During difficult times, it’s the little things that count. While valuing professionalism over everything else appears to be misplaced, it is a compelling long-term strategy. Why? It’s because customers love brands that are polite and go the extra mile.
The ones that don’t do these things have lost their love for the business, which isn’t you. Therefore, it’s essential to rely on professionalism now more than ever as you don’t want to be the firm that is regarded as a slacker and unhelpful.
If you are unsure where to start, these four etiquette-centric pointers are fantastic places to begin.
Mind Your Telephone Manners
Yes, answering the phone for the thousandth time that day is a grind, especially when customers themselves may be rude or impolite. However, it’s your job to keep your cool and act with style and grace. Taking the high road is tough, yet it’s well worth the effort. Also, you can’t leave callers waiting for an advisor. Whether the company invests in a business SIP or virtual assistants and chatbots, you should make an effort to reduce waiting times. Automated services are useful; however, you have to be careful of annoying shoppers and stressing them out if the voice software struggles to understand simple commands.
Dress for Success
As well as you and your team, dressing for success refers to the business. Your curb appeal is a subtle-yet-powerful marketing ploy that continually broadcasts the brand to the public. When passers-by walk past and see a dirty, dilapidated facade, they’ll assume the exterior of the building reflects the products or services you provide. As such, you need to take care of cosmetic flaws if you have office space, an HQ, or a bricks-and-mortar store. That way, your professional image will be reinforced by the pretty merchandise in the window or a clean-cut logo.
Be Transparent
Transparency isn’t easy for businesses because you need to strike a balance between telling customers the essentials without giving them too much information. As a result, many companies have erred on the side of withholding info, and it’s backfired spectacularly. Customer data is a prime example. Today, you must inform anyone who lands on your website what cookies you use, why you use them and how, and how they can opt-out. Otherwise, you’ll come across as unprofessional because consumers will view you with suspicion. If you’ve got nothing to hide, why hide it?
Avoid Getting Political
Once a competitor makes a mistake, it’s tempting to double down and stick the knife in to ruin their credibility and heighten your reputation. However, it’s vital to understand two things. Firstly, the public sees through actions that have no real meaning. Therefore, you run the risk of being tacky and jumping on the bandwagon. Secondly, you may be in the same situation. Should it happen to you, the last thing you want is for everyone, including your peers, to pile on and escalate the situation.
Professional businesses keep tabs on the industry while maintaining their silence on issues they can’t control.
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