Printing-focused businesses can offer a variety of different services to potential customers. But whether you offer printed marketing materials, mass document production, or something else entirely, your clients deserve the best value and service you have to offer them. Creating a positive experience for your clients and offering valuable help will go a long way toward not only retaining your existing customer base, but also attracting new clients.
What do your clients want from your business? These 5 value-focused strategies can help you stay on track to customer satisfaction. #PlatinumCopiers Share on X
What Your Clients Want
Individual needs and preferences will vary, but at the end of the day, clients value several positive traits in any business: honesty, reliability, and returns on investment. To prove your business possesses these traits, you’ll need to focus on the following goals:
- Hire reliable people
- Be mindful of time constraints
- Be transparent about costs
- Help clients simplify their work
- Show concrete benefits
1) Hire Reliable People
This one may seem like a no-brainer. Hopefully, you’ve already vetted your employees during the hiring process. But this principle applies just as much to your attitude about your team as to the team itself. If you know your employees are trustworthy and complete their work on time and to a high standard of quality, show that confidence to your clients. Assure them that you trust your team completely and have no worries about giving them important work. This confidence will show your clients that you know you can get the job done.
2) Be Mindful of Time Constraints
Every job has a deadline of some sort, and all too often, something goes wrong. A printer stops working, a critical employee’s computer crashes, the office loses power–any number of things can interrupt the flow of work. You may also get a rush job from the client or, worse, the client may mess up their own timetable and the mistake gets passed on to you. In less extreme circumstances, maybe you simply have so many other tasks you aren’t sure if this one can be completed in time. Stay aware of your potential time constraints and plan accordingly. In an emergency scenario, let the client know that you may be delayed and apologize, but try to stay on top of things as much as you can. The less you need to delay or cancel, the better.
3) Be Transparent About Costs
Customers feel scammed if they are forced to go over budget for a product or service, especially if the price was implied to be significantly lower. Don’t hide your costs–be upfront about every expense your clients will have to pay. This shows you have integrity and won’t try to rip people off. Even better, this helps your clients budget more efficiently and increases their chances of actually buying from you. Honesty goes a long way.
4) Help Clients Simplify Their Work
People hire outside help for work they don’t specialize in, and while bringing in expert help benefits both parties, it can occasionally lead to misunderstandings. For instance, some clients may believe that their particular end goal requires a long, complicated plan when you as the industry expert know it only requires a few simple steps. Don’t leave your clients in the dark about what their requests entail. Show them how to simplify their plans to save time and money.
5) Show Concrete Benefits
Finally, how do your customers know they can trust you to give them a good return on their investment? By seeing the results of your work. Keep track of their sales increases since they hired you, demonstrate the money they saved with your more efficient approach and more. Not only does this provide evidence that your business can be trusted, but it also helps the client keep track of their own progress. Detailed data on your results will benefit both of you.
Pro Tip: The nature of some businesses may make it difficult to see a concrete return on investment. In these cases, keep track of general business growth and profits for a more general idea.
Offering Your Best
In business, as in personal relationships, actions speak louder than words. Providing a positive customer experience shows you run a reliable business and offer excellent services. Always be on the lookout for ways to offer additional value to your customers.
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