Professionalism: how is your business viewed?

When you run a small business the reputation of your business can be your biggest advert, for many their reputation is based on their professionalism.  However many people who run a small business do not think about how their attitude or approach to customers can have a negative impact on their business. 

Although during peak times sometimes customers can come across as rude or demanding, from their point of view they are dealing with a business.  Therefore they expect their orders and requests to be dealt with.

Above everything else it is absolutely essential that you remain professional when dealing with customers.

Here are some areas that you can look into, to try and give a more professional appearance:

Message language

In general our tone of written language has changed.  Increasingly we use slang and emojis to communicate with each other.  However when you are dealing with customers is important to use proper language and grammar.  This will give a much better impression to the customer and give a much better opinion of your business.

Pre-emptive actions

In this day and age many of us are moving more towards selling our items in an online environment.  Online selling platforms like www.etsy.com or www.ebay.com are becoming increasingly popular amongst shoppers.  This means the customer will not have actually interacted with a product before purchase.  Therefore it is vital that you explain and show to the customer exactly what the item is that they are receiving.  This will hopefully head off any disappointment from the customer once the item is received.

Demonstrating in photos and explaining in the description is the easiest way to convey to the customer exactly what they will be receiving.  In addition by adding options that the customer can choose from on a listing will mean that the customer is offered a personalised service.  For example if they can choose the size or colour of a product they will feel they are getting a more specified item. 

Obviously despite all best intentions there is sometimes a misunderstanding where customers believe they were purchasing something different so complaints may still arise, but you have tried to minimise this by thinking ahead and including as much information as the customer would want in the product specifications.

Dealing with complaints

It is very difficult when a customer comes back with a complaint and it can be very difficult to not take this as a personal attack.  However there is a very old saying that states “The customer is always right”.  I know that this does not always apply however it is a thing to keep in the back of your mind when you are dealing with customers. 

When communicating with a customer about a complaint or issue with their order your should always remain polite.  You should also try to see the issue from their perspective.  If you had ordered something from a large company and were experiencing a problem you would expect a professional response and solution so approach it with this in mind.

At the end of the day customers are far more likely to share a bad experience with everyone they knew than an exceptionally good experience.  Therefore upsetting a customer has the potential to cause substantial damage to your reputation.

If you find it difficult to deal with complaints and take them  very personally you may want to have a read of this blog post: https://www.claireyatfairycrafters.com/sources-of-negativity-in-small-business/

Timing

Even though you are operating as a small business customers will still expect to be dealt with in a timely manner.  To ensure professionalism try to make sure that messages are responded to promptly.  In the same way orders should be processed and dispatched in a reasonable length of time.  Obviously if there are going to be delays you should try to make the customer aware of this so they are aware of the progress of their order.

Packaging

Although many customers are very supportive of recycling and the reduction of the use of plastics etc.  They do expect their items to arrive in suitable packaging.  I remember seeing a customer who had received an item wrapped in supermarket pizza box.  The customer was very disappointed that their item was packaged in that way.  Try to think about how the customer will feel when they receive their item.  

A customer can see professionalism in a range of interactions with your business you need to try and ensure that you are giving the best impression with these aspects combined.  What areas of your business have you concentrated on to try and give the best professional experience to your customers?