In this age of endless competition, businesses are always looking for new ways to level up and set themselves apart from their competitors. The web has completely changed the way businesses interact with customers and run their operations, and nowadays, customers expect a certain level of customer service from new and established brands alike. Here, we’ve put together four tips on how to level up your business and take that important first step into your future.
We’ll focus on mastering your presence on social media, changing the way you communicate both internally and externally, making employee growth a priority, and redirecting your company’s attention to its customer service.
1. Master Your Social Media Presence
If you’re not already utilizing social media sites like Facebook and Instagram for your business, you’ve fallen behind. Social media platforms offer a low-cost, effective way to reach thousands of current and potential customers and spread the word about your brand, your values, and your awesome products and services. Never before has there been such a tool for businesses!
Most social media sites are free to use, and you can run paid advertisements to reach very specific audiences. You’ll be able to interact with customers on a regular basis on a platform they’re already using, so there’s no extra effort on their part. Making communication as simple as possible for your customers can increase brand loyalty and customer satisfaction; not to mention, you can appeal to their needs and wants with targeted ads, so you’re not wasting money on blanket ads for a general audience.
If you’re looking for more information on how to grow your social media presence, check out this Forbes article on the subject.
2. Change How You Communicate
Internal and external communication are equally important to the success of your business. How you communicate with employees can mean the difference between productivity and innovation and utter confusion and chaos. If you’ve ever been involved in a communication breakdown at a business, you understand the havoc it can wreak it just a matter of hours. People get the wrong information, mistakes are made, and at the end of the day, there’s usually a price tag that accompanies such mistakes.
First, you’ll need to start with your internal communication. How are you communicating with your teams? How are projects managed? Are you only using email, or team management software? Are your conference calls hosted on a landline, or with online conferencing solutions like Vast Conference?
Next, look at your external communication. How are you communicating with customers? How are you reaching them? Are you successfully communicating your company values to the customer? Are you giving them a reason to use your brand?
Good communication is the key to any good relationship, including the relationship between you and your customers. Utilize your social media accounts to interact with customers and be sure you’ve got a customer service line or email address set up.
3. Focus On Employee Growth
Your employees are the heartbeat of the business and mustn’t be forgotten as you grow. Providing training and education opportunities to help employees grow no only benefits them, but it also benefits the company as a whole. Well-trained, educated employees tend to perform better, and happy employees are much more productive and loyal to their position.
Not to mention, there’s a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in watching your team grow over the years into a productive powerhouse of ideas. Your customers will notice, too. Employees that are happy with their positions usually provide better customer service, and as the company’s goods and services improve, you’ll notice an increase in brand loyalty.
Have you ever supported a brand with a talented, driven team? You probably noticed a huge difference in the quality of goods and services from the brand. Companies that invest in their employees will experience greater growth and also attract better candidates during the hiring process.
4. Make Customer Service Your #1 Priority
While the fourth item on our list should be a given, you’d be amazed by how many brands still don’t focus on customer service in the 21st century. Let’s be clear; customer service is everything. You can have the most talented team, the greatest products the world has ever seen, and a marketing plan that would make Ann Handley blush, if you’re lacking in customer service, you’ll run into several problems.
Your customers are the life’s blood of your business. Neglecting them means neglecting the very thing that keeps the business alive and flourishing! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that customer service only involves picking up the phone when a customer calls or being courteous at the point of sale. Customer service goes well beyond just the interactions you share with customers on a daily basis; it must be embedded in everything your company does, from developing new products to how you treat your employees.
