How To Make Sure You Have A Happy Customer
As the speed of business and commerce seem to be going faster and faster, it just might be time to slow down a minute and make sure you have a happy customer. Providing excellent customer service is not hard or difficult, yet people seem to struggle in really giving it. Want to rise above your competition? Practice excellent customer service.
Start by smiling. This is very important in face to face encounters, but just as important over the phone. Did you know that you can hear a smile?
Next, make sure to use the appropriate respectful greetings and do not use slang or general terms when referring to customers, like “Hey guys.” In the initial interaction, be proactive and ask how you can help or be of service to them. Then, actually listen to the response. Be attentive and take notes if you need to, then repeat back to the customer what you understood they needed before proceeding. This is a basic, yet effective business communication skill and not used often enough in customer service settings. However, if your aim is a happy customer, then this technique can resolve many misunderstandings and miscommunications before they even start.
Choosing Keywords To Optimize Your Results
Keywords are very important in helping your website get to authority status in the search engine results pages (SERPs), but you need more than one kind of keyword. There are two specific kinds of keywords that you should be using: broad or general keywords and long-tail keywords.
General Keywords
Broad or general keywords are rather generic and large in scope, covering a large base in topic. While a broad keyword has more overall searches, going after the most searched keywords can prove to be more difficult to achieve a high ranking for because they also have more competition. An example of a broad keyword would be “dog.”
Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are named ‘long’ because they are made up of several words. This helps them to be more focused and specific. As fewer sites target and try to rank for longer keyword phrases, there is less competition and it can be easier to get good results in the search engines. An example of a long-tail keyword phrase is “best dog training guide.”
Why You Need To Include Keywords In Your SEO Strategy
The use of keywords plays a significant role in your online success. The goal is to organically or naturally rank high in Google and the other search engines. Effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategies that include proper keyword usage will help to improve website ranking.
By spending time doing keyword research, you’ll discover the terms your prospective customers enter in the search engines to find what they are looking for or better yet, what you have to offer. Once you have these golden nuggets of information, waste no time cashing in on them. Include the relevant keywords and phrases on your site, in your copy, and in your content.
Small Business Marketing Tip: Use Social Media
Technology and the internet are constantly bringing changes to the marketing world. Having even the slightest competitive advantage in business can make a huge difference in profits. According to findings as reported by the Small Business Success Index (SBSI), social media adoption by small businesses has doubled from 12% to 24% in the last year and nearly one out of five small business owners are actively using social media in their business.
Additional key social media usage highlights reported by SBSI:
- 75% surveyed have a company page on a social networking site
- 61% use social media for identifying and attracting new customers
- 57% have built a network through a site like LinkedIn
- 45% expect social media to be profitable in the next twelve months
Satisfying Your Customer Needs
Customer relations begin and end with effective communication. There is no getting around the fact that every word, spoken or written, by a company is the cornerstone of that company’s success.
Effective Business Communication: Why Is It So Important?
Businesses communicate to find out customer needs and to show that they are listening and have the answer to those needs. It is as simple as that…in theory. The truth is that effective business communication requires a certain skill set to determine the customer needs and then deliver on that information.
The basic skill set requires a genuine concern for the customer and their request or issue. Smile and speak clearly with an upbeat tone. Be sure to offer help and act as if you are happy to be helping them. If more information is needed, be polite and ask using ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you, ‘never make demands.
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