{"id":822,"date":"2013-09-10T15:41:22","date_gmt":"2013-09-10T15:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=822"},"modified":"2013-09-10T15:41:22","modified_gmt":"2013-09-10T15:41:22","slug":"are-you-giving-your-loyal-small-business-customers-what-they-want","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/are-you-giving-your-loyal-small-business-customers-what-they-want\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you giving your loyal small business customers what they want?"},"content":{"rendered":"
While current customers may seem satisfied with your products and service offerings, they may have a need that is going unfulfilled that may eventually drive them to seek an alternative provider. Consider if you truly understand what your customers need and if you are meeting their expectations; if you don\u2019t; it\u2019s time to do some homework.<\/p>\n Ask questions<\/strong><\/p>\n Begin by asking questions and listening to your customers. Your goal is to find out what your customers need not only now but in the foreseeable future. If a customer seems uncertain or indecisive about your offering, spend time asking questions about current problems or challenges they are facing. Probe to find out if the issues are budget or competitive or if the timing just isn\u2019t right to make a purchase decision. Asking the right questions also can help you plan for future products or service offerings that customers indicate they need.<\/p>\n Evaluate your customer service<\/strong><\/p>\n Consider if your customer service is meeting customer expectations. In its 2012 Global Consumer Pulse Research,<\/a> Accenture found that 63 percent of\u00a0 respondents indicated it is frustrating when a company delivers a different customer service experience than what it promised. Moreover, seventy eight percent of consumers say they are likely to switch providers when they encounter such broken promises.<\/p>\n Review your content<\/strong><\/p>\n As a means of engagement, content that is both timely and relevant to your customers is a key to success. Content is not about packaging your marketing materials and presenting them on social media channels and your website. Your content, whether its how-to-documents, relevant case studies, <\/a>blog posts or white papers on industry trends, should provide useful information to help solve customer problems you identify. Provide content that encourages commentary and interaction. Keep in mind that today\u2019s search engines are factoring social interaction<\/a> with your content in determining rankings.<\/p>\n<\/a>Do you spend so much time courting potential new customers for your small business that you are failing to fulfill the needs of current ones?\u00a0 It\u2019s an important question to ask yourself since a 5 percent increase in customer retention can increase business profits by 25 to 125 percent,<\/a> according to analyst firm Gartner Group.<\/p>\n