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Want to Make Customers Happy? Give Them Back Time

Contributed by Lindsey Weiss

The days of leisurely browsing store shopping aisles are fading. Today’s consumer prioritizes quick and seamless transactions and tends to utilize technology while shopping for goods and services. They value their time and have more important things to do than wait. The secret to keeping your customers happy is to take as little of their time as possible so they can focus on their priorities. Here are a few ways to make that happen.

Go online.
If you are a brick-and-mortar store, you have limited space to display your products. One place that is not limited, however, is the Internet. If your customers don’t find what they want in your location, they will likely look online.

Capture this section of the market by offering a wide breadth of products on your website. This will save them the time of having to search for a new seller and will ensure they can always find what they’re looking for. Connect with a dropshipping supplier and your customers can have what they want quickly.

Be open when they need you.
Take the time to track your customer’s patterns. If you find you have more visitors in the evenings than in the mornings, consider shifting your operating hours. Many types of businesses have learned that extended hours are the best way to meet demand.

Make pickups quick and convenient.
We’ve gotten used to waiting for online shipments to arrive. But sometimes, two days is too long. If you really want to make an impression and streamline the pickup process, invest in in-store pickup lockers. BizJournals.com reports that many big-name retailers have seen an increase in sales after installing them.

Secure lockers are not always cheap, however, and you may find it necessary to take out a business loan to buy the equipment. Before you do this, do your research and know the type of product that’s best for your business. Fundera offers more information on loan types and the borrowing process in this small business lending guide.

Know your stuff.
While dropshipping and locker pickup reduces the amount of time your customers and employees interact, make sure your employees can provide answers quickly and accurately if issues arise. When your customers have questions, need to service their accounts, or have a problem with a product, the last thing they want to do is wait for an inexperienced staff member to look for an answer.

Keep up with their appointments.
There are few things more annoying to a customer than missing an important appointment, and a missed appointment can cost you money. Your customers likely don’t have time to stop and add to their calendar every time something new pops up. Consider adding appointment reminder software to your arsenal of business tools. These can be set to give your customers a heads up when they have an appointment.

The most significant benefit to you is that reminding them of their commitment will give them an opportunity to make changes early. You won’t be scrambling to fill last-minute openings, and they won’t waste time scheduling a new appointment.

In summary, the most valuable gift you can give your client is expedience. Don’t waste their time and give them excellent customer service. By doing so, they won’t have a reason to spend time shopping for the competition.