SPECIFIC OUTCOME  1.

Communicate effectively with customers in context of IT support.

1. The communication with IT customers staff is polite, clear and sensitive.
2. The communication ensures that information is disseminated to relevant IT customers staff in a timely, complete and accurate manner.
3. The communication ensures that relevant IT customer staff are informed of progress towards the resolution of support requests.
4. The communication ensures that relevant IT customers staff are informed of any deviations from agreed timescales.

5. The communication ensures that relevant IT customers staff are informed promptly of any support requests which could not be resolved.

1.1 Customers are any end-users or line managers requesting IT support.

Effective Communication in Customer Service

Effective communication is a critical component of customer service for small organizations. Customer service efforts are designed to ensure the prompt and efficient delivery of quality products and services to customers, as well as the effective recovery from any service-related issues that may arise. In dealing with customers, communication is essential, whether it is face-to-face, over the phone, via email or, increasingly, through online channels.

Communication is Critical Skill

For those in customer service positions, strong communication and effective problem-solving skills are must-haves. Call center representatives must be able to listen well and communicate effectively verbally. Those who respond to customers via written channels must also have strong typing, spelling and grammar skills and the ability to convey information effectively in an online environment. Communication also comes into play when dealing with customers questions and complaints, a reality of this type of work.

Customer Feedback Can Provide Direction

Effective communication in customer service requires a thorough understanding of the needs and perspectives of customers–what is important to them and their expectations in terms of service, product quality, communication and follow through. Many companies conduct surveys to determine what customers expect and how well they are doing at meeting those expectations. This kind of overall feedback can be helpful, but customer service employees also benefit from the one-on-one feedback they receive from their interactions with customers.

Challenges

Communicating effectively in customer service situations can involve a number of challenges. Those in these roles need ready access to up-to-date and reliable information about the company’s products, services and policies. They need to know what level of authority they have to meet customer demands and resolve problems. Sometimes they are unable to satisfy customer requests due to company policies and this can be a stressful part of the job. In addition, as customer service continues to be an important aspect of just about every business, and as businesses become more competitive, consumers are coming to expect ever higher levels of service that companies must be prepared to deliver.

Future

The future of customer service communication will increasingly take advantage of online and mobile tools to streamline the communication process and provide options for customers to help themselves through the use of online access to information about common questions, issues and concerns. According to an article by Sarah Pierce in

1.2 7 C’s of effective communication 

There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral communication. These are as follows:

2. Conciseness –Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. Concise communication has following features:

• It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
• It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless words.
• Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to the audience.
• Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.
• Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
  3. Consideration –Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the audience’s needs while making your message complete. Features of considerate communication are as follows:
• Emphasize on “you” approach.
• Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will stimulate a positive reaction from the audience.
• Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible” rather than “what is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed, thanks, warm, healthy, help, etc.
  4. Clarity –Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has following features:
• It makes understanding easier.
• Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message.
• Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
  5. Concreteness –Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has following features:
• It is supported with specific facts and figures.
• It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
• Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
  6. Courtesy –Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following features:
• Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the receiver of the message.
• Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
• It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
• It is not at all biased.
  7. Correctness –Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in communication. Correct communication has following features:
• The message is exact, correct and well-timed.
• If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
• Correct message has greater impact on the audience/ readers.
• It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message.
• It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.

1.3 Customers are acknowledged and greeted according to organisational requirements.

 A first impression is a lasting impression. Properly greeting customers can make the difference between repeat sales and one-time sales. Customers are vital to your success and without them, your business won’t survive. By following a few steps when greeting customers, your business can leave a good lasting impression.

Acknowledge Presence

To make a good first impression when greeting customers, acknowledge them immediately. Not acknowledging customers in a timely manner gives the impression that you don’t value their presence or potential sale. Customers want to feel valued and important. Simple acknowledgements such as “Welcome” or “Hello” indicate that you noticed them, but also verbally escort them into your business. This small step helps start the relationship on a positive note.

Smile

Smiling is a powerful and effective technique to greet customers. Authentic smiles have the power to elicit a reflexive response in the recipient, causing them to smile back, says magazine Psychology Today. This simple nonverbal gesture indicates to customers that your business is friendly and welcomes their business. Combining a smile with direct eye contact also communicates to a customer that you are interested in what brings them into your business.

Build Rapport

Customer rapport helps ease anxieties between you and the customer. It also helps the customer become acquainted with your business with a personal touch. First-time customers are cautious and sceptical. They are not familiar with your business and need help building trust in your business and products. Try ice-breakers such as discussing the weather, sports, traffic or family to build rapport and trust.

Ask Questions

Asking customers open-ended probing questions helps determine their needs and whether your business can address them. Questions such as “How may I assist you today?” or “What brings you in today?” tell customers that your business is attentive and ready to help. Allow them to do most of the talking as you listen, determine their needs, then offer suggestions.

1.4 The customer is communicated with, in a manner that encourages further positive interaction.

Effective communication is a critical component of customer service for small organizations. Customer service efforts are designed to ensure the prompt and efficient delivery of quality products and services to customers, as well as the effective recovery from any service-related issues that may arise. In dealing with customers, communication is essential, whether it is face-to-face, over the phone, via email or, increasingly, through online channels.

Here are some tips on how you can communicate more effectively with customers.

#1: Beware of interrupting

Titanic wireless operator Jack Phillips interrupted a wireless message from a nearby ship, telling them to shut up. In doing so, he prevented that ship from sending Titanic an iceberg warning.

Be careful about interrupting others, particularly your customers. They’ll be especially upset if, while they’re explaining a problem, you interrupt them and start offering a solution. If you feel you have to interrupt, at least cut to the chase and tell the other person what you think his or her main idea was. That way, the other person at least can confirm or correct you, and in either case save time.

#2: Listen actively

Did you ever get the feeling, when talking to someone that you were really talking to a wall? The person may have heard you but gave no indication of it at all. Avoid doing the same thing. When communicating with others, it’s just as important that people be aware that you’re listening as it is that you’re actually listening. For that reason, be involved with and react to what the other person is saying, either via a nod, or an “I see,” or a paraphrase of the other person’s statements. You’ll strengthen your own understanding and make a better impression.

#3: Avoid negative questions

Suppose you say to a customer, “You don’t have Word installed?” and he answers “Yes.” What does he mean? Yes, you’re right, Word is not installed? Or yes, he DOES have Word installed? Asking a negative question creates confusion. It’s clearer if you phrase the question positively (e.g., “Do you have Word installed?”) or ask an open-ended question (“What applications do you have installed?”). If you must use the negative, try a question such as “Am I correct that you don’t have Word installed?”

#4: Be sensitive to differences in technical knowledge

Chances are, your customers have less technical knowledge than you do. Be careful, therefore, when explaining things to them. If you use acronyms, be sure you identify what the acronym means. The same acronym can mean different things, even in an IT context (for example, ASP can refer to “application service provider” or “active server page”). Be careful that you don’t make two opposite mistakes: either talking over their head or talking down to them. Keep your eyes on customers when you talk to them and be alert to cues indicating that they don’t understand. Ask them whether they understand what you’re saying, if necessary.

#5: Use analogies to explain technical concepts

A good way to explain a technical idea is to use an analogy. Though they have limitations, analogies are helpful in explaining an unfamiliar idea in terms of a familiar one. One of the best analogies I ever heard compared a firewall to a bank teller. When you enter a bank, you don’t just go into the vault and get your money. Instead, you go to a window, where the teller verifies your identity and determines that you have enough money. The teller goes to the vault, brings it back to the window, and gives it to you, and then you leave.

#6: Use positive instead of negative statements

Your customers are more interested in your capabilities than in your limitations. In other words, they’re interested in what you can do, rather than what you can’t do. The way you say things to them influences how they perceive you and your department. You, as an IT department or individual, can be seen as a roadblock or you can be seen as a partner. So, for example, instead of saying, “I can’t help you unless you log off,” consider saying, “Please log off so that I can help you.” Your statements often will be easier to understand as well.

Here’s another reason to avoid negative statements. Have you ever experienced gaps of silence in your telephone calls, where the conversation breaks up? Usually it happens when using a cell or a VoIP telephone. If the gap occurs as you’re saying “not,” your recipient could get the opposite message from what you intended.

#7: Be careful of misinterpreted words and phrases

Sometimes we say something with innocent intent, but the other person misinterprets it. We mean to say one thing, but our pronunciation or inflection causes us to convey something else. For example, in Chinese, the sound “ma” said in a high level tone means “mother in law.” However, said in a falling and rising tone, it means “horse.”

Be especially careful of the word “you.” Overusing this word can make the person you’re talking to feel defensive or threatened. Instead of saying, “You need to speak louder,” try saying, “I’m having trouble hearing.” Another issue involves the dual meaning of “you.” Unlike other languages, English uses the same word to refer to an actual person (for example, the person you’re talking to) as well as to a hypothetical person. Suppose you said to someone, “You never know what’s going to happen next,” and meant to equate “you” with “people in general.” The other person might think you’re referring to him or her specifically and take offense. A better alternative might be, “It’s really unpredictable here.”

If someone is upset, one of the worst things to say is “calm down.” It might work one half of one percent of the time, but generally all it does is make things worse. In general, think before you speak. I’m not saying you always have to be polite or diplomatic. Sometimes you do need to (figuratively, of course) beat people up. However, do consider the alternatives before speaking. As the proverb goes, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”

#8: Remember that technical problems involve emotional reactions

When customers have a technical problem (for example, they’re having trouble printing), keep in mind that they’ll almost always have an emotional reaction as well. Those emotions can range from simple annoyance to outright panic, depending on the importance of the document and the time element involved. I’m not saying you have to be Dr. Phil, but it’s important to acknowledge and recognize these emotional reactions. If all you do is solve the technical problem and walk away, chances are the customer will still be upset.

In these cases, simply saying something like, “Pain in the neck, isn’t it?” or “I hate when that happens to me” can help the customer feel better about the situation and possibly feel more positive about you.

#9: Anticipate customer objections and questions

In his book The Art of War, the ancient Chinese author and strategist Sun Tzu said, “If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Apply this principle when communicating with customers. In particular, try to anticipate the objections your customers will have to your message and address those objections.

For example, suppose you’re sending out a directive regarding the downloading and application of Windows updates. Suppose further that you have customers who know enough to be dangerous. Such a customer might think, “Well, I’m current in my virus definitions, so this update is unnecessary for me.” Your communications with such a customer will be more effective if you anticipate and address that issue. Consider, therefore, a sentence such as, “This Windows update is necessary even if your virus definitions are current.”

#10: Keep the customer informed

Your customers will become upset if you treat them the same way. Keep them informed of developments involving them, particularly with regard to technical problems and outages. In particular, keep them apprised even if nothing is going on. For example, let them know you’ve contacted the vendor but still haven’t heard anything back. No news is still news. If a customer leaves you a request via voicemail or e-mail, let the customer know you received it, even if you are still in the process of handling it. Doing so gives the customer one less matter to worry about. When a problem is resolved, let the customer know that, too. Nothing is more frustrating to customers than finding out that they could have been working sooner if they had only known.

2.1 Assess and respond to effectively to customer requests.

Respond to Customer Inquiries and Complaints Promptly

With all the talk about customer service and responsiveness, it is interesting to note how many businesses talk a good game but just don’t deliver. We can all relate experiences with businesses where an appropriate sense of urgency didn’t seem to exist. One area that seems to stand out is responding to customer inquiries and complaints.

When a customer, or prospective customer, takes the time to contact a business they are looking for some type of assistance. They generally want initial information, additional information, resolution of a problem or they just want to sound off about an experience they have had with your organization. Unfortunately, most businesses do a mediocre job, at best, of responding to customers in a timely manner.

Most customers will expect to have their requests responded to in a reasonable time frame. But what is reasonable? There is no standard rule of thumb to define response time. Believe it or not, responsiveness is a strategic issue and can be used to differentiate your business from your competitors. Therefore, the standards you establish for responding to all customer issues will determine the level of differentiation you achieve. And the consistency with which you are able to respond quickly will go a long ways toward determining how loyal your customers become.

It seems that many managers are afraid to press their employees too much when it comes to responding to customers. Attitude has a lot to do with how customers are treated. What attitude do you convey about customers? Is it a casual one or is it a “customer first” attitude? Your employees will pick up on your attitude quickly and will often mirror it. At the very least they will understand how serious you are about serving the customer.

A business can’t afford to be casual about how it deals with its customers. The “I’m too busy” or the “you are just one of many customers” excuses are just not acceptable! We experience and hear horror stories constantly about poor responsiveness. The level of incompetency in this arena is mind boggling. We often wonder how something so obvious goes so wrong in so many companies.

Responsiveness is part of your culture. Is yours a casual, “I’ll get to it when I can” kind of culture or is it a “I put my customers above all else and make their issues a priority” kind of culture? This is a key and fundamental issue that needs to be addressed.

How would your employees answer these questions?

• When a customer calls and has a problem that requires a call back, how long does it take, on average, to call them back either with an answer or to let them know the problem is still being worked on?
• If a customer leaves a message for an employee, what are the expectations in terms of how much time can elapse before calling him/her back?
• What are the policies regarding responding to customers?
• How much training have employees had with regard to responding to customers in terms of time management, prioritization of customer issues and dealing with difficult or angry customers?
• At what level does decision making occur regarding customer problems and inquiries?
• How well do employees understand the company’s products/services, its policies and what the next level or step in problem resolution is?

Setting extremely clear expectations about responding to customers is critical. To some organizations it might seem like a relatively minor issue. Those organizations are bound to struggle. Those that have figured out how to respond expediently, effectively and with a caring attitude distinctly have an advantage over their competition.

2.2 WHAT IS A SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT?

A service level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider (either internal or external) and the end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider. SLAs are output-based in that their purpose is specifically to define what the customer will receive. SLAs do not define how the service itself is provided or delivered. The SLA an Internet Service Provider (ISP) will provide its customers is a basic example of an SLA from an external service provider. The metrics that define levels of service for an ISP should aim to guarantee:

• A description of the service being provided– maintenance of areas such as network connectivity, domain name servers, dynamic host configuration protocol servers 
• Reliability– when the service is available (percentage uptime) and the limits outages can be expected to stay within
• Responsiveness– the punctuality of services to be performed in response to requests and scheduled service dates
• Procedure for reporting problems – who can be contacted, how problems will be reported, procedure for escalation, and what other steps are taken to resolve the problem efficiently
• Monitoring and reporting service level– who will monitor performance, what data will be collected and how often as well as how much access the customer is given to performance statistics
• Consequences for not meeting service obligations– may include credit or reimbursement to customers, or enabling the customer to terminate the relationship.  
• Escape clauses or constraints – circumstances under which the level of service promised does not apply. An example could be an exemption from meeting uptime requirements in circumstance that floods, fires or other hazardous situations damage the ISP’s equipment.

Though the exact metrics for each SLA vary depending on the service provider, the areas covered are uniform: volume and quality of work (including precision and accuracy), speed, responsiveness, and efficiency. In covering these areas, the document aims to establish a mutual understanding of services, areas prioritized, responsibilities, guarantees, and warranties provided by the service provider. 

The level of service definitions should be specific and measureable in each area. This allows the quality of service to be benchmarked and, if stipulated by the agreement, rewarded or penalized accordingly. An SLA will commonly use technical definitions that quantify the level of service such as mean time between failures (MTBF) or mean time to recovery, response, or resolution (MTTR), which specifies a “target” (average) or “minimum” value for service level performance.

SLAs are also very popular among internal departments in larger organizations. For example, the use of a SLA by an IT helpdesk with other departments (the customer) allows their performance to be defined and benchmarked. The use of SLAs is also common in outsourcing, cloud computing, and other areas where the responsibility of an organization is transferred out to another supplier. 

3.1 Maintain positive working relationships with IT customers.

How to Establish & Maintain Good Relationships in the Workplace

Establishing and maintaining good work relationships is the key to a positive workplace. Effective businesses encourage the development of positive relationships between managers and employees as well as amongst coworkers. All businesses can foster positive workplace relationships by creating a strong mission statement and an upbeat team-based environment. Strengthen workplace relationships by setting clear expectations, practicing constant communication and offering timely responses to both positive workplace behavior and employee issues or concerns.

Step 1

Create a clear and concise company mission statement and distribute a copy of the statement to each employee. The mission statement should outline the purpose of the business. Discuss how the mission statement fits with employees’ personal values and roles in the company. Hold regular staff meetings to highlight recent company activities as well as discuss how employees are working toward or upholding the business’s mission.

Step 2

Encourage teamwork through formal and informal team-building activities. Arrange a company-oriented outing, such as bowling or mini-golf, or involve the office in a team-based charitable activity. Good relationships in the workplace thrive when individuals feel part of a team and comfortable with their teammates. According to a 2008 study published by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, respect and trust amongst co-workers and between supervisors and staff leads to greater collaboration, innovation and efficiency in the workplace.

Step 3

Communicate group expectations immediately and regularly. Set high performance expectations and emphasize the importance of each employee’s role to the success of the business. Coach managers on maintaining good relationships with their staff. Emphasize the need for two-way communication, clear and precise instructions, and the need for individuals to feel respected as both individuals and crucial contributors to the final service or product of the company.

Step 4

Set clear and measurable goals for your individual staff members. Employees must know what to do, how to do it, how well the task must be done and where to turn for help. To that end, provide detailed job descriptions and offer training with feedback from supervisors. Additionally, employees must clearly understand what constitutes satisfactory work and exactly how their performance will be measured.

Step 5

Reward great work as quickly as possible, and address problems or concerns immediately. Acknowledge staff members publicly with written or verbal commendations when they exceed performance expectations and provide assistance to those who are failing. Model the behavior of creating good workplace relationships by actively seeking opportunities to offer assistance that will help co-workers or support staff do their jobs better.

3.2 Changes to the details of a customer are recorded in terms of the procedures of the organisation.

Ten Rules for Maintaining Your Customer Database

Rule 1 – Keep it simple

A major obstacle to the successful maintenance of customer data is the perverse desire to “know everything” about the customer. Remember, what you’re striving for is good basic information. You want to know how to contact the right person in the customer’s organisation. You don’t have to know their spouse’s name or the birthdates of their children. Generally, nine simple bits of information will suffice:

Rule 2 – Get it Right

For the database to be credible, all of these items should be correct. Begin by making sure the company name is correct. It’s surprising how many people pedantically add “(Pty) Ltd” to the company name, but ignore spelling errors or forget to update the name when it changes. It’s also vital to record the contact person’s name accurately –especially in a multicultural society like South Africa, where common names in one part of the community are unfamiliar in another.

Rule 3 – Stick to Standard Data Formats

You can make erroneous information stand out by recording all data the same way. For example, South African telephone numbers conform to a ten-digit format: a three-digit area code followed by a seven digit subscriber number. To ensure that telephone numbers aren’t treated as real numbers in Excel spreadsheets, (making 011 234 5678 appear as: 1.12E+08) separate the digits with hyphens to produce a 12-character string in the format: xxx-xxx-xxxx. Incomplete telephone numbers, or numbers with too many digits are easier to spot when this standard format is used.  It’s also advisable to keep first- and surnames in separate fields. Duplicate entries can then be identified by using a simple sort.

Rule 4 – Eliminate Duplication

Nothing tells customers you haven’t a clue who they are more than sending them multiple communications about the same thing. Duplication is hard to avoid (especially when contact information is captured by different people) but it’s relatively easy to eradicate and therefore inexcusable to condone. Duplication often arises when Rules 2 and 3 are broken. By not getting the customer’s details right and not sticking to the same format, the same person may appear in the database as John Smith, Smith J and Jonathan Smit – i.e. three entries rather than one.

Rule 5 – Strive for Completeness

This is linked to Rule 1 (Keep it Simple). Once you’ve decided that a specific piece of information is important enough to be stored in your customer database, it should be recorded for every entry – blank fields are unacceptable. The only valid excuse is if the item does not apply (e.g. if the person doesn’t have an email address). Even then, you should record the fact that there’s no email address rather than leaving the field blank.

Rule 6 – Date Each Entry

Information highly perishable and, like milk, it ought to have a sell-by date. Every time a new record is added or an existing customer’s details are modified, the date of the change should be recorded. This allows old (i.e. suspect) information to be readily identified and either updated or removed altogether.

Rule 7 – Resist Unnecessary Clutter

Remember that the purpose of the database is to promote communication with existing customers. Don’t clutter the list with useless contacts. Not everyone you meet is a customer. The person who gave you their business card on the golf course might not even be the right person to deal with in their organization. Rather follow up and find out who you should be talking to and record that person’s details. Likewise, don’t add supplier- or competitor names to your customer database. If you want to keep track of them, start new databases for competitors and suppliers.

Rule 8 – Restrict Permission to Add or Modify Customer Data

The customer database is a shared resource and careless attention to detail by a few individuals will reduce its usefulness to everyone in your organization. To protect the integrity of this strategic asset, the authority to add to- or modify the customer database should be restricted via a password-protected user interface. Even commonly-used applications such as Microsoft Excel provide such protection measures.

Rule 9 – Update and De-Clutter Regularly

Despite your best efforts, information contained in your customer contact database will get out of date over time and clutter will accumulate. You should therefore introduce a process to systematically verify- or update each contact’s details at least once a year. More frequent updates may annoy the customer, while less frequent contact increases the likelihood of your customer data being inaccurate.

Rule 10 – Hire a Professional to Do It

Carrying out a systematic update of the client database is not a trivial exercise and simply adding the task to someone’s existing job description virtually guarantees that it won’t get done. To get it thoroughly cleaned and updated, you should outsource the job to a company that specializes in this field. It may cost money, but you can rest assured that it won’t be shelved because operational priorities get in the way.

3.3 The customer is thanked in a way that will encourage future support and in accordance with organisational policy.

As a small business owner, your company lives based on your customers. Want to improve your business? Focus on improving customer relations and keeping them happy.

And if you run a business that focuses on care — whether you provide in-home care to seniors or day care to kids — that idea of caring about your customers is even more important!

Here are 37 ways you can express your appreciation to your customers — which will hopefully make them more likely to stick with your business.

1. Do It the Old-Fashioned Way
   Send a thank you note. It’s a simple but thoughtful gesture that holds even more meaning in our era of quickie tweets, posts and likes.
2. And the Modern Way
   Make a digital thanks personal with a video posted on your business’ website or Facebook page.

• Check In
  On a regular basis, reach out to customers to find out how they’re doing.

1. Create a Warm, Welcoming Atmosphere in Your Office
   If you regularly have customers visiting you, have coffee and treats readily available. Or take it a step further and turn your office into a relaxing oasis that people enjoy visiting. Play soothing music or offer 5-minute neck massages.
2. Send Baked Goods
   Extend this last idea with the gift of a yummy treat delivered to customers’ doors.
3. Or a Book
   Find a book that is useful to your customers and give them complementary copies. Can afford books? Email or print out articles.

• Don’t Try to Sell 24/7
  Your customers don’t want to feel like you’re always trying to sell them something. Send a thanks by interacting in ways that don’t have a bottom line for your business.
• Share Your Personal Side
  Andrew Percy, founder of Prometheus Internet Marketingbelieves that people enjoy working with people, not “resources.” For Christmas last year, he sent clients a photo of himself with his family, along with a brief story about each of his two kids. Clients loved it and some even shared stories and pictures in return.

1. Return Patronage
   Recommend your company’s customers — individuals or businesses — online via LinkedIn or Facebook.
2. Highlight Special Customers
   Praise standout customers in a blog post on your website (ask their permission first, of course).
3. Be Community-Oriented
   Your customers are often people who live locally. Show that you take pride in the neighbourhood by posting a bulletin board with nearby events that your customers may be interested in.

• Go One Step Further
  Create “Customer Awards” on your website or Facebook page, and describe the ways in which you appreciate those selected.
• Provide Relevant Information, and Often
  Post intelligent, informative articles on various social media channels. Because most of your daily interaction with your customers is online and through social networks, says Cathy McPhillips, marketing director of Content Marketing Institute, you should focus on nurturing that relationship. For example, create daily blog posts and articles that will help your customers and then share them on your social sites.
• Send Samples
  Do you have any products that you offer or that reflect your business? Present them to your customers when they sign up or at a random time.

1. Give Back
   Donate to charities supported by customers.

• Say Happy Anniversary
  Celebrate customers who have been with you for a month or a year. Pull from a classic and send flowers and chocolate. Or just let them know you appreciate their loyalty and business.
• And Happy Birthday
  Have a party to celebrate the day your company started and invite your customers to share in the occasion.
• Provide Learning Opportunities
  Empower customers with knowledge about your business by hosting educational sessions or webinars, or by offering online classes.
• Open Up Your Space
  Small local groups often have a hard time finding meeting space. Offer a room in your business that groups can use. It will should how much you care about your customers and maybe those members will turn into customers.

1. Create a Rewards Program
   Repay loyal customers with incentives, such as a free product or service for every ten purchased or used.

• Throw a Party
  Plan something special for no other reason than wanting to give your customers a good time.
• Get Creative with a Branded Gift
  Send out a small token of appreciation with your business’ name on it — a pen, a mug or something unusual like a kazoo.
• Send Cards on Lesser Known Holidays
  Most businesses send out holiday cards, but what about the rest of the year? Show customers you’re thinking of them throughout the year by sending out cards for wacky holidayslike “Love Your Pet Day” on February 20^th if you run a pet care business.
• Invite Feedback
  Ask customers what you could be doing differently, better or more of.
• Have a Meet and Greet
  Put a face to your company by letting customers get to know you in person. Use it to practice active listening about customers’ needs, concerns, values and thoughts.
• Sponsor Meetups
  Look for local Meetupsthat are relevant to your business and customers. Get involved by offering to help plan activities or sponsor events.
• Give Them a Voice
  Invite a customer to speak about your business at a conference or event.
• Plant a Tree in Their Honor
  It’s not a common practice, which makes this gesture all the more unique and appreciated.
• Find Meaningful Naming Opportunities
  You could name a service or a product after a customer, or brainstorm another method of getting their name somewhere (and on something) meaningful.
• Send a Personalized Gift
  This isn’t a one-size-fits-all suggestion, but it shouldn’t be a challenge. Internet marketing expert Joan Holmansays that “hopefully business owners will know a lot about their customers … when they do, they can often come up with some very special gift ideas.” She suggests a toy for their dog or cat or a grocery delivery for a family.
• Know Names
  Be intentional about the little things, not just the big ones. When you have a small business, you should make every effort to know your customer’s names or at least keep a listing of personal data (birthdays and pet names) that you can easily access.
• Partner With Local Businesses
  Are there any nearby businesses that complement your offerings? Get together and co-sponsor an event for customers. If you have a day care, maybe hold an info session at a local wine store for prospective parents. Run a pet sitting business? Pair with a local bakery that offers doggie treats and plan an event at a dog park.
• Cut Through Red Tape
  Let customers know they can contact you directly.
• Practice Random Acts of Kindness
  Do something nice for individual customers when it’s unexpected.
• Donate Leftovers
  When you have leftovers from your daily business or special events, donate them to local charities.
• Create Special Discounts 
  Do you have discounts for students, military members or single parents? It’s a great way to target and pull in demographics in your area.
• Get Back to Basics
  The best gift you can give your customers is exceptional customer service. It says thank you with every interaction.