Basic Business Communications is Fundamental #smallbiz #tips

I have encountered several situations recently in which business failed to do the most basic of communications which is to tell customers important followup information.


I recently registered to attend an industry conference and I was able to use the same form for my hotel reservation. I received an email confirmation that included info about my conference registration, the cancellation policy and the hotel cancellation policy. There is was ZERO information in the email that confirmed my hotel reservation. A colleague had also registered and reserved the room at the same time and had the same concern.  I called the registration center and asked them to verify that my room had been secured. The agent check my registration and confirmed that my room was reserved and said that I would receive a confirmation for the room with in 7 business days.

My issue with this is that there would have been no need for me to call anyone if the email confirmation simply stated that the hotel reservation confirmation would be sent separately within 7 business days.

This is an example of what I call "basic communications." It is not groundbreaking to tell your customers what to expect and it typically doesn't take much effort to include an extra line or two in your  communications. When communicating to customers and clients you should do everything you can to cover your bases - period.

Another example of poor basic communications I recently received and email that I had not submitted an online application that I was sure that I had completed. I spent 35 minutes one evening trying to submit my information. I even used the "help" button which showed me a screen shot of a submit button on the very same page I had open without a submit button. The next day I called the office for help and they directed to send an email to the person in charge of the application. I sent the email requesting assistance in submitting my application or for support in finding the missing submit button.

I received a response back with in 20 minutes that stated that the individual was aware of that the submit button was not available on the application and that my application was fine and I didn't need to do anything else.

1. Why on earth did they send me an email stating they didn't have my application?
2. Why didn't think to send a follow-up basic email communication to let me and other users know that the "submit" capability was actually not available?

I wasted approximately an hour of my time for an issue that could have be settled with a basic email communication updating me to the circumstances.

Tip: Always communicate information necessary for customers/clients to know. If your system is glitchy let customers know immediately. If you plan to send them follow-up information - let them know when to expect. Do leave your audience guessing or confused - ever.

 Small Business Resources


Making Sense of Health Care Reform: Seven Basics for Small-Business Owners

While it may take some time to become familiar with the new regulations, it is important now for small-business owners to understand the effect of health care reform on their companies and their employees. This white paper explains seven primary components of the Affordable Care Act:

1. Small-business tax credits
2. The grandfather provision
3. Non-discrimination
4. FSA, HSA, and HRA plans and over-the-counter medicines
5. Coverage for young adult dependents
6. W-2 reporting
7. The CLASS Program

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Big Business - Stop Telling Us About Surcharge Fees!

What ever happened to the good old days when companies raised their prices and didnt bother to tell us why or for what? What is with all the surcharge fee disclosure?

It seems that corporate America and a few enterprising local government authorities are disclosing that consumers are paying more for certain reasons. American Airlines and United Airlines have instituted checked baggage fees and some local police departments are adding fuel surchages to speeding tickets. Why are they giving names to new fees?

Has everyone forgotten how to raise prices? I remember when companies needed to make more profits they would raise prices in a way that Joe Consumer would accept without complaint. But adding fees for services that use to be free causes outrage and upoar. The whole checked baggage fee issue has created a public relations debacle.

It would have been a lot smarter if the eggheads over at American and United simply increased the cost of airfare across the board. Most people do not know how the cost of their airfare until they start searching for flights. An extra added $15 or $30 to a ticket would not have raised eyebrows. Anyone who flies at least once a year knows that the cost of an airline ticket varies based on the time of day, how far in advance you book etc.

Creating a new charge for checking bags only adds insult to injury. With over 40 years of free checked baggage, we all have an entitlement attitude about checked baggage. The same goes for food service on planes. Free beverages, snacks and meals have been a pleasant perk. No one wants to pay $2 for something that has been free for years. Like hotels charge "resort fees", airlines could have added a "hospitality fee" to the price of airfare and no one would have been the wiser.

I urge big business and police authorities to stop announcing new fees. Be smart, raise the cost of our tickets and keep all the reasons to yourself -- it is better for your brand and business.

Small Businesses Shouldn't Try to Be Something They are Not

Recently, I entered a small street level eatery which appeared to be your standard pizza shop. It had neon signs in the window with the name of the establishment "Joe's Italian Kitchen" and the word "pizza". Seeing a neon sign means to me this is a casual eatery where I can get fast food. (How many upscale restaurant's have you seen with neon signage? Not many I would guess.)

I entered the shop and went to a counter where two people stood. One was an older woman on the phone taking an order. I asked for two slices. The young lady said to me that they didn't have slices. I thought perhaps she meant there were no pizzas at the time for slices. The older woman (who I believe was an owner) got off the phone and explained that they do not sell slices, but rather individual thin crust pizzas for $5.95 each. Let me just say that this place looked like a regular fast food pizza joint. Two inexpensive tables, soda and juice fridges, and nondescript decor. No pizza slices? Remember the neon sign did say "pizza", usually an indication of very casual dining.

The thought in offering the individual pizzas I believe is that every customer will get their own fresh pie. But this was a shop on a busy street. What about those who want to just get a QUICK slice to go?

My issue is that is not easy to convert a $2 slice purchase that takes two mintutes into a $6 pie purchase that would probably take 10 - 15 minutes. So why bother? I have a feeling that this "Italian Kitchen" is trying to be something it is not - a nice italian restaurant. But it has all the looks and feel of a pizza shop. The best part of this is that there is a REAL PIZZA SHOP about 30 yards away on the same side of the street that sells slices. So that is where I ended up.

The average person walks into a pizza shop looking for a slice. So sell it to them. Most pizzeria's mark up the slices about 40% per slice. For instance you can buy a large cheese pie for $9.50 but purchase a slice for $2. This is a great revenue stream.

If you want to brand your restaurant as a fine italian restaurant don't use standard pizza shop branding like a neon sign and nondescript decor. Quite frankly, if they didnt have the neon sign that said pizza, I would not have wasted my time going in there. Make sure your storefront branding matches what you really are. This will prevent disappointed customers leaving your establishment to spend money elsewhere.

I do understand that it is up to indiviual proprietors to sell the merchandise they wish, but you have to be smart about it. When I walked into the restaurant I mentioned above, they were taking a phone order, but they were NOT bursting at the seam with customers. They lost my sale, I just wonder how many customers they lose each day to their competitor just 30 yards away because they have made the decision not to sell slices. I wish that the restaurant looked at selling pizza slices as a way to market their food and not a way to diminish it. Perhaps they could have converted me into a new customer. I sometimes drive 20 minutes away to buy A whole pizza pies from a place that I fell in love with when I purchased just a slice at lunch one day. Joe's Italian Kitchen won't get that from me.

Small Businesses: Good Customer Service is Part of Your Branding - Part 1

I can't tell you how many times I have stopped patronizing a store or service because of horrendous customer service. Whether your small business is part of a large franchise or you run your own business - your customer service is a major part of your small businesses brand.

I drive to a dry cleaner in the next town because my dry cleaner goes the extra mile with my order (no pun intended). He carries dry cleaning to my car and puts it in there for me. He runs my blouses through several times to remove stains - without me asking. His elite customer service is part of his brand. I could probably save money using coupons for a dry cleaner in my town, but I received bad customer service just ONE day and I moved on.

Remember the Saturn commercials from 10-15 years ago? They were an unknown brand. They built their brand on their customer service. Commercials showed customers enjoying themselves while shopping for a Saturn. They were treated with respect, given food to eat and were taken care of even after their purchase. Saturn focused on its "no haggle" pricing to appeal to consumers who just wanted to go into one of their dealerships to buy a car.

Start building your customer service branding by making sure the people who answer your phones are informed about your company and most importantly know how to work your phone system. It is easy to deter new customers if their calls are dropped because the receptionist doesn't know how to put calls through voicemail. Make sure temporary employees have access to phone directories and instructions on how to use your telephone system. Make sure they are told how to greet callers and guests.

Part II of Good Customer Service is Part of Your Branding will be about - New Business Calls.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Customers and Referral Sources
Show your best customers you care with corporate gifts. Tip: only sends gifts containing alcohol if you know the person drinks alcohol.:

Check out these baskets:


For The Whole Gang Gift Basket


Sweetest Sleigh Ride Gift Basket


Crowd Pleaser Gift Basket


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Wine of the Month Club

Cigar of the Month Club

Beer of the Month Club

Chocolate of the Month Club

Web Rage from Customers is Bad for Your Business

The Wall Street Journal’s Business Technology blog published an item on how web rage is – well – all the rage on company websites. The reporter interviewed an adjunct professor who said “don’t sweat it” about small numbers of angry customers posting rage filled posts to corporate websites. This is bad advice.

If you are a business-to-consumer company, your reputation is everything. Maintaining a good reputation is the best branding and public relations a company can do. Having angry customers spewing nasty comments about your products or services can become viral.

The internet is a breeding ground for word-of-mouth rage. Plus, then there is the search engine problem. Someone well-versed in SEO can easily write a very nasty post to your company website that could get picked up on page one of search engine results for your company name. The last thing you want is for new clients or employees to read rants from dissatisfied clients, or worse employees, associated with your company’s domain name.

Whether in large or small numbers, outspoken dissatisfied customers are bad for your company brand. Before you provide forums on your company site, consider whether you want to open up the customer experience to EVERYONE which will include negative feedback.


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