While we all hope to make our customers 100% happy all of the time, and this must of course be what we strive for, there will be occasions where a customer is less than happy with the service you have provided. Even if your customer service is second to none misunderstanding and technical faults can still occur, so it is important to consider procedures for dealing with unhappy customers.

At WinWeb.com our aim is to remain focused on the customer at all time, customer service, customer experience and how the customer feels. If one of my customers feels worried, anxious or concerned it bothers me deeply.

Treating customers as individuals and respecting their point of view is paramount in dealing with and resolving any issues that customers may have with your service. Listen, listen and listen some more. Don’t make excuses; listen to what they have to say, apologise and discuss a possible resolution as soon as possible.

While it may be tempting to respond to disgruntled customers by letting them know you will get back to them later, I would strongly advise against this. Often, this leads to the customer sitting on their problem, stewing over what has happened, or even worse worrying or panicking that the issue won’t be resolved. The last thing any of us want is for our customers to be worrying, so always make speaking to your customer your first priority.

Dealing with criticism or complaints calmly, fairly and to the best of your ability can placate a potentially detrimental situation, and in some case amazing customer service in these situations can actually turn them in to a positive.

At the end of a long day, the last thing many small business owners want to deal with is a disgruntled customer. However, it is imperative that any issues are resolved quickly and to the customers’ full satisfaction.

In an age where social media and word of mouth is growing, a bad comment or an unhappy customer blogging about your product can be extremely hard work to undo. Stop it from happening by putting on a smile and having a “nothing is too much trouble” attitude.

Customers must be your number one priority as a small business owner – even when they are unhappy. Put on a smile, be courteous and eager to please, even if you disagree with them; remember, the customer is always right!

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

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When you’re in business you often hear the phrase “people buy from people”, but just how important are people, and personality, in running a successful business?

On Monday, Gordon Brown the British Prime Minister announced that he is to step down as leader of the Labour party. What was his main problem? Policies, recessions and unemployment aside, people lost faith in him and the moment that happens, whether you are a businessperson or a politician, you are in trouble.

A series of blunders led to Gordon Brown’s downfall; allegations of bullying, public gaffes and the icing on the cake was Labour losing the General Election. But it was the nuances of his character that left him being criticized and deemed as cold, unfriendly and awkward.

If Gordon Brown had a better public persona would the general public have forgiven him these blunders? It is difficult to say but in small business we can learn a lot abut the importance of public relations through this story.

I, for one, have encountered a rude, curt or abrupt salesperson and gone out of my way to not purchase something from them. I know people who have left one job in favour of another simply because their boss was difficult to get along with, unreasonable or simply unappreciative.

This doesn’t mean you always have to be nice to be successful in business, we all know there are times when tough decisions have to be made, but having a personality that blends in to the ethos of your company is vital. Once you have developed this micro-culture within your small business employees and customers will know exactly where they stand and what to expect.

A great deal of small business success can be attributed to developing a company personality. This is considerably easier if, as a small business owner, you have passions, belief and a purpose behind your business. It is your ethos, values and priorities that will become the lifeblood of your small business. Make sure they are positive.

Creating a personality for your business isn’t about cracking jokes and being the life and soul of the party. It can be anything from creating an environmental awareness within your company, through to flexibility for your employees. It’s not about being nice; it’s about being approachable, respected, open and considerate.

Under Gordon Brown Labour lost their personality and strayed from those that so fervently supported them in previous years. This election proved that. Don’t let the same happen to your small business. Your company’s personality should be representative of the thoughts, values, experiences and character of the small business owner.

So, what’s the personality of your small business?

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For a small business, customer retention can prove as profitable as sourcing new customers. In fact, retaining current customers can be more cost-effective as no outgoings are necessary to market and sell to them. You have already got them hooked; now you just need to keep them!

The key to keeping customers, and I’m sure this won’t be a surprise to you, is customer service. A sure fire way to lose a customer is to provide bad customer service, and in a similar way good customer service can keep people coming back time and time again. Word of mouth also means that good customer service can bring you new clients; although not as quickly as bad customer service will mean potential clients write you off! A bad reputation will stick, and you need to bear this in mind when dealing with each and every one of your customers. How many of us haven’t ranted to our friends about our dealings with a service provider?

But, what makes good customer service? First, it is important to remember that it is your customers who keep you in business. So, listen to them. Get to know them, answer their questions and always be courteous and polite even if you’ve had an awful day!

Help people to understand what they are buying from you. Not only explain the intricacies of your systems, software or products, but also sell them the attention to detail, patience and customer care that comes with buying from your small business. Make sure people understand what you are selling them; if they struggle, find it awkward to use or difficult to get to grips with you customer will become frustrated and this won’t reflect well on you.

When dealing with an angry or frustrated customer, take a deep breath and be patient, understanding and sympathetic, without being patronising or condescending. Help them through their problem, if necessary apologise, and thank them for their custom.

If a customer comes to you with a problem, never underestimate the power of saying “yes”. Always try to resolve an issue; customers will appreciate you going beyond the call of duty for them. They will then tell their friends and, hey presto, you’ve not only retained your current customer you’ve also appealed to new ones.

As a customer I always appreciate a smile, a thank you and personal service. So why shouldn’t I strive to give my customers the same? The answer is that I do. Do you?

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Business Integrity: quality characterized by honesty, reliability, and fairness, developed in a relationship over time.

When doing business, I think most of us would consider strong ethics and integrity to be top of the list of qualities we seek out in business partners. Reputation is extremely valuable in 21st century business. In an age of corporate scandals, suspicious customers, and budgets with very little breathing room, there is simply no substitute for being an ethical company. I came across some key principles, by Robert Moment, that form a solid foundation of business integrity which all small businesses should adhere to:

1. Recognize that customers/clients want to do business with a company they can trust; when trust is at the core of a company, it is easy to recognize. Trust defined is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of a business.

2. For continuous improvement of a company, the leader of an organization must be willing to open up to ideas for betterment. Ask for opinions and feedback from both customers and team members and your company will continue to grow.

3. Regardless of the circumstances, do everything in your power to gain the trust of past customer’s and clients, particularly if something has gone awry. Do what you can to reclaim any lost business by honoring all commitments and obligations.

4. Re-evaluate all print materials including small business advertising, brochures and other business documents making sure they are clear, precise and professional; most important make sure they do not misrepresent or misinterpret.

5. Remain involved in community-related issues and activities thereby demonstrating that your business is a responsible community contributor. In other words, stay involved.

6. Take a hands-on approach in regard to accounting and record keeping, not only as a means of gaining a better feel for the progress of your company, but as a resource for any “questionable “ activities; gaining control of accounting and record keeping allows you to end any dubious activities promptly.

7. Treat others with the utmost of respect. Regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or other types of distinctions, always treat others with professional respect and courtesy.

To sum it all up “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” Alan K. Simpson

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Find out how @ winweb.com

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Google ‘winweb’ and you can see why WinWeb.com is still victimized for the criminal and illegal use of it’s trademark. Even months after the virus has passed and any good anti-virus software can handle this virus, the first page of the google search is putting winweb.com in damagingly bad company by name association.

WinWeb learned first hand that if you want to hurt your competition, you just spread a virus with your competitors name on it. I am not saying this is what happened here, I have no proof of that, it is still true that the mere name association is extremely damaging. I also do not encourage you to try doing this as it is a criminal offence.

Never the less WinWeb is still helping one or two individuals per week and should you have an issue with the virus, please go to WinWeb’s Website and press the ‘SUPPORT’ button on the left side of your browser window, mention the Winweb Security virus and WinWeb will help you to get rid of the menace.

This however is one reason why SaaS software is often more secure than running software on PCs. Unfortunately Microsoft with it’s windows operating system has been infected by many thousands of viruses over the years, and there is no end in sight. Other operating systems like Apple’s Mac OS X and Linux have done a much better job to keep their customers safe and sound – maybe something to think about, the next time you’re looking for a new computer.

How safe is your computer? Have you checked lately? –ST

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A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“The customer will become so integrated into the production process that we will find it more and more difficult to tell just who is actually the consumer and the producer.”

Alvin Toffler (b. 1928) US social commentator, The Third Wave (1980) 

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A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“It is difficult to make people happy but I know we should try harder.”

Christopher Bland (b. 1938) British media executive & chairman of BT, referring to the BBC’s policy of achieving programme balance, Management Today (July 1999) 

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A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“I look in my closet, and if I need it, I design it. If it works for me, it works for the customer.”

Donna Karan (b. 1948) US fashion designer, Fortune (Autumn-Winter 1993) 

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A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained.

“Everything changes when there is a real customer yelling at you from the other end of the phone.”

Percy Barnevik (b. 1941) Swedish former CEO of ABB, quoted in Liberation Management (Tom Peters; 1992)

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