A recent study by American Express found that more than half of all shoppers have boycotted an organization because of a poor customer service experience. In fact, almost 90% of them would avoid doing business with that company again in the future. Let’s face it: Small businesses rarely have the luxury of an entire team dedicated to creating a positive customer experience. But all is not lost! There are plenty of ways for you and your employees to improve the small business customer experience. Read on for our top five tips:

Improve payment options and processing

The customer experience starts when a customer tries to buy something from your company. If they have to sort through a confusing payment process, they may get turned off before making a purchase. And that can have significant consequences for your business. In fact, nearly one-third of customers have walked out of a store without purchasing an item because they found the payment process too complicated. If you accept credit cards, you should look into point-of-sale systems that make the payment process more seamless and secure using 3d secure payments. Even more important than that is getting set up for any cashless payment. Online payment options like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay make buying from your company easier. These payment services also make it more secure for customers to purchase from you, making them more likely to buy from you again in the future.

Build a good relationship with customers

You can earn the loyalty of your customers by building a relationship with them. This means going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that everything about your company is top-notch. This type of commitment to excellence is sure to pay off in the long run. You can go out of your way to provide excellent customer service. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Rewards Program: Create a rewards program that allows you to show appreciation for your best customers by giving them special perks. You can choose to offer anything, but gift cards are a common choice.

• Send welcome kits: If you regularly ship items to customers, send a welcome kit to ensure they receive their order smoothly and without any issues.

• Answer questions online: If your customers have questions, you should make it easy for them to get the information they need. Create an FAQ page on your website to ensure everyone who wants information about your product can find it.

Offer various channels of communication.

Many people avoid calling customer service because sending an email is so easy. You may think your customers only want to hear from you when they place an order. However, you can improve the customer experience by providing various options for communication. If you have a customer service line, list it on your website and include the hours of operation. You should also have an email address that customers can use to reach you anytime.

Seek and act on customer feedback

To improve customer satisfaction and retention, you must actively seek feedback from your customers. In addition to asking for feedback in person, you can also include a feedback form on your website. For best results, focus on rectifying negative feedback. You can consider customer complaints and make adjustments where necessary, to show customers you are serious about making the required improvements. The more feedback you have, the more you can learn about your customer experience. This will allow you to find areas that need improvement and make changes where necessary.

Create a seamless mobile experience

With customer experience in mind, many businesses have begun developing mobile apps. These apps are great ways to offer 24/7 service to your customers. If you provide services around the clock, your app can provide information about those services. And if you have an online store, your app can provide a more streamlined experience than a mobile browser. If you’re developing a mobile app, it’s important to include features like push notifications. These features can help you to boost retention and keep customers coming back for more.

Bottom line

It’s no secret that the customer experience is critical to the success of any small business. With so many options available to consumers, it’s essential to go above and beyond to retain customers and attract new ones. And as a result, you’re sure to see your profits soar. With these top five tips to improve the customer experience at your small business, you can easily set your company apart from the competition.