Customers are the lifeblood of any business. We’re all probably aware of that fact. Without the customers, your entire reason for going into business is pointless. After all, you won’t be selling stuff or providing your services to yourself.
A very common characteristic of good and successful business is a perfect understanding and knowledge of the peculiarities of each and every customer. The reason is that this knowledge will help in tailoring your operations and providing personalized and targeted services. You need to make every customer feel important and like a boss. Otherwise, that visit will more than likely be their last. Beyond losing them, the effect of performing below par in the eyes of a customer could actually have ripple effects. Customers have the power to run you out of business. Let’s take a closer look at that point, shall we? Here are two ways aspects of your business in which the value of customers can’t be overstated:
Marketing and Business Growth
Every business today (or at least, a very vast majority of them) has a website or at least an online platform for communicating and reaching out to customers and getting feedback. A disgruntled customer who has had an experience with your business and who left less than satisfied will have no difficulty locating your online platform and could post potentially damaging reviews and ratings. From there, the dent in your reputation becomes noticeable. Even if you offer the kind of service that is needed and loved by everyone around and you’re no stranger to the occasional 5-star rating, a simple derogatory aspect could be noticeable in the stream of data to hundreds of people who, without even visiting you or getting to know more about your business or the service you offer, act by simple prejudice and decide not to even give you a chance to vindicate yourself.
On the flip side, a customer who leaves your business satisfied will feel more confident to advertise you to his (or her) friends and close acquaintances and lead them to you in their droves. Your ability to grow sustainable and lasting relationships with your customers is a very important skill that should be possessed by everyone in your team. It has gotten so to the point that no matter what the customer says, their words always seem to have more credibility than those of normal staff members and workers who actually work for you.
Basically, this is why a single customer is highly important to your business. You should ideally do whatever you can to keep a customer because of the fact that they quite literally hold the key t your expansion and increased clientele in their hands. Whatever business you own or whatever service you render; be it something as simple as an air conditioning service or a more complex blend of business and consulting services, you should treat your customers right at all times. Your interaction with them should be kept professional and you should make sure that whatever it is that you can do to make them happy and satisfied, you should.
Operational Strategy Formation and Implementation
Apart from the potential marketing advantages that customers carry, another area where your clientele can actually help you is in operational strategy formation and implementation. Every business has a customer services department which is charge of listening to clients’ complaints and working on immediately resolving them, all with the aim of creating a better overall customer experience.
Some customers, instead of criticizing, can actually come up to you with some fresh ideas on better and more productive ways to go about rendering your services. Given the fact that you’re providing these products or services to and for your customers, it will be more than advisable to look into the suggestion and see if it’s actionable enough to actually incorporate into your operational structure. Also, monitoring the trend and frequency of certain customer complaints can actually help you in determining the aspects of your business which need help. From there, you’ll have a clear idea on how to work better and deliver even more bespoke services to your customers.
Nobody knows how best you should render your services than the customers to whom you’re actually rendering the services. Every business operational strategy, no matter how effective or polished, should have some form of customer input or reference therein. Otherwise, there might be a fatal mistake that could spur the entire strategy to serve all the wrong purposes. Basically, you’ll be flying blind (so to speak). If your business has a dedicated customer service department, this might be one main applied function which you should look into and if you don’t have one yet, you’re advised to do so as soon as you possibly can.
