Top Tips for Starting a Small Business in the UK
If you are a young entrepreneur or a seasoned business professional, you may have already considered starting a new small business. For millions of business-minded people, this can be a key way to shape your financial destiny and escape the routine of conventional 9-5, Monday to Friday employment. However, when starting a new small business in the UK, you must have a clear and relevant business plan, together with a keen understanding of your target market, predicted demand for your products or services, and a knowledge of business legislation.
This knowledge will allow you to confidently launch your new business and may even help you to secure outside funding from lending institutions to provide startup capital. This article will explore some practical considerations for starting a new small business in the UK. These focus on the importance of customer service, gaining reviews for your firm, and undertaking activities that will boost your brand image as a new firm.
Consider the importance of customer reviews.
It is widely recognised that many potential customers will search for customer reviews on a company before making a first purchase from them. Favourable customer reviews play a key role in building the reputation of small businesses, as they can demonstrate that the firm is professional, reputable, and offers a quality service. However, it can sometimes be difficult for new firms to gain suitable volumes of customer reviews that serve to boost their reputation. You can streamline this process by using technology from customer review specialists such as Local Insights.
Such firms produce Google review cards, which enable customers to submit reviews of your business in less than 30 seconds. The customer simply touches the review card onto their smartphone, which then directs them to Google reviews, specifically for your business. In short, this can be a fast and effective way to build your customer reviews, allowing your firm to improve its reputation and gain increased brand awareness.
Offer exceptional customer service
Modern consumers now expect exceptional customer service in both online and physical stores. All new businesses must seek to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers to allow them to build a positive reputation for customer service. If your small business operates from a physical location (such as a shop) ensure that all staff are trained in the best practices of customer service as part of their onboarding. Ideally, they will be always friendly and courteous, playing an active role in helping the customer to make purchases and answer any questions or queries.
If your business is an online firm, you can use technology to improve the efficiency of your customer service functions. Chatbots can be a cost-effective way to direct consumers to specific FAQ answer pages, helping to quickly resolve queries and questions. However, in all businesses, there is a need for at least a small and dedicated customer service team that can process and respond to more complex queries or manage complaints.
To help to improve the chances of repeat custom after a complaint has been lodged, be sure that your team responds swiftly in the first instance. An investigation should then occur, and the customer should be informed of the outcome (s). In some cases, it may be suitable to reimburse the customer or offer them some form of compensation. In short, exceptional customer service facilitates repeat custom, which can help you grow your small firm.
