Communication as a Competitive Advantage?

We all know the importance of customer service, but can basic communication serve as a competitive advantage in your business?

There is irony in the digital age that makes communication easier, that focusing on the basics can set your business apart.

I just checked my emails and was pleasantly surprised to find an email from one of my service providers telling me their website was down. They apologized for any inconvenience and made a positive impression on me. I would not have known the website was down as don’t use the service every day. I loved getting a proactive message and feel really good about this business.

Recently a local business really missed out on an opportunity to impress when they did not share a step they took of going the extra mile for me. In fact, I questioned if I got the service requested and sent an email. No reply to my inquiry. Now, I’m frustrated as not only do I think the service was not provided, but no one responds to my email. It was a couple of weeks later when I found out what really happened, but rather than feeling really good about the business there is still a sense of frustration.

Does the communication you provide to your clients make them feel really good about you or frustrated? Pet care is a business built on trust and good communication is at the heart of building trust.

If you could wave a magic wand and transform communication in your business what would that look like?

• Would customer service problems disappear?
• How many service errors in pet care would go away?
• Could you go through a week without staff drama?
• Would productivity increase?

What impact would this have for you personally? Would you feel freedom from your business on days off?

Many of you know that burnout is the reason I sold my pet care business. I remember my phone ringing one Sunday afternoon shortly after the sale and noticed that I did not flinch. That was when I realized that as a pet business owner I dreaded any calls after hours.

Even though you own the business you deserve time away from your business to recharge. When you are connected 24/7 to your business it is very hard to rebuild your energy. This puts you at high risk of burnout if you don’t find a way to manage and control communications in your business.

As a pet business owner you know emergencies will happen and those are calls we want made as soon as possible. How many of the calls, texts or emails that you get after hours are true emergencies?

I’m betting most are not, so The Dog Gurus decided to help you out by creating a short Emergency Communication Guide. Use the information in this free PDF download to clarify for your team what constitutes an emergency for your business. The guide includes some other tips that can help you get freedom from your business on days off and after hours.

Is it busyness, lack of customer focus or basic skills that makes simple communication feel like good customer service?