Category: Operations

The big picture of customer service is simple: businesses are supposed to make their customers happy. Businesses small and large employ numerous strategies so that their customers get the best possible experience and walk away happy. Ensuring client satisfaction boils down to the details and some things your business might be overlooking could in the long run lead to higher customer satisfaction and conversion. Shipping, for example, can be a speed bump for many small businesses that don’t properly assess the options available to them before sending products to their clients.

Developing a well-thought out plan for shipping can make things easier on both ends of doing business. The fact is that there are several high-quality delivery services available that all make concessions to facilitate small businesses. The choice between United Parcel Service (UPS), the US Postal Service (USPS) and Federal Express (FedEx) is a quandary faced by small business owners every day, and each has redeeming features that could potentially make it the best bet for your company.

The ultimate choice is for the small business to make, as each of the three is a competent and reliable delivery service. Depending on your budget and the speed of delivery service you require, each of the three offer sensible options for the small business owner. Careful consideration of the options available could in the long run lead to a more satisfied customer and less frequent headaches while dealing with shipping logistics.

FedEx has a solid reputation and a variety of services. FedEx locations also offer printing options, making FedEx a good idea for document printing and shipping. FedEx offers a myriad of services catering to small business owners’ demands for convenience and efficiency including a pickup service. Their shipping rates are competitive with UPS and USPS. Fedex can schedule package pickups from your company location and simply bill your account for the service. All the business is required to do is fill out pre-printed labels for the packages it is sending depending on the carriage method required.

USPS is the longest-established of the options available. USPS was the first of the group to introduce flat-rate shipping on a large scale, meaning that any piece of postage you send will cost the same regardless of distance to destination or package weight. Flat-rate shipping costs are consistently very similar to the cost of shipping an identical package conventionally and usually cheaper for heavier packages and the ability to instantly print labels online can be very convenient for prompt shipments. USPS ground shipping or standard mail is also the most affordable of the group, making lower-priority shipments less of a nuisance.

UPS has risen to power in the parcel delivery industry due in large part to their reliability in shipping. UPS offers a similar suite of features to small business owners with one significant bonus: regular package pickup from your place of business. UPS offers reliable ground shipping and is beginning to introduce a flat-rate shipping service of its own to compete with USPS.

Are you planning to open a retail business? If so, a merchant account is an integral part of the planning process. A merchant account allows a business to accept many different forms of payments such as credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and even personal checks. Having a merchant services account really makes the lives of your customers easier. These days, many people do not carry cash at all times and this can be problematic if this is the only form of payment that your business accepts. It can easily result in a lost sale.

It is important to shop around for a merchant accounts provider that fits the needs of your business. This will help reduce unnecessary fees while providing your business with the services to help it grow. One such provider is North American Bancard.

Making your products available online is also a great way to reach new customers. Since merchant services providers also process payments made online, you can easily include this feature when setting up your account. Payments made on your website can be validated instantly and the money is deposited into your account. This also provides a safe and secure transaction, which is important to gain the trust of your potential new customers.

Article Contributed by Sara Laforest and Tony Kubica

There is a lot of attention directed at small businesses this year. President Obama talked about the need to help and support small businesses in his State of the Union address. And one outcome was the launch of Startup America. Also, states are talking about easing regulations and the tax burden on small businesses in their quest to reduce unemployment.

Is this the year of the small business?

Possibly.

Is this an opportunity for you as a small business owner?

Maybe.

Now, a warning to Small Business Owners…

As a small business owner, however, it is not a good strategy to hope that the federal or state governments will pass the right legislation and write regulations, which will help you succeed in the next 12 months. Hope may spring eternal, but it is not a good business strategy.

Be wary of generalizations about how the economy is doing: who the winners are and who the losers are or will be. It’s distracting and frankly, it’s filled with conflicting information.

It’s like trying to decide on what is the best way to add 10 years to your life. You would be correct if you said – it depends on whom you ask. A dietician will tell you to focus on good nutrition. A trainer will tell you to exercise and use protein supplements. Some physicians would say hormone therapy. As the adage goes: when all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.

Yes, we’ll admit that the economy is showing signs of recovery, but the real question is… whether it’s showing signs of recovery for you and your business. To answer this question you need to stop thinking like a small business owner and start thinking that you are running a multi-million dollar enterprise. Why, because many small business owners tend to think like a small company. And the answer to growth is to think big.

Here Are 7 Questions to Think About and Respond to When Planning for Business Growth:

1.    Do you have a strategic vision that outlines your business direction for the next 12 – 24 months? And if you have employees, do they know it?

2.    What is your stated mission (or purpose) statement? How is it communicated to your employees, and how does it help drive business decisions?

3.    Do you have stated, written and practiced company values to align how you and your employees work together and serve your customers?

4.    Do you have a branding strategy that promotes how you want to be seen by prospects and clients and articulates your competitive advantage or differentiation from your competitors?

5.    Do you have standard monthly financial reports to track the financial health of your business and to help drive your decisions?

6.    Do you have outstanding customer service? If you can’t answer based on your customer’s feedback, loyalty, references and testimonials – your answer is not yet.

7.    Do you have an exit strategy for your business? Every business needs to have a sense of what the end game will look like. It drives growth and helps focus business decisions.

How did you do in answering these questions? Did you have thoughtful and detailed answers for each question? When we talk to small business owners about these questions they often remind us that they are small businesses and not GE, Nordstrom’s or Zappos.  And that’s the problem.

We have also seen companies that believe answering questions such as these is a waste of time.

Why Our 7 Vital Questions for Small Business Owners Who Want to Grow Their Business Is NOT a Waste of Time?

A small research oriented company who had been in business for 10 years was modestly successful. They were concerned, however, that although they were able to come up with a strategic plan every year, they were not disciplined enough to implement the tactics required to achieve the plan. And they really didn’t have to. Business came in and they were comfortable. You have likely heard us reference that success can be your greatest inhibitor to growth. And, the issue for them was that they weren’t growing.

They decided to re-focus their efforts on growth. To do that they:

1.      Looked deep inside themselves and their business and discovered they were missing a number of ingredients for small business growth success. They uncovered this realization simply by honest answering our 7 questions.

2.      Established company values to guide their work together and in serving their clients

3.      Created their strategic vision (ideal future state)

4.      Refined their purpose (or mission) statement

5.      Identified key strategies and tactics to implement the vision and created accountability by assigning those to lead individuals. Progress on tactics was reviewed quarterly, with general updates given monthly.

6.      Candidly discussed how they worked together and how work should be distributed to take advantage of each partner’s strengths

7.      Identified their target market and the market niche

8.      Created tracking and reporting tools and a process to monitor sales

9.      Created a financial reporting system, reviewing it monthly and using ratio analysis to do a year over year comparison

10.  They are embarking on a re-branding strategy

11.  They are working to identify and develop an exit strategy

They started this initiative in 2008. 2009 was the best financial performance year they had in the company’s 10-year history. 2010 was almost 40% higher than 2009. And note this was accomplished in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

So what really happened? Were they lucky? Were they in the right place at the right time? No – neither of these can explain their growth. What they did was stop thinking small. They stopped behaving like a “mom and pop shop” and decided to focus on growth.

So, we encourage you to take a dispassionate view of your business. Stop listening to the generalities and honestly and thoughtfully respond to your own market-focused questions we suggested. Thinking small will keep you small; thinking big and planning big will lay the path to your growth.

About the Author:

Management Consultants and Business Performance Improvement Specialists Sara Laforest and Tony Kubica have 50+ years of combined experience in helping small and large entrepreneurial businesses accelerate their business growth in record times. Now, you can learn how to think big and avoid the self-sabotaging behaviors that most owners possess at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/report.php

Article Contributed by James Adam

There is no doubt that moving an entire office can be as time consuming and as stressful as a typical residential move. This is mainly because a business move typically means the business will have to suffer from down time. When a business suffers from down time, that business may lose profits. Many businesses decide to take advantage of professional movers in order to make the move go through smoothly. However, men and women of the office can do a few things in order to make the move more organised and stressful. Staying organised and stress free is a great way to spend less time moving and more time running the business.

1. Empty the Desks

It is important that employees empty all drawers and desktops. Removing all of the items from drawers and desktops can ensure that certain items do not get lost. It also ensures that the desk is not ruined during the move. Once all of the items have been removed, they should be packed into a moving box. You can choose to divide the items and pack them accordingly. You should label all of the boxes. They can be organised by contents, owner, or by where the box is going to go. How you organise the contents of employee desks is up to you.

2. Empty the File Cabinets

You should also make sure that you are able to empty all of your file cabinets. Once they have been emptied, you can pack them into file boxes. Make sure that all of the file boxes have lids. Seal the lids and label them by date and time. You can also have signatures of everyone who is responsible for the files on the box. This raises the security of these documents. In addition, labelling the boxes makes the move easier. Your employees will know where things are and where they need to go.

3. Take Care of Expensive Equipment

It is extremely important that your professional and expensive office equipment is taken care of. For example, all of your electronics, computers, and phone systems should only be disconnected and moved by professionals. You do not want someone to mess up a very important piece of equipment. This is especially the case for your printers and copiers. Make sure that a maintenance representative maintains the equipment. A maintenance representative can make sure that the heads are locked. In addition, the maintenance representative will perform other immobilising techniques so your printers and your copiers do not become damaged during the move.

4. Wrap Paintings, Pictures, and Other Wall Hangings Properly

You may need to wrap all of your paintings and pictures in padding before they are moved. In addition, you should treat canvas items differently. They should be placed in a box in a vertical position. Placing canvas items in such a way makes sure that the frames are not damaged. In addition, smaller items will not damage the canvas.

5. Pack Books Separately

When you are packing a large number of books, you should make sure that all of the books are placed in boxes face down. By placing all of your books flat in their boxes, you are keeping all of the pressure off the bindings of the books. You may also want to consider obtaining special boxes that are designed to keep books safe. The boxes that are designed for books are sturdier than your standard moving box. You need a sturdier box because books are heavier than other office items. In addition, the boxes are smaller than normal moving boxes. This means that you will not be able to pack too many books in one box. This makes things easier to handle while moving.

6. Check All Emergency Systems

Make sure that all smoke detectors, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems are in working order before you move important equipment into the office.

7. Make Sure Your Business Is Not Interrupted

It is important or you to keep all lines of communication open while you are moving your office. You can do this by signing up for a call forwarding service. You can also simply continue your current phone service until the move is complete and all products and services are in working order.

About the Author

This article was written by James Adam who writes for Office Kitten, a UK-based store offering packaging tape and office paper for businesses.