf life. While understocking means you cannot satisfy your customers. Therefore, you need detailed inventory tracking to get around even seemingly harmless issues that can cause severe problems for your business. This is especially true of physical stores and eCommerce, where demand constantly changes.

Summary

Mastering inventory management is a vital part of modern business. It can help you process orders better, reduce operating costs, and makes it easier to balance current and future stock. All of these combined result in better customer service and a much more efficient business.

Easy Ways To Promote Your Business To New Customers

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Whether you are looking for ways to grow your business or are just getting started on your journey – the key to your success often lies within the way in which you promote your brand. After all, you cannot build a client base if nobody has ever heard of your company before. 

Thankfully, promoting your brand has never been easier! Here are some easy ways in which you can start promoting yourself today! 

Get Online. Whether you like it or not, social media plays an important role in our daily lives – whether you are using it personally or professionally. In fact, it can even have an impact on consumer behavior – encouraging customers to make purchases based on advertisements or sponsored posts. As a result, you must ensure that your brand has a social media presence, as this is one of the easiest ways in which you can get your name out there. 

Be creative. When it comes to promoting your brand, the more creative you are – the better. After all, this means that you’re likely to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Don’t be afraid to stray away from more traditional forms of self-promotion, such as flyering in favor of something a little more unique. For example, you could promote your brand using commercial vehicle wraps – which will turn your car or company vehicle into a moving advertisement. This means that any time you are driving down the road or stuck behind some traffic lights – you’re actually promoting your company to potential customers. 

Attend local events. If you’re looking to get your name on the map locally, then you should be sure to attend as many local events as possible. For example, you could set up a stall at a local market or sponsor an event at a local school. This is a great way to introduce your brand to new customers and build a steady reputation for yourself as your company begins to grow. 

Promote yourself. Another way to promote your business is by brushing up on your self-promotion and marketing skills. For example, this could mean that you spend a little time brushing up on your sales pitch, so you know precisely how to promote your brand to customers, clients, and investors. The better you are at promoting your brand – the more likely it is that you will be able to bring in customers. 

Provide excellent service. If you are willing to put in the hard work, providing your customers with consistently excellent service, then it’s highly likely that your brand will promote itself. For example, customers are more likely to recommend a product/service to a friend when they know they will be receiving quality goods. Therefore, you should ensure that your focus throughout the journey remains on your customers, giving them exactly what they want and need. If the quality of the services you are offering begins to drop – then you will likely lose customers and notice a decrease in sales as a result.

What’s The Problem With Your Business Right Now?

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Every business is going to encounter some kind of problem at some point in its life. It’s more about how you deal with the problem that you face rather than the issue itself. The most important part is being able to identify the issue and then working to figure out a solution as soon as possible. The longer a problem festers, the bigger it is going to become and this is never going to be good news for a company. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the problems that your business might be facing right now, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

You’re Not Moving Forward

The first problem could be that you are not moving forward. Your business has got to be constantly moving and growing in order to stay competitive with the others on the market. You may need to be undergoing digital transformation in order to provide the very best to your customers, and if you’re not doing this right now, you could be missing out. Of course, it’s not always about tech, there are other ways that your business could be at a standstill. For example, if you’re not releasing anything new and you’re continuing to provide the same thing as you always have, this could end up being an issue. The phrase ‘if it ain’t broke’, doesn’t work well when it comes to a business. You need to be evolving in order to keep your business alive.

You’re Not Listening To Customers

When your customers tell you something, you must listen. They aren’t sitting there and telling you for the fun of it, and it certainly isn’t for their benefit alone. Keep in mind at all times that what is good for your customers is good for you. At the end of the day, your customers are what keep your business going, and if you can’t listen to them and implement the things that they want, you are going to lose them. What happens when you lose customers? They go to your competition and you end up further down on the ladder than you ever have been.

You Don’t Have Enough Money

The final issue could be that you don’t have enough money to do everything that you want to do right now. If this is the case, then you need to find a way to get the funds that you need. Speak to an investor and see if they are willing to give your business some money in order to get where you need to be. Failing this option, there is always crowdfunding that you can take a look at. There are a number of platforms that allow for this option, so it’s worth looking into as you are not beholden to anyone when you use this.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the problems that your business might be facing right now. You should do everything that you can to sort these problems as soon as possible, otherwise they could become bigger issues, even going as far as to take your entire business down.

Dealing With Difficult Customers: The Dos and Don’ts

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Difficult customers can be found in all industries. They come in all different forms from the persistent late payer to the serial complainer to the needy customer that won’t stop asking questions. By understanding the right way to deal with these customers, you can prevent difficulties from escalating (and protect your sanity). Here are just a few important dos and don’ts for dealing with difficult customers.

Don’t get angry

Some customers will keep pushing you. They may even act abusively towards you. It’s important to keep your cool for the sake of your professional reputation – if you start getting angry, they may start bad-mouthing you all over the internet. Remain calm at all times so that you don’t make the situation worse.

Don’t ignore them

Ignoring difficult customers is also not the way to deal with them. In fact, it’s likely to rile them up even further. Confront the issue as soon as you can. If you can’t come to a solution and need to call them back, make sure that you do call them back.

Do take the time to listen

It’s important to always listen to the customer. Even in the case of late paying customers, it’s important that you listen to their side of the story (even if you know they’re making excuses). When it comes to customers that won’t stop pestering you, you may need to eventually draw the line so that you’re not spending all of your time talking to them. Make them understand that you are busy and that you’d prefer to schedule a meeting in which all problems can be discussed.

Do show empathy

Responding to complaints in a robotic ‘this is company policy’ fashion is likely to make customers angry. Show compassion for their troubles and then try to solve the issue together. Even if they are in the wrong, initially showing empathy will make them feel you’re on their side, which will make it easier to argue your point and get them to understand.

Don’t hesitate to get legal support

Some customers may grow increasingly difficult and may threaten legal action or outright refuse to pay you. In these cases, it could be important you get the necessary legal support to deal with these customers. An attorney may be able to help you negotiate a problem without it going to court. If it’s beyond that point, they can help to argue your case. In the case of late paying customers, a collection agency may be required if a customer has continuously failed to pay. An attorney may also be able to help if the issue goes to court.

Do support your colleagues/employees

The customer doesn’t always come first. There are times when it’s important to stick up for colleagues and employees. Not showing support for employees and colleagues will make them feel undervalued and could affect the support they have for you. Never put down colleagues in front of customers – even if your colleagues are in the wrong.

How To Deal With Late Paying Customers

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It can be incredibly frustrating when clients don’t pay on time. If you’re not getting paid, it could affect your own ability to pay bills. This can then lead to a vicious cycle of constantly being owed money while constantly owing money to others.

To keep your cashflow healthy and earn the money you deserve, here are several tips for dealing with late payers.

Chase them up

Waiting and hoping that customers will eventually pay up doesn’t work. If a customer owes you money, you have to keep chasing them up. Some customers may have genuinely forgotten to pay you, while others may be deliberately holding out until you chase them up.

You may be able to start by emailing them. If you get no response or they continue to not pay up, don’t be afraid to phone them up. A warning letter delivered to their door could be the next step if you still cannot get hold of them and they continue to not pay up.

Don’t feel bad about chasing up clients – it’s your money and you deserve it! Some customers may make continuous excuses or try to make you feel sorry for their circumstances. You may be able to negotiate a payment plan, but you still deserve that money.

Keep your cool

It’s very easy to get angry at late paying clients. However, this could cause a lot of harm to your business. A customer may leave negative reviews or they may sue you for harassment/verbal abuse if they feel you’re not acting professionally or are being unreasonable. Be firm but be friendly.

Know when to take legal action

If a customer continuously refuses to pay or retaliates with verbal abuse, you may be able to take legal action against them. It’s worth seeking legal advice to understand what you can and can’t do – there may be laws in place to protect debtors that state that you have to give several warnings first.

For large debts, you may be able to hire a collection agency. When customers go AWOL and don’t respond to any of your warnings, this can often be a necessary step to take.

Take measures to prevent future late payments

Certain measures may help you to avoid having to deal with late paying customers in the first place.

The first is to establish a credit policy when customers first sign up to your service – this should outline steps that you are legally allowed to take if a customer does not pay up such as adding late payment charges and possibly withholding your service. Such repercussions could prevent customers from continuously late paying.

You should also consider setting payment deadlines and sending automated reminders. This can prevent customers from genuinely forgetting to pay you (or at the very least pretending they’ve forgotten). Make sure to send out payment details with each invoice and reminders so that customers can’t use the excuse that they’ve lost your payment details.  

You may also be able to prevent late payments by offering early payment discounts. This could urge customers to pay up early so that they save money.

6 Upgrades Your Hotel Business Needs Right Now

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The hotel industry is a competitive circuit that inspires you to be the biggest and the best in the area. Believe it or not, there are a number of things that you might be missing from your business right now; you could be losing precious clients because you’re overlooking these important elements. Whether you’ve recently opted for a change in career or you have been running your hotel business for a long time, there are a number of ways you can upgrade your current premises. Consider the following six upgrades your hotel business needs right now and make some much needed changes.

1. Excellent Entertainment

Often hotel entertainment is the last thing that owners think about. They assume that guests who are coming to stay over already have grand plans in place. In fact, a lot of people staying in hotels are on business trips and are searching for light relief after a busy day. Whether you look into slot machine manufacturers or professional singers to do a nightly gig, there are so many ways to provide excellent entertainment for your guests. This is the type of thing that will make a client choose your establishment over a competitor.

2. Top Quality Food

When the food in a hotel is bad, it’s likely that the client won’t be back anytime soon. Make sure your menus cater for all diets and they vary throughout the seasons.

3. Attractive Amenities

Whether you open up a pool, spa or private members bar there are so many attractive amenities that your hotel could offer. Think about what’s missing right now and aim to open up at least one new amazing amenity in the next year.

4. Friendly Staff

Hotel staff always need to be polite and friendly, even if they’re dealing with a tricky customer. Train your employees in customer service and make sure they feel confident in dealing with every possible scenario.

5. Comfortable Bed

A comfortable bed in a hotel is a must if you want to have repeat customers. Do some research into the best quality mattresses and pillows; don’t be afraid to invest a little extra money into this as it will be worth it in the long run.

6. Strong Wi-Fi

Offering free wifi to your guests is a fundamental thing to do these days. As mentioned before, a lot of people will be on a business trip and in need of excellent internet. You can keep the connection password protected in order to maintain strong security, which is another thing that is very important to your guests too.

As a hotel business, you always need to stay one step ahead of the game. Do some research into the competitors in your area and see how you can go above and beyond what they’re already doing. Although some of the ideas above might seem obvious, it is so important to give your clients the best of the best. By implementing the ideas mentioned above, you are set to have a thriving hotel business that people come flocking to on a daily basis!

Ways You Can Stay Ahead Of The Competition

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If you want your business to succeed over the long-term, then it’s vital you stay ahead of your competitors and know what they’re up to and rolling out next. You risk losing paying customers if you fall behind, and others are outsmarting you in every area of your business.

Learn how you can maintain your position as a leader in your industry and get ahead of the competition. These actions will be well worth your time and energy and will likely deliver exceptional results that will be worth noting. You’ll be a much happier business owner when you’re attracting new customers and maintaining a loyal book of clients throughout the years.

Offer High-Quality Products

One way to stay ahead of the competition is to offer high-quality products that are long-lasting and don’t fall apart. Make sure they meet industry standards and regulations and are safe for consumer use. You can accomplish this goal by contacting rapidpsi.com and experimenting with 3D printing as a way to speed up production and improve the quality of your offerings. It’ll give you an edge over your competition and prove to others that you’re up to speed with the latest developments in technology.

Implement Creative Marketing Tactics

Keep ahead of your competitors by using creative marketing tactics to build awareness and excitement around your business and products. No one is going to make purchases from you or talk about you unless they know what it is you do. Clearly explain the benefits of working with you and what you bring to the table. Position yourselves as experts in your industry by sharing exciting and engaging content on your website, company blog, and social media.

Build an Attractive Company Culture

You can also stay ahead of the competition by being the employer of choice among employees and potential candidates. Focus on building an attractive company culture and reward your staff fairly for their performance. Make the workplace a fun and exciting place to be, but also make it known that you all work hard and are continually achieving your goals. Employees and job seekers will spread the word for you, and you’ll be able to set your business up as a top place to work in your community and even around the country.

Offer Superior Customer Service

Satisfied customers can go a long way in helping your business to succeed and thrive. Stay ahead of the competition by putting your customers first and ensuring they’re happy at all times. Solve problems quickly and address issues professionally so that you can close the loop and make sure consumers feel confident in your business and trust you. Train your employees to know how to handle all types of situations and to help them understand the significance of offering superior and consistent customer service. Not only get to know your customers better but look after them and do what’s in your power to confirm they’re pleased with your service and products. Ask questions and seek feedback to help you work through any hesitations your customers are feeling.

These Tips will Help you to Host the Best Business Event

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Hosting a business event at your location can be a fantastic way for you to get new customers in the door. You may also find that you can increase your exposure, while also advertising your new business services. It doesn’t matter if you have a small business or a large corporate empire either because you can easily cater your event to meet your requirements.

Appeal to your Target Customers

If you want to make your business event as successful as it can be then you need to try and appeal to your target customers. If you are a wedding planner for example, then it may be a good idea for you to try and host an event where you can showcase various dresses, snacks and beverages. This will draw in the right crowd while also helping you to advertise your services in a nice and relaxed setting. You could also host a giveaway or competition as well, as this is a great way for you to increase engagement. Crosswords are ideal here, as you can include industry buzzwords to drive excitement. Check out WordMint to find out more.

Find the Best Day and Time

If you know that you have a slow sales period at one point during the year then why not host your business event during this time? When you do, you will be able to bring in additional sales revenue and you will also be able to increase your client engagement. Planning the right day and time is also crucial. For example, if you are marketing to business owners then you wouldn’t want to plan your event during working hours. The weekend would be a much better option in this instance. If you are targeting parents who have very young children, then a weekday morning may be a much better option.

Provide a Great Service

During the event, you also need to make sure that you provide excellent customer service and that you also really showcase your services and your products. The last thing that you want is for your event to sound like a sales pitch, so make sure that you work with your team and that you get the right message across. If you do then you will motivate your attendees to come back next time, and this will work wonders for your company.

Gather Information

One of the main things that you need to do when hosting an event is gather as much information as possible. You can do this by collecting emails or even by getting the phone numbers of potential clients. If you go round and just “ask” for this information then you may be perceived as being pushy, which is the last thing that you need. One way for you to get around this would be for you to host a giveaway or a competition, where people give their consent to be contacted in exchange for the chance of winning.

Hosting a business event can be stressful and time-consuming, but if you take your time and if you make sure that you do everything right then there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t experience a huge level of success.