When you created your business plan you had a target market in mind. An idea of who your customer would be and what they would want from your business. Focusing on that ideal customer and how you could provide the product or service that would want was key to developing your business strategy. Being successful and growing your business depends on your ability to remain customer centric with all aspects of your business. Keep reading to learn more about areas where customer focus is often lost and how to avoid these pitfalls.
Ease of Sale. You've got the perfect product or service, now you need to make it easy for your customers to purchase. Just having a website that allows online ordering isn't enough. Your site needs to be user friendly, easy to navigate and checkout should be a breeze. If customers are visiting your site, adding items to their cart and then failing to check out you may have a problem with your process. Almost sales won't pay the bills, you need customers that actually complete their purchases. It can be tempting to try to capture all kinds of customer data for marketing purposes but if the checkout process includes too many steps or asks too many questions it can be a real deterrent. Only gather the information that you need during checkout and then invite customers to complete a survey afterwards if you'd like to get more info from them.
Returns. If you offer a service, returns aren't an issue. If you sell products, of course, you hope that everyone will love everything they buy, but in the real world we know that isn't always the case. A complicated return process can encourage customers to rethink trying to get their money back, but it can also persuade them to take their business elsewhere the next time they are ready to buy. You don't have to have an overly generous return policy, but a straightforward, reasonable policy should keep your customers happy.
Warranty. Providing a product or service warranty is just good business. Standing behind your product or service shows that you have confidence in the quality your business provides. It also gives your customers peace of mind knowing that if they are dissatisfied they do have some method of recourse. Keep your customer in mind when devising your claim process. Making the process too complicated says that you hope they give up and are unable to file a claim. That isn't truly standing behind your product or service. Chances are your customer is already unhappy if they are considering making a warranty claim, you don't want to exacerbate this feeling by making the whole process more annoying and difficult than it has to be.
Stockpile | Small Business Inventory Management
Being customer centric is about more than just marketing. It means making sure that every aspect of your business is designed to keep your customer happy and coming back. Another great way to be customer centric is by using Stockpile small business inventory management system to track your inventory. Knowing what you have, and where to find it is key to keeping your customers happy. Stockpile makes it easy to track inventory within a single location or across multiple locations. Plus, it's mobile compatible so you can access your inventory data anytime from anywhere. Stockpile small business inventory management system makes keeping your customers happy easy. Try Stockpile today!
