Online Business – Adding That Personal Touch to Customer Service
With so many online businesses vying for customers in today’s fragile economy, an important, yet overlooked area of improvement is in their customer service. So many businesses, whether they are large corporations or small online business, neglect to add a personal touch to their customer service. A little extra effort and personal interaction can increase the rate at which a customer will return to that business to make another purchase, or better yet, recommend it to a friend. This can be especially helpful for the little guy trying to make an impression in the online business world.
We are all consumers. Most of us have now used the internet to purchase some kind of good or service. Can you remember the last time you received a personal thank you for your purchase? Or was it just an auto response, blanket email, generic letter or recorded phone call? I can remember one time that I got a personal response, ONE, and I am an avid online shopper. I became a repeat customer there, for that sole reason.
This got me thinking and I have now implemented in my own business ways to personally thank my customers. It just takes the willingness to have personal contact and maybe a little extra effort. I am not saying you should use these methods as a means to bully your customers into more purchases. A personal email, letter or phone call is just a nice gesture to say thank you for their purchase of your product or service, wish them well, and give them your contact information, so that if they have questions or comments they can easily voice them. Make sure you have your email, phone number and website for easy reference. State your return policy and be willing to help and answer the questions when they come.
To make the personal touches authentic, you have to put a little effort into them. I know in this world of instant gratification people want to take the easiest route possible to get the end result. In business this is usually getting lots of customers and getting them now, but will those customers stay loyal? If you take the extra time and effort they just might chose you over your competitor. In the long run, this will produce a better result with repeat buyers and their personal referrals.
Just think of it like a small town hardware store. There are no big companies here, just Joe’s Hardware down the street, and he knows everyone in town. You can go there knowing he is willing to take the time to explain to you how to use that new drill you are going to buy and you know that if you have problems you can go back and he will still be there to explain it again. This is the personal service you strive for.
Personal touches in customer service make your customers feel comfortable and are a way to establish a working, trusting relationship with them. It makes them feel important and valued. It is a way to get back what has been lost in business today.
What is the Best Business Card Scanner? See This Answer
It is a common question across various professional fields that need to store data from printed receipts and cards – what is the best business card scanner? The answer is actually a simple one – the best is one that is capable of producing very high quality scanned images and is also equipped with a good OCR software.
The best scanners in the market have a high dpi (some have even 600 dpi) and they will reproduce a very sharp scanned image of the business card or any other document. As for what is the best card scanner supposed to be like, it is either going to be portable (for laptop warriors) or they are going to be bigger desktop scanners with special features to scan varying sizes of cards, receipts and documents.
When you are in the market for a good business card scanner, the ideal thing to do is to go to online stores and compare the models according to your own needs. Instead of just pondering on what is the best business card scanner, go into the details of the packages and offers. See what suits you best according to size, portability, quality and of course budget.
Some of these scanners are large multipurpose machines; others come in ridiculously small sizes for portability. Business card scanners come in packages with software so they start archiving your data out of the box. The accuracy of these systems usually depends on the software you are using them with and most have their own software and work seamlessly with it.
Even Home Workers Need Business Insurance
It is a fact that even home workers need business insurance. One of the best ways for the home worker to protect their business from financial loss is through purchasing adequate business insurance.
Molly started a catering business in her home, while Frederic started a lawn care business. One thing that they both have in common is that their work-at-home businesses provide services to the public. Richard also is a home worker who works over the computer and rarely sees his clients in person. Does he require business insurance? Yes, he definitely should purchase business insurance.
Business insurance is not a luxury but a necessity. A homeowner’s policy or personal gadget policy will cover your personal items for personal use only; it cannot be used for business purposes, even if your personal item is used for business. Importantly, any personal computer or mobile phone that you buy and use in connection with a business – even if used for personal reasons during work hours – must be covered under a business insurance policy.
Not having business insurances can financially destroy your company because anything that has to be replaced or any client damages that have to be covered will come out of your profits or operating capital.
Another important reason to acquire business insurances is in circumstances where there is damage to a home worker’s property. For example, a home office might fall victim to a burglary or vandalism. Good insurance would cover any of the business property loss.
It is easy to see that running a business at home often requires the proper insurance; there are also legally required covers such as employer’s liability for when you take on your first employee. Contact an insurance company or broker to find out more. Start today with business insurance compare rates by requesting quotes on current rates.