Are You Ignoring These 5 Warning Signs That You May Be Losing Your Customer Or Client?

One of the most painful experiences any business and especially small businesses, entrepreneurs, or solo entrepreneurs can have is the loss of a valued customer or client. In general we value all of our customers and clients; but the ones that use our services more frequently or purchase large quantities of our products regularly and pay promptly have a higher perceived value to us as they keep our business afloat.
The loss may be gradual or may appear suddenly but invariably the reaction is, "I don't understand, we've had a good relationship (perhaps for years) and the customer has never complained..." A wise business owner will immediately do an analysis. Let's say that the relationship with the now-departed customer was over one year, consider a few points:
Failure to return calls: During the last 3-6 months did you attempt to contact the customer by telephone? Assuming that you left a message, did they return your call?
Unable to contact key personnel: Were you unable to speak with someone directly over a period of time even though you knew that the customer and/or key personnel were usually available during those time periods?
Complaint about customary charges: How many times in the past 3-6 months did the client call to speak with you other than to question the accuracy of or complain about an invoice?
Overdue invoice payment: Has it been taking longer to receive payment from your customer? They customarily paid immediately or within 10 days but over the past 3-6 months payments have been taking longer than 10 days to arrive?
Interruption of service or supply schedule: Over the past 3-6 months did your customer ask you to hold off or delay a scheduled service appointment or order delivery? Did they inform that they did not need the product or service even though their buying/service history would indicate otherwise?
Individually these actions may not trigger an immediate concern, but together they should be regarded as warning signs. It means that as small business owners, entrepreneurs or solo entrepreneurs we have to know our customers. We do this by building a relationship with them over a period of time so that they really know, like and trust us and this should not be one-sided; we should do likewise. At the same time we must stay on top of all facets of our business or delegate to someone who is conscientious and trustworthy.
For example, we should know who is not paying their bill on time and for how long. Not every customer we lose is due to negligence on our part. The reason may be purely economic; the customer can no longer afford the product or service. However, if we recognize the flashes of warning prior to losing them completely we may be able to discuss alternatives and implement strategies so that although their buying power may be reduced, we can still keep them as a customer.
Our customers need and deserve our attention. If we find that they are not returning phone calls or they appear to be avoiding us on the phone, a personal visit may be in order. Each business owner would need to decide how feasible this is. Customers who suffer neglect have the right to take their business to where they believe they will be appreciated. While we cannot control the actions of others, we can be sure to do our part by taking some basic steps:
1) Send Thank You Cards. Send unexpected cards.
2) Periodically call your customers just to say "Hello" and let them know they are appreciated. Remember everyone wears an invisible sign that says "Make me feel important."
3) Know what your customers needs are by asking them questions. They may have been your customer for several months or several years and their needs may have changed. By knowing what their needs are you are in a position to offer solutions.
4) Plan Customer Appreciation Events.
5) Never assume that your customer is yours for life! This gives room for complacency and complacency results in our loss. Instead follow-up, follow-up, and follow-up!



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Disaster Recovery Factoring Into Many Business Phone Operations

Natural disasters like fires, floods or hurricanes can strike at a moment's notice and can affect business continuity in a major way. Disaster recovery has become a big part of business planning and many businesses have plans for relocation, collocation of important computer services and outsourcing crucial business functions in the time of an emergency.
When disaster strikes, many businesses turn to telephone answering services to provide phone coverage during emergency situations and power or phone outages. This is critical when businesses rely on their phones to keep in contact with customers and can lose business if there phones are down for even a short amount of time. Telephone answering services that provide disaster recovery are offering businesses a valuable service and are insuring that business will continue when disaster strikes.
If a company's phones are out of commission for whatever reason, they can be routed to a call center so they can still have their phones answered and meet their customer's needs. While a business may have to temporarily close its brick and mortar location due to a disaster, their business can continue to function through working phone lines. Call center services often have redundant phone carriers and satellite phone lines along with power backup so that their phones are never out and they remain unaffected by power outages, phone outages and natural disasters. They can instantly take your company's phone calls and take messages, handle customer service operations and provide technical support when you can't be at your office due to a disaster.
Disaster recovery services insure that crucial telephone operations are still up and running no matter what the contingency. If you absolutely need to have your customer service operation in gear twenty four hours a day seven days a week and losing it for even a few hours would cause you to lose profits, having a telephone answering service provide you with disaster recovery solutions can be crucial. You can make sure that all your order taking and order processing functions are still being carried out despite the conditions at your brick and mortar location. Plus, your phones can be answered by a live phone answering service and your customers can be updated on the status of your business and you can still receive vital messages no matter what the situation is. Disaster recovery is truly a valuable service that telephone answering services can provide and can insure business continuity no matter what disaster may strike.