7 Aspects Of Your Business That Are Easy To Improve
I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
The importance of a business’ image, no matter what size, is growing exponentially, but it’s getting harder, and harder to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
This means there's opportunities others have missed.
It’s possible you may find opportunities in improving these SEVEN, ACTIONABLE areas that reflect your company culture and core values.
Have fresh uniforms, and keep them consistent!
Uniforms are the first impression your brand makes on any face to face customers your employees talk too. That’s why it’s so important that what customers see is a structured and professional image.
Make sure your employees always arrive in fresh, correctly-sized uniforms and look after them well. This shows your customers they take pride in their job and care about the product your business provides to society.
Keep structure in your uniforms, retain a set of uniforms that have the same colours and styles across your whole company. Variations are fine but make them mean something, for instance: differences in hierarchy, belonging to a particular department or geographical location.
By doing this, you show organisation in your business.
Make your language match your business!
Language is an EXTREMELY important factor in customer retention. People are very influenced by how people talk to them, meaning offending, or conversely complimenting th
em can have a huge impact on if they choose to return to your business.
This means you need to understand two things:
One, what attitude your customers want from your employees, and two, what language would lead to the customer being offended and needs to be instantly vetoed from your business. There’s obvious examples for both, for instance being generally nice and not speaking in a discriminatory way, but there’s other ways in which employees can create a better experience for customers.
An example you could consider implementing is humour. It is always important to give a lot of thought to these decisions as some customers would love to enjoy a laugh with your employees but some may want their own space and jokes would be seen as an intrusion on the experience.
Some topics you may want to veto from discussion are physical and mental illness, drug addiction and radical political ideas.
Body Language is just as, if not more important!
Body language’s part in communication is debated but the general consensus amongst psychologists is around 55%.
This means its very important for your business.
You want your employees to show they care about the customer’s wants. This means they should maintain eye contact and keep a smile on their face. This shows they’re attentive while not being challenging or aggressive.
Employees should also be forthcoming and proactive, stepping forward to greet customers and shaking hands etc. It is vital to show that you are ready and eager to take peoples business. This signals to the customer that the service will be prompt and the staff are friendly and cooperative.
A little extra attention can go a long way!
Let’s say you’re the owner of a bustling restaurant. Should you be at the back enjoying a cold drink? No. You should be constantly surveying your diners, seeing if they need any additional help with their meal. Perhaps a fork falls on the ground or they need a pen or another basic item. You, or one of your team should be there to help.
This goes a long way in customer’s heads, and really shows you care about them, and their experience with your business.
This extends to products as well as services, in the form of follow-up. It’s helpful to follow-up with past customers and see how they are enjoying your product and if there’s any issues. This personal connection can make it okay to ask for things such as reviews and testimonials, as well as encouraging them to return to your company.
Treat your employees with respect and appreciate their efforts!
Without your employees, your business would be nothing so always keep in touch and make sure they’re feeling confident and happy working for you.
This has many benefits across your business.
For one, employees show better language and body language when they’re happier and demonstrate higher levels of energy and care. This comes through to customers as explained above.
Another benefit is that employees go home and tell their family and friends about how good it is to work with you, creating free advertising for your company. Conversely if you don’t show employees you value their contributions, they may go home and talk harshly about your business, losing you customers and hurting your image.
Get promotional items for your company!
This one’s a biggie and can be used in multiple ways.
For example, promotional products can go a long way in advertising, think about the amount of to-do lists from real-estate agents you’ve received over the years. When you’ve got advertising in people’s homes 24/7, your brand gets imprinted into potential customer’s minds.
Support a charity or local cause, and don’t show it off!
Supporting a social or environmental cause shows that your business is dedicated to society as a whole, rather than just profits. While it is important to maintain a profit, it is just as pertinent to remember that your business has a role to play in society that is not purely economical and supporting a charity or local sports team/club or school is a great way to portray this to society.
It’s also important to refrain from showing this off too much. Companies who come across as humble and genuine are perceived better than those that constantly promote their “charitable” efforts.
Remember it is a good thing you’re doing, not a marketing opportunity.
