Dan Bobinski has lots to say about customer service:
It’s a universal given that when we shop somewhere we’d like to be treated with a modicum of respect. When our shopping experience is negative, statistics show it takes only two such incidents and we’re likely to shop elsewhere. That’s not a lot of wiggle room. Think of it as “two strikes and you’re out.”
So what are the top two steps? Bobinski says:
1. Place people in customer service positions without much training.
2. Don’t give them much feedback on how they are preceived by customers.
I would add some that might relate especially to small town small biz:
3. Put some “big business” policies in place, like “no returns” or anything that makes you say “I’m sorry, but we can’t” to customers.
4. Ignore customer requests for special items, services, or hours.
5. Fail to keep your promises to customers; for example, fail to keep your posted hours.
small biz rural entrepreneurship
- Community engagement planning: old way vs. Idea Friendly way - October 3, 2021
- Boost your maker economy with a “Made in” day - September 17, 2021
- How a ghost town made something from nothing with a folk festival - September 3, 2021
- Rural business idea: sell foraged fruits and more - August 3, 2021
- Best practices for rural housing - July 19, 2021
- How to be more open to new ideas #IdeaFriendly - July 3, 2021
- Market your small town as a movie filming location, attract movie and game fan tourists - June 28, 2021
- Survey of Rural Challenges 2021 results, analysis of themes from 2015 through today - June 7, 2021
- What makes a small town a micropolitan or nanopolitan? - May 22, 2021
- Improving Rural Housing: turning blighted dilapidated houses into new homes - May 7, 2021
