Customer Care is Vital to Small Businesses

If you've ever worked in a retail environment, you know that the most important aspect in this kind of business setting is customer service. Whether you are selling food, clothes or what-have-you, dealing with your customers in the most positive, helpful tone is what will separate your company from the rest.

Sometimes you have to experience poor customer service in order to better understand the importance of good service. Experiencing less-than-helpful customer service is quite an eye-opener. For example, have you ever made reservations at a restaurant and the hostess either A) can't find your name in the system or B) says your table is not available yet? This kind of situation can be incredibly frustrating, but depending on how the staffers choose to handle it, you will either come out of it having been treated fairly and respectfully or you will walk away from the situation vowing to never eat at that particular establishment again. To make sure the former happens for your customer or client, you must remain calm and let them know you are doing everything in your power to solve the problem.

In this particular restaurant scenario, the best approach is to make the customer comfortable. Suggest that they wait in the bar area or lobby if your restaurant has either. Perhaps even indulge them with a free beverage of their choice while they wait. Or encourage future visits with a small token such as a "good for one drink" wooden nickel or window sticker. If the customer reacts negatively or irrationally from the get-go, the most important thing is to remain level-headed. Sometimes our most basic human instincts can get the best of us, but maintaining that sense of professional neutrality is of the utmost importance. However, if the situation gets out of hand, bringing your manager or some form of high authority into the mix is a smart, safe option that can be utilized to its advantage.

In a small, online business situation, customer service is just as (if not much more) important to the success of your business. Buying and selling items online can be aggravating and signals can be crossed on a daily basis. If you have ever ordered something online, you probably know all too well the technicalities that can (and do) occur. SCORE is an online group that classifies itself as “Counselors to America's Small Businesses” and describes itself as a “nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide.” In an article written for the Web site, Lisa Picozzi offers tips on understanding online customer service. In this, she lists several pointers about online customer service, including:

- Offer customer-friendly site design and navigation
- Give sales transactions a personal touch, even when you may never speak to your customers
- Ensure ordering instructions are clearly outlined on your site
- Answer questions and confirm orders electronically
- Provide assurance of security of personal information transmitted over the Web

Most online companies have a FAQ section, but pages like this may seem somewhat contrived, empty and impersonal. In most circumstances, especially if your company is one with many choices and variations of products, your clients are going to have an endless list of questions. It is vital to both know your company's products like the back of your hand and make sure your company's phone numbers and email addresses are easily visible. Clients will expect you to be able to describe and explain a particular item to them with ease and a fair to strong amount of detail, so be prepared.

The bottom line with online customer service is patience and clarity. Handling disgruntled customers over the phone or through email is inevitably more complicated and frustrating than dealing with issues face-to-face. However, as long as you are friendly, helpful, understanding and informed as possible, it will prove for a much better experience all around.