After starting a number of businesses, I have learned the importance of always putting the customers' interests first. On the surface, this may seem obvious, something almost every business owner would claim to agree with. However, I have to admit that I was initially far more interested in acquiring new customers than providing the best possible service to existing ones.
It's not that I was indifferent to my customers; I did my best to serve them and live up to my obligations. But I did not make this a priority, which actually slowed my growth in the beginning and even contributed to some early failures. With this in mind, here are the two leading ways I have learned to put customers first.
Personalize Your Customer Service
You may have noticed how hard it can be sometimes to reach customer support at a large company, such as an airline, phone or cable company. The company might redirect you to FAQs and make it difficult to find actual contact information. One simple way that small to mid-sized businesses might make themselves more appealing to consumers is to provide more personal support and customer service. Yet not all of them do this.
In my earlier business ventures, I provided what I thought was decent customer service, but I didn't exactly make it a priority. There was a support ticket system and someone in charge of answering questions. Most questions were politely but tersely answered with links to information on the website. If there was an urgent matter, such as a service not received or a refund request, it was handled efficiently. However, there was little personal contact.
Now I train team members to handle customer support in a much more engaging manner. If it's a very basic question (e.g., “how do I find your order page?”), it can obviously be answered with a quick link. However, if there's any customer confusion or dissatisfaction, I want to make sure it's dealt with in a way that shows we care. And if it's a serious matter, I try to handle it personally.
The importance of this was driven home to me not long ago, when I spent about 15 minutes talking to a customer on the phone over a fairly minor issue. I took the time to explain things and didn't simply refer to the website. A couple of weeks later, this customer not only thanked me for my help, but upgraded to another, costlier service.
Make Changes Based on Customer Feedback
Embracing change is another principle that's often more easily said than done. In truth, one of the most common reasons a business owner makes changes is probably to increase profits. For example, if I see that a certain advertisement isn't producing the results I want, I'll make changes to the ad or try a different advertising platform. But it's often equally important to be willing to change based on what your current customers want.
To do this, it may help to first be aware of what your customers are thinking. Some will go out of their way to tell you, but most often you must request this information. That's why it may be helpful to ask questions and conduct surveys on your website and social media pages.
A good rule of thumb to consider is that every product or service you deliver is for the benefit and convenience of your customers, not you. Case in point: I once had a summer job at a popular ice cream store, where I heard numerous complaints that the store closed too early on weekends. I passed this on to the owner, but he didn't want to pay employees for any extra hours, even though it would have been a net profit for him. He had a fixed idea of how many hours he wanted the store to be open. This was a business owner who was thinking of his own short-term interests rather than those of his customers, which isn't usually a healthy sign.
A couple of years ago, I started using a mobile app that I thought would be a great way to spread the word about my business. Having learned the importance of keeping customers happy, I polled people about how they liked it. It turned out that customers found the app tedious to install and use. Although I faced some initial resistance, I decided to scrap the app to keep my customers happy.
Together, these two principles—easy to endorse, but harder to act on—may have a major impact on your business.
Shawn Porat is the CEO of Fortune Cookie Advertising, which sells advertising space in fortune cookies at Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. He is also a member of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC).
For more insights on expanding your business, access our exclusive guide by Drybar founder and chief creative officer Alli Webb, Disrupt & Grow: How Drybar Became a $50M Business.
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A version of this article was originally published on October 14, 2015.
