Being your own Boss: Customer Service



Running a business takes a lot of work. Many sleepless nights, no sick leave, your boss turns out to be a horrible procrastinator that doesn’t pay very well and your benefits are nonexistent.  However you have a lot of freedom and your ideas are always used. It’s a great balance, life and work, no sleep and well in the end you know it will pay off.

However a large part of being your own boss, that which takes most effort once she’s off and running is customer service. If you provide any service and you most likely do whether it is a physical item, support, or resource in which you connect to people. All businesses provide a product or service, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that having a solid customer service is important. But really what is customer service?

Customer service is described as ‘the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services.’

Providing quality customer service is essential to making your business run and for many of us in the crafts community it can make or break us. So how can you the seller deal with customer complaints and ensuring you are providing the best service?

Always get feedback on your product before you sell it.  This can take a while depending on what your market is but if you handmade jewelry, for example, you want to ensure your product is perfect.  A major issue for jewelry is metal allergies. Most people that are allergic to nickel aren’t afraid to pay a little more to ensure they aren’t seeing their doctor more than they would like to. Always test the product before selling this is a quality check.

Build a relationship. Being kind and courteous should come natural, and being able to help people even when need will show others you are willing to help them out with any issues they may have.  Having a personal and kind tone to any replies even if it is it a review, email or comment is a great way to build a repertoire with your customer base. It also lets them know, especially if you acknowledge them by name that you recognize them, that they are just like you – a person.

Time limits when responding to communications. Response time is important when dealing with customers. Most international and national businesses respond within 24 to 48 hours. However, they can have hundreds of people contacting them all at once and that’s a lot of work with a team. So how can you do it all you’re only one person? Prioritize.  Have a customer complaint? Deal with this as soon as you can, even if you have a family emergency letting your customer know your situations upfront and get back to them right away when you are available. 

Have customer questions? Save the most often asked ones in an FAQ section to save some time, but don’t hesitate to answer new ones.

These are just a few things to help build your customer service to make it helpful to both you and your customer.  Keep following along for part two!

 

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