Many of our clients are other small Portland businesses - and each one of them faces similar issues. I decided to write down a few words of wisdom for all small business owners, about how we run things here at Myles O'Donnell to achieve our places as the most service driven janitorial service provider in Portland.First - we seek to provide legendary customer service.This is a funny one for us. Customers don't really notice our service unless something goes wrong.. and we work really, really hard to make sure things don't go wrong. It's like we are trying to be invisible! However, no company is perfect, we are no exception. When things do go wrong, we admit mistakes and fix problems like no0one else in our market.Customers equate experience with companies. One bad experienced, if unresolved will result in a customer write off your company AND worse still, possibly taking their experience to social media. Negative reviews spread like wildfire online. Do you job right, fix a problem and you customer relationship can come out of the experience stronger for it than before.
Second - be upfront about your services.Being upfront about your business challenges when they arise is not just the best policy; it should be your only policy. If something comes up, don't try to cover up. Let your clients know something has happened, and what you are doing about it. Hopefully these things don't happen continuously, but the occasional blip can usually be accommodated by most clients, especially if they are made aware ahead of time. Lying to or avoiding customers is like shooting yourself in the foot.
Third - be fresh
Think about your business for a moment. Does it stand still, or does it evolve. Standing still is just not something that happens with busineses. Your clients needs and want will change - just as yours do... and don't assume they know all of your product and service offerings. People forget or come into your client's business all the time, you update your service list. Be alert for personnel changes - new people mean new relationships. Invest in them. Establish your business as a key partner with your client's key personnel, by keeping people up to date of changes in your service offering, celebrating anniversaries of your service staff with them, and inform them of useful information for your industry. Ask if they would do the same. People love to talk about their own industries... and this builds a two way relationship.
I hope you've found these insights helpful. I'll work to keep them coming. After all, that's the point of this post.
