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SHOP THERMOP! It is the war cry and basic marketing of our community’s businesses. We have all heard it, and we all have our own responses. The question I would present to these businesses is, why? What do you have to offer me that I can only get in Thermopolis?
Nearly forty people recently went through an intensive half-day customer service and hospitality workshop. We all learned, or dusted off basic customer service skills that were taught many years and many jobs ago. I am sure that Mark Dykes will have written an article about what we discovered in the class. For the purposes of this column, I want to explore why quality customer service is so vital to small businesses.
Customer service is what people remember about your business. People are not only shopping for a product, but they are interacting with someone representing your business. If that person has great customer service skills, and makes each customer feel important, you have gained a loyal customer. If the interaction is not pleasant, you have likely lost a customer and gained negative word of mouth publicity.
If you have great customer service, people automatically assume you have great products. Everything pertaining to your company reflects on something else. You need to be aware of how your customers think. Your customers do not shop at places with poor customer service. They cannot be sure they will receive the help they need should a problem arise, or the hassle with the business is not worth their time.
Show your customers that you truly care about them! This is not something you should fake. Your customers are literally the most important aspect of your business. Without customers, you have no cash flow, cannot pay your overhead, and the business fails. However, customers who feel important are more likely to refer others and be repeat patrons.
In this age of online shopping, free shipping, and one-click ordering, the art of excellent customer service is even more valuable to small businesses. It is the reason why people choose to shop locally rather than a dot com. People want to be waited on and have a personal interaction. It takes so little effort to have effective, friendly customer service, and the benefits are critical to the overall health of our small businesses. With a bit of extra effort, our community’s businesses can be reaping the benefits of top-notch customer service given to all of us who Shop Thermop.
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