Secrets of a Successful Small Business

Secrets of a Successful Small Business

If you are new to the world of business, you might have trouble figuring out how to grow your company. This guide will help you figure out how other small businesses have gained success so you can find new ways to improve your own.

Figuring Out Your Brand
The only way to successfully market what you do is to find your focus. Take some time to really think about what your business does, how you do it, and the way that you want to interact with your customers. Once you have a firm grasp on what you plan to do, you can start to figure out the best way to brand it. This includes developing a company logo, thinking about producing merchandise, and taking advantage of social media to spread the word about your business.

Make Yourself Different
If a customer sees six companies that offer basically the same services, it will be difficult to entice them to use your company. The key to success in the small business world is to make yourself different from your competition. You should constantly research your industry to stay on the cusp of cutting edge services and technology that helps you stand out.

Focus on Your Products and Services
Enticing customers to use your products and services will only get you so far. If you want to enjoy the benefits of repeat customers, you have to offer quality products and services. Make an effort to give your customers quality products and services that will keep them coming back and inspire them to tell their friends and family about your business.

Contact One Call Center can help you strengthen your customer relations and find ways to make your business different. With our answering services, live chat options, and e-commerce help, we give you the resources you need to make an impact in your industry. To learn more about what we do and how it can help you, check out our website or call 1-800-278-3347.

Small Business Success Story: SwitchFlops

Small Business Success Story: SwitchFlops

Blog/ Small Business

Running a small business requires passion, dedication, and a strong effort toward customer service. A lot of successful small businesses have found unique ideas that set them apart from other companies. Keep reading to find out how SwitchFlops started out as an idea and flourished into a successful business.

The Idea
At just 16, Lindsay Phillips realized how much women will do and spend to get a beautiful pair of shoes. After creating a ceramic shoe in her high school art class, she saw that she could make a big impact on women’s shoe fashion. She added Velcro straps to her shoe designs and called the product SwitchFlops. Thanks to her innovative idea, women can now buy a pair of shoes, change out the strap, and get a variety of looks.

The Process
Phillips waited four years to earn a patent for her idea. During this time, she did everything she could to learn about the industry to prepare herself for owning a business. She attended classes at Rollins College and got a retail job to learn more about how to merchandise and manufacture a collection. By the time she got her patent, she was more than ready to start her business.

The Success
Even though Phillips could not find an American manufacturer willing to produce her first shoes, she did not give up. She finally found a company to manufacture her shoes in China. What started as a business that ran out of storage shed quickly blossomed into a $30 million business. Phillips had the foresight to change her management model to handle this growth and soon hired a professional CEO to oversee her business. SwitchFlops now has more than 4,000 locations throughout the world and plans to open more in the near future.

With the help of Contact One Call Center, you can find success for your small business. We offer customer service help that allows you to improve communication with your clients. To learn more about our services, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

Keeping Customers Happy

Keeping Customers Happy

Blog/ Marketing and Sales/ Professional Services/ Small Business

As a business owner, your customers are your livelihood. If you want to find success in the corporate world, you must figure out how to keep your current clients happy and how to entice new clients to utilize your services. Use the following tips to ensure that you are paying the proper amount of attention to your customers.

Pay Attention
Sometimes the most important aspect of customer service is taking the time to really listen to the things that they say. It is essential that you and your staff pay close attention any time a customer talks. If you deal with customers in person, you should make an effort to greet them all and try to address people by names. If you deal with customers on the phone, it is important to take the time to listen closely to what they say. You should always make an effort to pay close attention to your customers so you can figure out exactly what they need.

Personalize Services When You Can
Customers really respond to personalized services. If you want to give your clients the best opinion of your business, you should make an effort to personalize services whenever you can. Live chat and answering services are great additions to your customer service model that help you give personal attention to your customer base.

Show Your Appreciation
Another great way to keep your customers happy is to show them how much you appreciate their business. Try to offer some incentives like discounts after a certain number of visits or a gift card for referring a friend. These small gifts go a long way toward showing your customers how much you enjoy working with them.

If you want to improve your company’s customer service efforts, turn to Contact One Call Center. Our order taking, reservation setting, live chat, secure messaging, and answering services help you improve your communication with customers. For more information on our services and how they can help your business, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

How Customer Service Has Changed Over the Years

How Customer Service Has Changed Over the Years

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

iStock_000004801857XSmall Customer service is the foundation of any successful business. Without it, you cannot build a strong customer base that helps you succeed in your industry. Learning how it has changed over the years can help you find the best way to serve your customers. Keep reading to learn more about the evolution of customer service:

Phone Calls to Talk to Representatives

Before 1995, customer service was only handled on the phone. Customers called a company if they had a question or concern and talked to a representative who would attempt to find a solution. Although there are a variety of other methods of contacting a company today, many people still prefer to call and talk to a person when they need something.

Emails and Web Help

Once the Internet became a worldwide phenomenon, people started turning to other venues for their customer service needs. Email became a popular facet starting around 1996 and remained a major aspect of customer service until about 2000 when more people started using websites for their service needs.

Chat Help

Around 2005, companies turned to live chat services to give them another edge in the customer service industry. Live chat services enable customers to reach out for assistance without even leaving a business’ website and they are still used today.

Mobile and Social Media Services

Since 2008, companies have taken advantage of the fact that a majority of their customers have smart phones by creating customer service apps. Social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have made it easier than ever for customers to contact businesses.

Contact One Call Center is here to help you improve your relationship with your customers by offering answering services, after-hours support, and live chat help. Take your customer service efforts to the next level by taking advantage of these services. To learn more about how we can help you interact with your customers, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

The Ins and Outs of Managing Growth Successfully

The Ins and Outs of Managing Growth Successfully

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Any business owner is excited when his or her company grows, but they are not always prepared to handle it. If you want to keep gaining success in your industry, it is important to figure out the best way to manage this growth. Use this guide to ensure that you handle your new success well enough to keep your business growing even more:

Figure Out the Best Way to Manage

One manager in charge of a small team might suffice when your business first starts out, but it does not always work when it starts to grow. If you want to continue to find success in your industry, it is important to find a new management model that can encompass the new size of your business. Whether you have to hire more managers or create more departments, this new management plan can help your business grow even more.

Keep Up with Your Customer Needs

As your client base starts to grow, it is important to find new ways to cater to your customers. Improving your customer service efforts is one of the most important elements of managing growth success. Instill new venues through which your customers can interact with your business so they always can talk to someone when they try to contact your company.

Pay Attention to Your Numbers

If you want to continue to succeed, it is important to stay on top of your business statistics. Maintain control over decisions relating to your sales numbers and financials so you have a say about the direction in which you want your company to go.

No matter the size of your business, Contact One Call Center is here to help you improve the way you talk to your customers. From answering services to disaster preparedness, we are here to give you the assistance you need when your business starts to grow. To learn more about our customer service resources, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

Small Business Success Story: WRAPPED

Small Business Success Story: WRAPPED

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Small businesses that have succeeded in their industry give other startup companies hope. WRAPPED is one of these successful businesses. Keep reading to find out how this paper goods company has managed to stand out in their industry:

They Do what they Do Best

WRAPPED founders Ryland Arnoldi and Sam Seidman have always had a passion for art. Although they were both on the path toward big careers in the financial industry, they wanted to create products that combined artistic appeal with a natural edge. By combining their efforts, Arnoldi and Seidman managed to turn this passion into a business that creates beautiful, artistic pieces of wrapping paper and paper goods.

They Maintain an Active Role in the Business

Instead of leaving all of their business decisions to others, Arnoldi and Seidman worked together to maintain an active role in their company. By taking control of these important decisions, they were in charge of everything having to do with their business. If you want to find success as a small business, it is imperative to retain a controlling stake in the decisions that affect your company.

They Found a Niche for their Product

The founders of WRAPPED were smart enough to choose a product that spoke to a wide range of potential investors. Instead of compromising and molding their product to the market, they went out and found investors who wanted to give them money for the products they wanted to create.

If you want to achieve success in your industry like WRAPPED has, it is important to focus more attention on your customer service efforts. Contact One Call Center has resources like answering services, live chat, after-hours support, and disaster preparedness to help you open the lines of communication with your customers. With our help, you can build a bigger client base to bring your business to new levels of success. To learn more about our services, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

Small Business Success Story: Healthsense

Small Business Success Story: Healthsense

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Although it might seem like big chains rule the business industry, small businesses can still achieve great success. Keep reading to learn more about Healthsense and how they conquered their industry:

They Found a Business Need

One of the key factors of Healthsense’s success was their foresight. The company’s founders, Brian Bischoff and Bryan Fuhr, noticed that there was a lack of senior care that allowed older adults to maintain their independent living situations. By creating products like eNeighbor that comes with sensors to call for help in the case of an emergency, Healthsense now helps seniors safely stay at home longer. Products like these are extremely attractive to seniors who want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible.

They Found the Right Market for their Products

Another important factor of Healthsense’s success was their marketing prowess. Instead of focusing advertising efforts on seniors, they directed them toward caregivers and senior organizations. By finding the right audience, they were able to create more successful marketing efforts.

They Know their Field

Healthsense understands the market in which they work, which allows them to continue to offer their clients the products and services they need. People use Healthsense technology in about 265 senior living communities and 1,000 private residences, which gives them access to more than 20,000 customers. They continue to do research and acquire new companies to help them create new products that keep their customers coming back. By truly understanding the needs of their industry, they guarantee their success in the field.

If you are looking for ways to grow your small business, Contact One Call Center can help. Our answering services, after-hours support, and disaster preparedness help you improve your customer service efforts so you can optimize your success in your industry. We give you the services you need to give your customers access to round-the-clock attention. To learn more about our call center and our services, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

Customer Service Nightmares

Customer Service Nightmares

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Customer service can make or break a company. In order to maintain an active client base, a company must find the right way to handle their customer service needs. Keep reading to learn about some customer service nightmares so you can be sure to avoid them in your own business:

An Inability to Contact Someone

One of the most frustrating times for a customer is when they cannot reach a customer service representative when they need one. As a business owner, it is important to give your clients easy access to a variety of venues through which they can reach a representative when they need help.

Rude Customer Service Representatives

Customer service representatives are supposed to do whatever they can to keep clients satisfied. If a company employs representatives that do not make the effort to help customers, however, they might be alienating a large percentage of their client base. Focusing on your customer service efforts and taking advantage of resources like call centers gives you the opportunity to ensure that your representatives are ready and prepared to handle any of your customer’s needs.

No Movement toward a Solution

Just because a customer service representative is kind does not mean they will do anything to offer the client a solution for their problem. If you want a really successful customer service department, it is important to train your staff on how to offer clients solutions that solve their issues. Improving your customer service department can help you grow your client base and offer your customers the help they need while improving your business image.

Contact One Call Center is here to help you make the most of your customer service efforts. From secure messaging to live chat services, we provide resources to keep you in touch with your customers so you can do everything you can to keep them satisfied when they have questions or concerns. To learn more about our services, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

Creating the Best Patient Experience

Creating the Best Patient Experience

Blog/ Customer Service

Patients are an integral aspect of the health care industry. If health care companies want to succeed, they have to find ways to keep their patients happy and offer them better medical services. Use the following tips to figure out the best way to cater to your patients and their needs:

Improve Your Customer Service

Your customers have to be able to reach your business when they need you. If you want your patients to have the best experience when they deal with your company, you should improve your customer service efforts. Secure messaging and medical answering services give you the edge you need to maintain communication with your patients. If they can get ahold of your business when they need you, they are more likely to continue to take advantage of your services.

Treat Them as People

When you are busy with a lot of patients, it is easy to stop thinking about patients as people. If you and your staff can make an effort to show your patients how much you care, they are more likely to continue to use your services. Take the time to greet every patient and make the effort to get to know each one on some kind of personal level.

Work Toward a Solution

Although you might not be able to find a solution for everyone’s problems, if you can prove that you are making an effort to work toward a solution, it shows them that you care. You should always do everything you can to find a solution for a patient.

If you want your medical practice to communicate better with your patients, Contact One Call Center can help. We offer secure messaging and medical answering services that are HIPPA compliant so you have another venue through which to talk to your patients. To learn more about our services and how we can help to expand your business, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

The Importance of Live Chat Support for Your Business

The Importance of Live Chat Support for Your Business

Blog/ Customer Service/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Live chat services help you open up a new kind of customer service opportunities that can reach a whole new demographic of customers. Keep reading to find out how live chat can optimize your business’s potential.

Convenience When Your Customers Need It

Sometimes customers have questions or concerns after regular business hours. Live chat support gives your clients an easy way to contact someone whenever they have a question. Without even navigating off of your website, your customers can get the answers they need when they need them.

A Unique Way to Stand Apart

When you are competing with similar businesses in an industry, it is important to find ways to set yourself apart from the other companies. Features like live chat services give you the opportunity to show your customers how you are better than your competition so they have more faith in your ability to handle their business.

A Higher Chance of Repeat Customers

If your clients have a positive experience when they deal with a customer service representative, they are more likely to return to your business. Live chat services help your customers get the answers they need when they need them, which gives them a reason to return for more services in the future.

Written Proof of Your Interactions

Unlike phone calls, live chat services provide transcripts that can help you improve the way you handle customer service even more. You and your team can read through the transcripts to try to determine what went right with an interaction and what could have been improved. Before you know it, you can organize a new way to handle interactions with your clients.

Live chat services can increase your customer service abilities and help you build stronger relationships with your clients. Contact One Call Center makes it easier than ever to get services like live chat, secure messaging, and order-taking that will give you an edge in your industry. To learn more about these services and how they can help you, call 1-877-959-0158.