(Photo courtesy of socialmonsters.org)
After all the chaos of the holidays has subsided, you’ll will probably take at least a few minutes to reflect on personal New Year’s resolutions. The turn of a new year is also the perfect time to consider changes for small businesses. So while you are thinking about whether you want to pledge, yet again, to drop those last ten pounds, take advantage of a moment when you and your employees are motivated and inspired, to make one or two manageable resolutions for your small business. Here are three easily implemented ideas to get you started.
Give Back to the Community
Charitable giving is often on the top of many personal resolution lists and should be the same for small businesses. Giving back to the community, beyond simply being the right thing to do, brings several benefits to companies too. Businesses that actively engage in charity see higher employee morale and are more likely to attract top candidates. Further, sponsorship of a charity gets your name out into the community and links your brand with positivity and social consciousness. A Cone Communications social impact study found that people are 85 percent more likely to buy a product connected to a charity. To decide which non-profit(s) to support, check a site like Charity Navigator, which evaluates how efficiently charities use donations and can search for local or national organizations.
Make Your Business More Secure
Make this the year you finally take security, both online and on-site, seriously. For many small businesses, it is difficult to recover from a theft or data breach, so make an investment in security software and hardware. For online protection, invest in up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware, as well as an effective online backup service in the event of data loss. Further, secure your Wi-Fi network and require complex passwords that are changed every few months. Limit employee access to data and information.
For on-site security, in addition to an alarm system, consider installing a security camera system. A system like Lorex security cameras provide HD viewing and recording, which you can view from your computer or by using its mobile app.
Prioritize Customer Service
When running a small business, it’s easy to focus on the product or service you are providing and forget about the impact that customer service, both good and bad, can have on your business. On the positive side, 60 percent of customers say they will pay more for better customer service and if a customer has a good experience, on average, they will tell four to six other people about it. Conversely, 65 percent of consumers report that they have stopped using a product or service because of one negative customer service experience, even if they were previously loyal to that business. A study by VoiceMedia estimated poor customer service is costing businesses in the United States $4 billion a year. Spend time training all of your employees in customer service and then equip them with the tools to best connect with customers in need. No matter how small or large your business, consider investing in customer service support software, which will allow you to seamlessly handle all customer contacts, whether from email support, phone calls or social media interactions.
