It’s not the size of the company. It’s how you do business. Regardless of whether you are a national corporation or a local neighborhood store, you can make the most of your business by impressing customers with top quality.
Offering top quality does not just mean having the best product. It means overall quality of your business, including service, products, customer service, sales, turnaround, etc. It also means having a business that is attractive for potential employees and has a high retention rate of satisfied current employees and staff.
However, how does a small business offer top quality and high performance? Here are some important things you can do to attain the highest in overall employee and customer satisfaction.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership is how you interact with your managers, staff, employees, and customers. A company with outstanding leadership has a tremendous edge over any other competition, large or small.
Accessible
How accessible are you? Do the managers who operate each department/division of your company have clear access when questions or problems arise? How about your employees? Do you have an “open door” policy that allows anyone in your business to approach you with a question or issue? Be a leader that grants access for anyone in your business.
Accessibility can also mean “visible.” Are you visible to your customers? Do they know you care and appreciate their business? Lee Iacocca is a good example of someone who was visible as the General Motors spokesperson to all customers. Be sure your customers know who you are, why you are doing the business you do, and why you want their business.
Goal Driven
Does your company have specific goals, or does it just go by day after day, business as usual? When you have a goal for your company and can picture of the end result, you and your employees will know what you are working for.
Enthusiastic
Are you a “get to work!” kind of leader? Or do you get in the trenches and help out when needed? Do your employees know where the company stands within the goals already made? You can provide much employee morale if you accept and understand the work they do, and if you keep them notified of how the company is doing. Be sure you inform of when big goals are met. If the company is short of making a goal, encourage your team that you know they can do it.
EMPLOYEE QUALITY
Your employees want to be valued and appreciated. That makes for happy and long-term workers. What makes employees happy?
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Rewards & Recognition – It may surprise you that compensation is not the top job satisfaction indicator. Employees value recognition more than a paycheck. Be sure you publicly acknowledge employees for doing a good job, especially when someone goes above the call of duty. Have a rewards program in place to pay back employees for helping make the company successful. Bonuses are nice, but even donuts on Friday can be a reward for meeting weekly goals.
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Compensation & Benefits – Employees want to be paid fairly. Be sure you provide compensation and other benefits in accordance to your industry.
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Engage Your Workforce – Workers want to know they are trusted to do their work. Let them take ownership of their job. Make them accountable for it as well, and let them know suggestions are welcome. They will work harder when they know they have a portion at stake with the company’s success.
PROCESS MANAGEMENT
How you do business is more important than what your product is. Keep in mind that your processes should be efficient, clean, and respectable. For instance, doing “underhanded” deals to get better wholesale prices is unethical. Practice “green” policies to help the environment through energy usage, recycling, etc. Find the best way to manufacture or conduct your business that saves both you and the customer money without losing quality.
CUSTOMER FOCUS
Your customer focus should center on some aspects already mentioned. Be accessible and visible to the customer. Let them know they are appreciated. Start a rewards program that thanks loyal customers for repeat business. You can even thank customers for joining your social media pages with special ‘exclusive’ deals. In essence, you want to give customers a reason to come back.
Don’t ever let the size of your business stop you from being the best. Shoot for the best quality for both employees and customers, and make it your goal to become a high-performing organization.
