Small Business Customer Service / Customer Care:
Small businesses have great advantages and horrible disadvantages
in the world of customer service. The
best thing about small business customer service is the staff is easier to talk
to, and more experienced with their line of products / service.
A mom and pop shop sporting goods store will
have a person that knows everything about sporting goods, so they can answer
any advanced questions you may have off the top of their head. Same with a computer store, try to ask a
representative in Walmart a question about computers. There are a lot of tech savvy people that wouldn’t
bother to ask, instead just whip out their smart phone to Google it. So this is a big leg up that small business
customer service has over corporate powerhouses like Walmart, I call this
customer care over customer service; there are more small biz employees / small
biz business owners that have knowledge, enthusiasm in their field of expertise
and truly care for their customers.
Where small business suffers in customer service is their
lack of understanding marketing psychology, the impact of refund stress, and
customer response time. Though these may
seem like minimal issues in several managers’ eyes, they are serious and can
have a severe impact on small business. Example: Have you purchased something that
didn’t work from Walmart, and was it very disappointing??? Okay, now did you ever go back and buy
something else after that??? Most people
will answer yes to those questions; now ask yourself the same thing with a few
small businesses you can think of?? Most
will say, “No” they didn’t go back to the small business.
Small businesses must focus on customer
service more than corporate entities do and they also must be advanced in their
line of expertise. This can be a
difficult task if they lack staff or the ability to respond quicker once being
inquired upon. If this can be performed
then small businesses can start having a more cost effective edge on the
dominating competition which surrounds them.
When great customer service is combined with an efficient marketing system,
a small business can literally pass the leaders in a quickness. Strategic marketing will grab your new customers attention, it takes excellent customer service to keep your investment (customers).
My Personal Customer Service Experience-
I was at the Walmart in Eugene, Oregon off West 11th looking at televisions as I was determined to watch the Seahawks and Broncos Superbowl on a new 60” screen. Being the technical guru that I am I had a few questions about refresh rates, aspect ratios, contrasts, etc... TV stuff... There was a man in the Electronics department that kindly approached me and asked if I needed help, he was responsive and kind; however he did not have the answers to any of my technical questions, just the sales brochure info. Well when I was all done at Walmart, I needed to go across the street to get my teeth whitened at Lazer Bright, which is obviously much smaller than Walmart. The gentleman that was there was busy with a customer when I walked in but once it came time for my appointment he started going off about all kinds of really valuable teeth whitening information. This place knew everything about teeth whitening; it made me feel really comfortable to get my treatment done there. Plus I bought more teeth whitening products when I was checking out and leaving.
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