Posted by Molly Nelson - Customer service is an important consideration for any small business. Scott Reynolds over at the
Good Plum blog wrote a great
post reminding small business owners why customer service is so important to them in particular, advising:
"Make sure you treat every customer the same and provide the kind of customer care you’d want to have if it was you on the other end of the line making the call. Sometimes, you might lose a customer based on his or her dissatisfaction, but don’t let it cause you to tarnish your reputation by being rude or negative with them. Continue being polite, because even though you didn’t meet their needs, they could recommend someone to you in the future whose needs you will meet."
Scott's post makes the great point that size can give small businesses an advantage over larger businesses in retaining customers (and perhaps finding new ones) through great customer service. One of my favorite customer service experts is Bob Farrell of
"give 'em the pickle"
fame. A small business owner himself, Bob is very talented at speaking
about customer service with humor and in a way that sticks with
people.
Feel free to share any good customer service habits that you've developed with your business in the comments!