Small But Mighty: How SMBs Can Compete with the Big Dogs

It can be tough for small- and medium-sized businesses to keep up with customer expectations. Whatever brick and mortar industry you’re part of, there are probably a few established companies who can offer enterprise-level products and services. SMBs don’t have the same resources, but that doesn’t mean they can’t provide the top tier customer experience that customers expect.  

Consistency

We’re talking about consistency with just about everything. The reason people are drawn to the Targets and Aldis of the world is because they know exactly what they’re about to experience. They know the flow of the store and they know the specials because they’ve already checked the app or received the weekly newsletter. Basically, their time and money are not up to chance.

Updating and upgrading are always welcome, but don’t fix what isn’t broken. Don’t change the layout of the store to “freshen things up.” Don’t revamp your happy hour every quarter to “keep ‘em guessing.” Your customers want a consistent experience.

Customer Service

Great customer service is essential, no matter what size your company is. The good news here is that SMBs have a better chance of being able to track and improve upon their customer service. A smaller scale isn’t always a bad thing! Customer reviews, secret shoppers, and field visits are all great ways to monitor and continuously improve upon the customer service you’re offering.

Cleanliness

Especially for high traffic stores like convenience stores, it can be a daily battle to keep the floors shining, the counters free of messes and the parking lot looking clean and inviting. There has to be a system in place to make cleanliness a priority. Again, it’s smart to rely on customer reviews, secret shoppers and above all, making cleanliness a priority for field visit reviews. Do you return to shabby, smelly businesses? Your customers won’t either.

Invest in Tech

Cleanliness, great customer service, and consistency – nothing here is too big of a breakthrough when it comes to attracting and retaining customers. That being said, how Action Card is helping SMBs track and improve upon these things is.

It all boils down to resources and the management of those resources. How are you currently tracking and improving upon the action items discussed here? Action Card can help you take control of the entire customer experience so you can leverage enterprise-level service, with SMB resources.