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Navigate The Potholes
Entrepreneurship has its high and lows. There are going to be patches of rough terrain on your journey to success. You need to have tactics which will allow you, in some instances, to circumvent a pothole, or in other cases when you hit it head on, to manage the situation and bounce back.
What successful entrepreneurs have in common is that somehow, they find a way to rebound from disappointments and keep on striving for their goal.
What are some strategies that you can employ to skilfully navigate and stay on course?
Customer-centricity
Create a business which delights your customers and proactively strives to minimise customer service problems. Identify the “Moments of Truth” when your clients will be assessing whether or not your offering impresses them.
Is it how quickly you respond to a request for a quotation or the time that it takes you to deliver the service? Develop processes and train your staff so that each “Moment of Truth” is optimally managed and has the desired impact. Continually monitor the results.
Good customer service is a lot about creating good feelings and impressions. You can “Wow” your customers (and convert them into raving fans) by focusing on delivering consistency of service and making it easy to purchase your product. The McDonald’s brand, for example, is built on consistent quality of food, delivered in record time at conveniently located outlets across the globe.
Temperature check
Another way to proactively try and avoid the potholes is to organise a quarterly review, particularly with your key clients. Find out what you are doing right (so you can do more of it) and how you can improve on your delivery. Make sure that you implement suggested improvements.
When a problem does occur, you will find it easier to manage because of the strength of your customer relationship.
Unhappy clients
It’s inevitable – you are going to land in some of those potholes. What can make all the difference is how you and your staff manage these situations. You have an opportunity to impress your client by the speed and way in which you resolve their problem; potentially making them even more loyal to your business.
Train your staff to listen to client complaints carefully and with empathy. (If possible appoint a person who is responsible for Customer Service and Support). The goal is to take remedial action as soon as possible, whilst keeping the customer continuously informed.
Restore your equilibrium
Make sure that mentally and physically you are equipped to take the knocks and face any challenge presented by your business……