Not to long ago I was wondering around a few restaurants while my car was getting some work when I noticed something about the way corporate businesses are ran in this day and age. They miss out on the minor details, which means if you remember details people will notice. Details all the way down to how your bathroom looks and even the way you open the door. If you show any kind of sincereness to your customers you are already one step ahead of the game, but what details do you need to remember to please your customers? All of them! But here’s a few ideas for you to think about:

First idea, clean your workplace. If you care about your store so will other people. “Cleanliness is next to godliness!” Too many times I have walked into shops that have dusty counters and dusty items. If your items are dusty what does that tell your customer? It means no one is buying your product, which signals to everyone else that this is not a product worth buying.

Second idea, keep your storefront noticeable. Change it up from time to time to keep gaining attention from foot traffic or drive by traffic. People like to see the new kid on the block or the trend setter. If you can mix up the storefront you are bound to bring in new traffic that may have never noticed your store before.

Third idea, if you have the ability carry the product for the customer or open the door for them with a smile. Better yet walk the customers new purchase to the car with them. Remember about twenty years ago where the bag boy would actually offer this service? That image sticks in your customers head that you really care about them. That’s what your customer wants, a person who care about them.

Fourth idea, learn how to use the phone. Email has been overused and is beginning to kill customer service in the small business industry as managers rely too much on this method of communication. Did society learn how to speak through the phone rather than texting? So, here is an idea pick up the phone scroll through your list of customers and call them. Call them to say hi, call them to say we’re still here and we miss seeing you in the store. Then say, “Is there anything we could do for you or Is there something you have been looking for lately?” It’s an interesting marketing strategy isn’t it? There is no marketing like personally reaching out to your customers.

Fifth and final idea, clean and astonish people with your restroom. This is usually the last place anyone takes care of, but if a customer ever uses it they tend to make some kind of comment about it afterwards. So, I say clean it and make it look marvelous. McDonald’s has been known to be a great pit stop because not only do they server food, but there bathrooms are usually spotless. This turns out to be perfect on road-trips as you can make a convenient rest stop.

Every detail counts and in todays world it can mean the difference of you staying in business compared to your competitor. Paying attention to the little things can make a big difference.

Tags: Communication, Customer Service

This entry was posted on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 7:09 pm and is filed under Customer Service, Management, small business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.