A: Consolidation in many industries has decreased competition and often worsened customer experiences. Most customers feel larger organizations offer less personal service. Capitalize on your small size (and flexibility) to win those customers.
Second, make customer experiences truly personal. Once you know your customers, use that to create richer, more personalized experiences. Personalization is more than sending a birthday coupon or using the customer’s name in an email; effective personalization uses customer preferences to create a customized experience. It does not have to be elaborate. Auto shops ask, “Do you need a loaner?” That could be: “I know you prefer a loaner, Mr. Smith; would you like me to reserve one?” Personal touches make customers feel like valued guests.
Fourth, bend where big business breaks. Large companies box in their subsidiaries with policies and procedures created by legal and other departments hundreds of miles away. These rules are often driven by other factors than the customer experience. They don’t allow for rules to be put aside for the benefit of the customer. You can. Make sure you know which processes and policies are ironclad and which can be bent or adapted. Use the nimbleness of your size to your advantage. When you can, make exceptions, circumvent processes, and override policies to make each customer experience exceptional.
Fifth, empower your staff to win customers. Once you embrace flexibility, do so as an organization. Empower all your employees to be flexible, not just supervisors and managers. Allow your employees to solve as many problems in real-time as possible. Establish rules, don’t let budget concerns prevent flexibility. Make sure your people do not have to fill out three reports to solve a simple service issue. Empowerment keeps five-dollar problems from escalating into five hundred dollar problems.
Don’t let your small size impede you: use it as an asset. Even the smallest business can win.
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SCORE offers free small business counseling and low cost workshops. Call SCORE today at (831) 621-3735 or visit santacruzscore.org