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For a successful business, you need a viable business idea, the skills to make it work and the funding. Discover whether your idea has what it takes.
Forming your business correctly is essential to ensure you are protected and you comply with the rules. Learn how to set up your business.
Advice on protecting your wellbeing, self-confidence and mental health from the pressures of starting and running a business.
Learn why business planning is an essential exercise if your business is to start and grow successfully, attract funding or target new markets.
It is likely you will need funding to start your business unless you have your own money. Discover some of the main sources of start up funding.
Businesses and individuals must account for and pay various taxes. Understand your tax obligations and how to file, account and pay any taxes you owe.
Businesses are required to comply with a wide range of business laws. We introduce the main rules and regulations you must comply with.
Marketing matters. It drives sales and helps promote your brand and products. Discover how to market your business and reach your target customers.
Some businesses need a high street location whilst others can be run from home. Understand the key factors from cost to location, size to security.
Your employees can your biggest asset. They can also be your biggest challenge. We explain how to recruitment and manage staff successfully.
It is likely your business could not function without some form of IT. Learn how to specify, buy, maintain and secure your business IT.
Few businesses manage the leap from start up to high-growth business. Learn what it takes to scale up and take your business to the next level.
Customer service should be at the heart of your business. In fact, key considerations about your target customers and the service they're likely to expect should guide you when creating your new business.
Customer service can be more powerful than price when it comes to attracting and retaining customers. Some customers will willingly pay slightly more because they receive superior customer service.
Attracting your first customers can be a big challenge, but once you do, their recommendations can attract others. That's why your customer service must exceed expectations, not merely meet them. They'll also be more likely to remain loyal and selling to existing customers is cheaper and easier.
You can pay an extremely high price if your customer service falls short. Not only can you lose a customer forever - but others too. Bad customer comments and reviews can rapidly reach large numbers of people via social media, so getting your customer service badly wrong can prove catastrophic.
Think about why you prefer certain businesses over others. Sure, product and price are key, but customer service also influences our buying decisions. Consider large retailers that you like. What is it about their customer service that you value? Is it excellent after-sales support or perhaps next-day delivery? Have they quickly sorted out your complaint? What sets them apart and how can you emulate their customer service success?
Now think about businesses that offer average or poor customer service and ask yourself why. Is their response to your enquiries slow? Maybe you can never manage to speak to someone when you call them? Are they rude or disinterested when you contact them? Perhaps they are overly familiar or unprofessional. Your new business can learn from their mistakes.
Set high customer service standards and find ways to exceed your customers' expectations. As part of your market research, ask potential customers about their service expectations. Aim to make your customers' lives easier. When designing your customer service, see things through your customers' eyes.
Make life as easy as possible for your customers. Find ways to solve their problems and avoid any customer services annoyances. Don't lie to your customers - honesty is the best policy (even if that means they go elsewhere). Don't overpromise, because failure to deliver will mean customers vote with their feet. Don't take your customers for granted; make them feel appreciated. Remember, they could very easily spend their money elsewhere. Ensure good communication and routinely seek customer feedback. Offer superior customer service and support than your competitors.
If you have employees, make sure they live your customer service values each and every time. Provide training where required. They should realise that every customer point of contact provides a chance to impress or disappoint. And it's not just about face-to-face meetings or phone conversations, it's also about emails and social media communication. They should know you expect high standards.
Most businesses receive occasional customer complaints (more than that and something is wrong), but many dissatisfied customers don't complain - they just go elsewhere. View complaints as an opportunity to fix things that aren't right. Learn from the experience and move forward. Handling complaints also provides the ideal opportunity to show just how good your customer service is.
Have a sound customer complaints procedure and when someone complains, respond promptly, politely and professionally. Listen to the customer and see things from their point of view. If valid, resolve the issue quickly to their explicit satisfaction. Offering a gift or money off a future purchase can help to ensure there are no hard feelings.
As your business grows, you must keep existing customers happy. You could reward them with special deals, discounts or incentives for introducing your business to other customers. Thank them for their custom. Keep in touch, so that they know the relationship you have with them is important.
Don't neglect customers nor give them any valid reason to go elsewhere. If they do, speak to them to find out why, because this can provide valuable customer service lessons.