Tips On Enhancing Your Customer Service Levels

Customer service - it is something your customers expect and something you strive to deliver. But do you actually understand what customer service means?

Customer service is generally described as the ability to meet customer needs. But do you think that would suffice in today's competitive marketplace? Absolutely not! Instead of simply meeting the needs of your customers, you have to think of ways to exceed customer expectations on a regular basis.

You must try to achieve reputation as a company that really cares about its customers. After all, consumers consider good service standards as important as the quality, availability and affordability of your products. So the modern definition of customer service will be the ability to attract new customers, retain existing ones and keep them all connected with your business. Keeping your customers happy naturally translates into more cash flow for your business.

Now here are some tips on improving the customer service levels in your business:

* Answer emails from your customers promptly.
* Never put your customers on hold for too long when they call up your business.
* Collect the email addresses of your customers and keep mailing them newsletters containing the latest products and developments of your business.
* Be open to suggestions or feedback from customers.
* Handle product returns or customer complaints immediately. A bit of good humor will also be nice to placate unsatisfied customers.
* Always treat your customers with respect and consideration.
* If there has been a mistake on your part, be ready to apologize and - if necessary compensate for it.
* It is less expensive to retain your existing customers than to attract new ones. Studies show that satisfied customers not only purchase more but also purchase more often and bring in new customers as well. As your database of loyal customers grows larger, you will have to spend less on marketing, advertising and promotional activities.

Implementing a good system of customer service is actually more affordable than you think. If you are still anxious about the expense, remember that it is going to be a very profitable investment in the long run.

Developing Your Decision Making Skills

When it comes to running a business on your own, each decision you make can have great impact on your profit levels. If this is your first independent business venture and you have never been actively been involved in the decision-making process of an organization, then all this may seem new to you.

If you have never made any crucial decisions previously, then you must pay extra attention to sharpening your decision making skills and evaluating your thought process that leads to a decision. This is because making business decisions is usually different from decision making in your personal life. You must never allow business decisions to go with the flow like you may do in case of personal decisions.

Simply take a look at the corporate world and you will find examples of lots of companies that have slipped into serious issues due to poor decision making skills. Wrong decisions can prove disastrous especially when the company is considering whether or not to invest in new machinery, products or markets. In most cases, the decision itself or the idea behind it is not to blame. The complete thought process may be flawed due to various factors like:

* Ignorance
* Lack of proper investment appraisal
* Over optimism
* Biased assessment
* Inadequate information
* Insufficient time for planning and deliberation

Failures due to bad decisions can happen even with companies that have experts in all necessary departments. If your business is not able to afford such experts to aid you in making decisions, you can still have an edge over your competitors by using reason and logic to arrive at key decisions regarding:

* Investments in equipment
* Investing in software
* What product lines to market or withdraw
* Outsourcing a part of your workload
* Whether to reinvest or withdraw your profits
* What marketing strategies to use

These are of course just the key areas. You must be able to identify the other areas of your business that demand good decision making skills and then focus on these areas whenever an important decision is due.

Are You Over-Delivering To Your Customers?

If not - you should be. Unless your offers are accompanied with bonuses you could be losing sales! With all the hectic competition online, it has become necessary to add extra benefits to your product or service to differentiate yourself from others. There are three important reasons for this:

You will improve your sales You will develop your customers' trust You will get repeat orders

Imagine - if you were to go shopping and come across two similarly priced offers where one only had the product, and the other included a bonus with the product - which one would you choose? You would obviously prefer the product plus extra bonus. It is the same with your website visitors. That is why it is important to over-deliver to your customer's expectations.

You can use your extra bonuses to enhance your product value, so that they appear even more appealing to your prospective customers. This is a good way to improve your conversion rate, particularly if your business is offering affiliate products which are being promoted by several affiliates.
The Advantages Of Offering A Bonus With Your Product

In addition to the above, there are other advantages that can you can enjoy when you offer bonuses and these are:

Suppose your product is slightly over-priced, your bonuses can enhance its value, since the additional offer would justify the price. When you offer a bonus, customers get the feeling that it is value for money and help you grow the relationship. The next time they buy, it will be from you, as they would begin to trust you. Your business will be perceived as one that is customer-focused when you offer 'extras'. Your customers will be easier to convince to buy when you offer them more than they expect for their money's worth.
What Kind Of Bonuses Can You Offer?

So, to achieve the above, how can you find those all-important and effective bonuses? If you have digital products with resale or private label rights, think of distributing them for free, and also allow the recipient to use it. Information is something that people are always looking for, and therefore, consider creating short reports or e-books your customers will perceive as added value. Yet another effective way is to club products from your joint venture partners and have a variety on offer.

Remember, offering a bonus does not mean just putting together a few freebies. The bonus must be of value to the customer, otherwise it is of no use. Customers are intelligent and will know immediately if you are trying to fool them and will simply drift away from your business forever. Therefore, never try to offer something just for the sake of doing so. Choose carefully, and make sure your customers will be happy to receive these bonuses.

That said, 'value addition' always works, because it shows you care about what you offer your customers. It ensures that they will feel like coming back for more.

Add a valuable bonus today, and see the difference!