Why DO You Need Systems?

Are you running in a squirrel cage to make more money, but struggling to keep the customers you do have happy? You may need to clean out your customer list (go listen to my last Soundcloud upload!) and you may need – in fact you PROBABLY need – new systems that help you become more efficient and effective.

Listen, customer service is where it’s at, but if you’re just trying to do more with a smile on your face while you answer the phone faster – it’s not going to be enough. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I just wish the phone would ring MORE!”

You need to ask yourself, “What if all my marketing efforts pay off TODAY? How will I manage my new customers?” It’s too easy to groan about slow periods of the year. If you use your time wisely, those moments will be consumed with learning how to make your customer’s experience as easy as possible.

Here are a few things you should keep in mind this year:

1. Learn what’s going on in your community as soon as it gets scheduled. Make sure you’re subscribed to your local and surrounding cities email list or RSS feed. Use this information when you’re developing your annual editorial calendar. If you don’t currently use one, go to YourInsideLine.com and sign up for the Inside Line on Getting More Business, and you’ll get an easy to follow FREE 2013 Action Planner. (Pssst … at the top or sidebar of this page.)You’ll get a bonus video that helps you understand how to use it, and develop your tweets and Facebook Page updates at the same time. When you plug in the things you learn about your community calendar that directly impact or motivate YOUR customer, make sure to include references to them in your blog and social media campaigns.

Managing your message effectively helps you become a reliable source of timely information.

Building trust with your prospects and website visitors is crucial to getting more higher paying customers buying more frequently. It’s not just the sale, it’s the follow-through. Your email marketing campaign, blogging habits and social media influence are all major parts – 65% – of your website visibility. Do NOT underestimate the power of your well-coordinated message.

Use your Action Planner vigilantly, and get ahead of the game as soon as possible.

2. Build internal systems that make it easier to manage customer accounts and communication. If you have several people to talk with during the day, I want you to think about how you go about that. Limit and schedule your phone and email activity, but be regular about it so your customers know when they can expect to hear from you. Dropping everything to talk to customer after customer or prospect after prospect is not the most effective use of your time, even though it must be done. Is it time to hire a receptionist or a phone service? Is it time to employ out of office messages to your email inquiries? Do you need to funnel a necessary conversation to someone else? How difficult is that? Improve the workflow, and you’ll make more people happy – and more likely to trust your services.

3. Do your customers experience your best each and every time they do business with you? I want you to focus on key areas where you can become more consistent with their services from the hire to the execution of the task to be performed. No matter what business you’re in, your receipts should all reflect your website link, a link where you want to be reviewed, and your social media handles.

In addition, do your services require basic option choices? Would it be a better system choice to package your products or services so that the totality of their experience is NEVER compromised by a missing element?

I hope you found this post to be a thought-provoking walk through foundational systems you need to be doing in business. It’s never been more important than now to work efficiently as you grow your business. Think HUGE – and be ready for the harvest when your adoring fans and customers tell all their friends about how wonderful it was to work with your company!

We’ve rolled out new Service Paks this year, check ‘em out.