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Customer service is an aspect of any business, whether a large corporate organization or small home business run by a single individual. The way a business presents itself to customers, either potential or actual, can make a huge difference in terms of promotion, loyalty and the likelihood of success.

No business succeeds without customers, and in order to attract customers, it is increasingly necessary for businesses to be approachable, contactable, and interested in communicating with customers whenever there are any queries or issues relating to the products or services available.

In the modern world of internet technology, more and more customers today are often beginning to expect that businesses can be contacted at any time, and day, and in a way which is convenient. In the twenty first century we have shed the expectations that we had of only being able to contact a business or company between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. With international time zones, more people working weekends, and working hours no longer traditional, we all expect to be able to pick up the phone, or send an email, and have our queries or concerns dealt with promptly.

If you are seeking to buy in to a franchise or business opportunity, it will be important to understand in advance what the customer service arrangements involve. Will you be responsible for any issues that arise, and need to provide a means by which customers can contact you directly, or is there a customer service center or arrangement already in place? If you will be relying on an outsourced service center, then you may find that giving them a call yourself, alleging to be a potential customer, reveals the level of support which your own customers could face.

Although outsourcing of service centers is increasingly common, primarily as a means to cut costs and long term overheads, it can sometimes cause problems for customers who have difficulties communicating with people who do not speak the same language fluently, or have strong accents, limited knowledge of the product or service, or limited access to relevant information about you and your account.

But the issue of providing support for customers will be something you’ll need to approach yourself if the responsibility with a franchise opportunity is left with you and if you are starting out on your own with your business idea as an independent entrepreneur.

If customers are not happy with the level of customer service, such as failing to have queries dealt with, having to wait excessive periods of time to wait for a response, having responses which make little sense, offer little support, express little concern or fail to resolve the issue quickly and effectively, then the chances are high that you will lose that customer.

More than this, by losing a customer, you are highly likely to lose any potential sales you may have acquired through recommendation. With so much choice available and so much variety, increasingly we are relying on personal recommendations, and online reviews, to help make up our mind on whether to commit to a retailer or service provider, especially if it is likely to be for a significant sum or a long term contractual arrangement.

Failing to provide adequate customer service can easily result in losing out on personal recommendations, and could easily result in publically viewable reviews advising against your company or service. The internet can easily work in your favour, but similarly it can work against you if you fail to meet expectations.

To a large extent, the importance and intensity of customer service is likely to depend on the nature of the business in which you become involved. If you’re seeking to start out as an individual entrepreneur, working from home with little direct contact with customers, then you may consider the importance of customer service to be less of a priority than those entering into a business arrangement which has massive contact with customers and relies heavily on customer loyalty.

This is turn may impact on your decision when it comes to deciding what kind of business to enter into, what kind of franchise opportunity to become involved with, or the nature of any solo business you choose to initiate. Are you a people person? Do you like solving problems and offering a high level of service to customers? If not, then a business model which relies upon this may not be for you, and the issue of outsourcing the service center becomes one to consider.

Ultimately it will be important to think about customer service not from the business point of view alone, taking on board the financing, the time, the means by which issues can be filed, dealt with, followed up and referred back, but also from the point of view of your customers. Happy customers equate to customer loyalty and recommendations, which in turn results in a more profitable and successful business. Get your customer service right and you’re more likely to see the business succeeding where other, perhaps larger companies are losing sight of the very blood which made them successful in the first place.

Naz Daud - CityLocal UK Business Directory Ireland Business Directory Franchise Opportunity Featured BusinessesArticle Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/customer-service-and-how-to-fail-in-business-866950.html

You have drawn the line in the sand. You have established your purpose (mission) and direction (vision) for your business.  Now it is time to use these mission and vision statements to focus on the direction, leadership, goal-setting and basis for your strategic plans for your business or organization, employees and marketplace.

Doug Campbell, Fire Behavior Analyst and President of Campbell Prediction Systems recognized the importance of building a mission statement for firefighters. He began with a well defined mission statement for a firefighter team.

 “We meet the fire at its weak points, knocking it out, not giving it a chance. We know the fire and use the knowledge of its behavior patterns to snuff it out. We are tough and do not waste our strength. We plan our tactics and anticipate the fire’s moves. We use proven tactics and avoid bad ones. We engage the fire when we know we will prevail over the fire. We do not repeat the mistakes of other encounters.”

His vision statement for creating future –wise firefighters:

“We will become wise fire fighters. We will find out what the fire is about to do and plan for dealing with its potential. We will become known for our wild fire wisdom and be able to avoid its traps and find its weakness. We will learn to communicate the whole fire situation and thereby save others from poorly devised tactical actions. We will minimize all negative impacts on the fire fighters we supervise, keeping them strong and well throughout the siege.”

These statements became his foundational tools for strategic planning. Here are just two examples in the use of his newly created mission and vision statements:

First, time management - “I have many offers to consult in projects related to fire protection. I want to manage my time and project selection, and mission and vision statements help me do that.”

Secondly, employee recognition - Campbell also assigns his trainees to write personal mission and vision statements. “The mission and vision opens a window on what their values are…they expose the ethics of the person. We know by their replies who is ready for a supervisory position.”

Visionary businesses, whether large or small, excel because they set goals that relate directly to their vision. They come up with strategies and actions to reach their goals and achieve their vision. It is in this way that a business can control its own destiny, rather than let outside forces determine a business direction.

The next step is converting your business mission and vision statements into specific actions. The objective is to work out specific strategic approaches and required daily actions that help your business reach its vision. Your strategic plan should include the necessary structure to apply your strategy by helping you communicate your vision in a way that covers all areas of your business. Those elements that make up your strategic plan begin with the mission statement then the vision statement, followed by goals, objectives, strategies and specific actions.

Curtis W. Page, Ph.D. in “Asking ‘Just Right’ Business Questions” describes a process of “seeing, aiming and doing.”  The “seeing” part of the process is completed with your business mission and vision statements. Your “aiming” is your goals, objectives and strategic approaches. The “doing” is the defined actions that will be accomplished by whom and by when.  To help you “see,” learn more, and find materials and information on mission and vision statements, go to www.missionvisionstatement.com.

Exceptional ebooks in pdf format on mission and vision, leadership, strategic planning and team building by management specialist Don Midgett, author of Mission and Vision Statements: Your Path to a Successful Business Future. To access this valuable information and special reports go to www.missionvisionstatement.com.

Discover what entrepreneurs, business leaders, organizations and government leaders have learned in building thrie success from a vision driven focus instead of problem driven.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/after-creating-mission-and-vision-statements-strategic-planning-850660.html