Still waiting to hear from that small business. Where are they??
We’ve all had times when we weren’t able to deliver what we promised to our customers.
Maybe you’re going to be able to do it, but not when you promised. Or maybe it’s not going to be quite the way you said.
Maybe a supplier didn’t deliver to you on time. Maybe you had a problem with the people working for you. Maybe you messed up.
No matter how it happened, you’re not going to be able to do what the customer is expecting by when they expect it. Now what?
We’ve all also been on the other side; we’ve been the customer who was waiting. We’ve wondered why a delivery isn’t here yet or why we aren’t seeing the people we expected. The worst part is the waiting and not knowing, isn’t it?
With that little insight, let’s look at how we treat customers. Are we leaving people waiting and wondering?
Especially in a small town, we kind of feel like everyone knows everything about our business, but that’s an illusion. Really, customers have no idea what went wrong or why you haven’t kept your word. You’re going to have to tell them.
The secret: Overcommunicate
It’s not much of a secret, but it might as well be, given how seldom it gets done well.
Think about the times you’ve been left wondering. Think about the stories you read and hear from other people in town and online. How many times is the real complaint about not knowing what is going on? Start looking for that in all the customer stories you come across.
Use all your tools
You have plenty of ways to reach customers today. Even in small towns, you can reach people by email, text/SMS, or Messenger. Heck, you could even call them.
When to let customers know
Start as soon as you know there is a problem or possible problem. Don’t wait. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to make yourself do it.
In the first contact, let the customer know just the basics. Tell them there’s a problem, you’re sorry, and what you think will happen now.
Next, reach out when you know more. As soon as you hear an update or figure out a new plan, tell the customer. There is where we as business owners fall down the most. We get an update from others or learn more about what is going on, then we keep it to ourselves. We’re busy, and we don’t really want to talk to that potentially angry customer anyway.
One way to defeat that is remind yourself how glad the customer will be. They’ll be happy you haven’t left them wondering.
In between, stay in contact, even if you don’t know anything new. Customers are people, and people hate to think they’ve been forgotten.
Should you send updates weekly? Daily? Monthly? Depends on the situation, but you can make an educated guess. If you’re not sure, ask the customer. “Do you want me to update you less often?” (I’m guessing they’ll say no.)
When I had a problem with my webhosting, even an hour seemed like an eternity to wait. While they fixed the problem in less than a day, the only way I knew what was going on was through friends who helped get me some inside info. Don’t make your customers turn into detectives trying to get information from you.
Right now, I’m waiting to hear back from my car dealer about when they’ll have parts to repair my car’s airbag. I haven’t heard back in over a month. A quick text would let me know they still remember me and my car.
You have your own stories, too, I’m sure. The question is, do your customers?
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
Perfect, Thank you. It seems like it is happening more and more. Not only our business but other businesses. Part of it is that small businesses are exactly that. One or two people working the entire business. Contractors, woodworkers, painters, flooring suppliers, roofers, all independent businesses trying to make a living with customers who want it all yesterday.
Your article is huge that communication is BIG.
Thanks, Lynn. It’s not easy for us as small business people to do well, but it’s extra important when something doesn’t go right.
My friend Sheila Scarborough shared this comment on Facebook:
“This is why we left two vacuum cleaner repair places, & why our lawnmower repair place drives us crazy. It’s not their work; it’s their lack of communication.”