Time is money. It’s a dog eat dog world. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Oh, and: the customer is always right.
Choose an adage. If you’re a small business owner, they all apply in one way or another.
The digital age has ushered in an immediate and often unforgiving breed of competition, and every small business owner with big ideas is looking for ways to maximize limited resources, while keeping pace with the latest trends just to stay in the game.
Here are five tips for how to make your small business more efficient:
- Address inefficiencies. Pinpoint Target practices that are out of date, overly complicated, or simply not working. Systematically work to change and improve them. It may sound ultra-simplified, but you have to start somewhere.
- Learn to delegate. Small business owners, by nature, have a nasty habit of taking on too much by themselves. Take stock in your employees’ various strengths and play to them. These tasks can be small and may even seem insignificant to you – but you will be surprised how much time this ultimately saves. One caveat: once you delegate, you must also trust your staff to do what you hired them to do.
- Expand your online presence. Your company website is a window into your professional world, and you should do everything in your power to make sure a customer’s view into it is crystal clear. A responsive, mobile-friendly website that caters to potential customers regardless of the device they use – whether desktop, smartphone, or tablet – is essential in today’s marketplace. A regularly updated social media presence is also part and parcel with success in a thriving digital world.
- Make customer service a priority. The statistics paint a shocking picture. Approximately one third of consumers say they would consider switching companies after just one poor customer service interaction. You can’t afford those kinds of numbers. Consider additional training for your staff and make adjustments companywide to ultimately make things easier on your clientele.
- Hire a telephone answering service. A professional telephone answering service can handle your business’s calls when you can’t, or simply don’t want to, while providing critical customer support that helps to grow your business. Outsourcing your calls allows you to free up resources and redirect funds that might otherwise be spent on a full-time receptionist. Answering services offer around the clock attention for time-strapped customers who cannot reach out to you to schedule appointments, place an order, or make an inquiry during regular 9-5 business hours. If you are trying to determine how to make your small business more efficient, telephone answering services are a cost-effective, comprehensive, and customer-centric step forward.
Edwards Answering Service’s experience and professionalism ensures that your business will never miss a call. Email us today or call 800-606-3273 to get connected with EASE!
