A business is nothing without its customers, and cultivating good customer relationships is the most important task of any brand manager. Generating leads and ensuring your existing customers are satisfied is the best way to keep people walking through your front door.
Businesses frequently look at their customer growth before deciding when to make major investments in products or infrastructure. But surprisingly, strong customer growth can pose challenges of its own, and many companies are surprised to find themselves growing faster than they can handle.
Supply, customer service, and retail space can all find themselves under extreme pressure if a business is growing faster than its infrastructure. To successfully manage a fast-growing business, following these three tips to keep up with your client base can keep things running smoothly.
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1. Use a Customer Relationship Management Software
Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) is essential for any business fielding interactions with a large number of customers. This software automates the process of tracking client activity, keeping records of everything from first contact and referral sources to any post-sale follow-up calls. You’ll be able to know if customers were satisfied, how quickly they ordered, and if they returned to the company for future business. They’ll also keep a long-term database that you can mine for statistics on what referral sources are delivering results.
CRM systems are especially invaluable for companies with a fast-growing base, as it’s easy to lose track of important interactions if your customer service reps are overwhelmed. The database provides a safety net that helps with marketing and sales. Make sure to keep following up with your analysis team to see what clues the system is giving you for the business’ future.
While any business can benefit from this knowledge, companies on the verge of a major investment need to know if they’re pointing their newfound growth in the right direction. Here are three ways to keep up with a growing client base.
2. Use Auto Attendant Technology
With a growing customer base, the number of phone calls to your business is likely to rise. And in some cases, these calls can be more than your customer service team can easily handle. Between sales calls, follow-ups, and business calls, people trying to reach the business can often find themselves fielding lengthy waits or even getting disconnected before reaching their intended recipient. This will frustrate your customers and may even cost you money.
That’s why many companies are turning to auto-attendant technology to man their phones at the early stages. These systems, common with virtual phone numbers, narrow down call options through a sophisticated options menu. People will get through the menu instead of waiting, and many will be easily routed to a person at the business who is not fielding as many calls in their specific area. Your company’s auto-attendant phone system answering service with its multi level auto attendant feature can be customized with your service provider and is an essential part of keeping your phone system moving smoothly.
3. Use Project Management Technology
With a growing customer base will come an increasing workload as your team tries to manage the increased orders. That makes it all the more important to make sure your team is well-organized and all working towards the same goal. One of the undoings of many a company is when a team gets deep into a project and invests a lot of money only to discover that a key piece of the puzzle was neglected long ago. Keeping everyone on the same page, making sure everyone knows their deadlines, and ensuring accountability and cooperation is the best way to keep things running smoothly.
Much like CRM software, project management software is one of the most essential tools for any growing business. These software suites combine important features like calendars with notifications for upcoming deadlines, easy file-sharing, and streamlined communication through the same digital portal. These systems make it easy for people on the same project to contact each other without needing to rely on email or phone calls and are easy to use when team members are working remotely – making them an essential part of any hybrid workplace.
Fast Growth, Great Potential
Every business dreams of seeing its customer base grow by leaps and bounds, but good fortune requires a good strategy. Managing a larger customer base is challenging and can test a new company’s infrastructure, but those who handle it effectively will reap the rewards. With good judgment and reliable software, this launching period is exactly what you need to dominate the market and turn new customers into long-term loyalists.
