Be Honest, Turn Up, Be Nice: Customer Service for Sole Traders

Customer service is really easy to get right, so why are so many sole traders and small businesses getting it so wrong?

I come from a hospitality background, and I learned early on that you can catch way more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Starting a marquee hire business back in the late nineties taught me how to communicate well with clients and to manage their expectations, particularly with the bigger builds and budgets.  The rug cleaning business, which I recently sold, taught me that being honest about my own mistakes can turn an unhappy customer into a loyal customer and being honest about turn-around time keeps everyone happy (myself included – setting an unachievable deadline is super stressful). In fact, in the last few years of running the rug cleaning business, I didn’t bother advertising at all, just relied on word of mouth, and I still got new clients every month.

I am always hearing from friends about bad experiences they’ve had in cafes, restaurants and independent shops. And the number of people who complain about poor service from tradespeople is at epidemic levels. Citizens Advice receives more than 700 complaints every week about shoddy work and poor service  from UK tradespeople (link). It actually baffles me that so many sole traders and microbusiness owners are so negligent and uncaring towards their own client base. They don’t seem to recognise that without clients they have no business.

But good customer service isn’t difficult, there isn’t a secret formula to it, and it’s not something that needs extensive training to achieve. In the main it comes down to common sense and thinking about how you yourself want to be treated as a customer.

The Customer is Always Right

This was the first lesson I was taught when I got my first job waitressing at 15. If someone complains you listen and believe them. Even if they are the most unreasonable people on the planet, telling them they are unreasonable is never a good move. People don’t tend to talk about the good service they have had, but bad service gets mentioned to everyone they know, usually exaggerated, and always without taking into account the shop (or restaurant or café) owner’s side of the coin.

So, the next time someone complains about something, don’t huff, don’t roll your eyes, don’t argue back. Just listen politely and offer to fix it. That could be as simple as making them a fresh coffee or replacing an item that they’re not happy with, or it could mean giving them a full refund. Be honest with yourself about the level of service or the quality of the goods that you provided. If either are shoddy, own it, apologise and refund without quibble (including postage if applicable). You may just have got yourself a loyal customer, and someone who will now recommend you to other customers.

Be Honest About What You Provide

Nothing annoys me more than something or someone that promises the earth and delivers squat. Don’t tell me that you’re going to have that repair back to me by six o’clock and then text me it won’t be ready until the next day, 15 minutes before I turn up to collect. And please don’t tell me that something will solve a particular problem, and when I get it, it actually solves a completely different problem that I don’t have, or worse, doesn’t solve any problems at all (looking at you ‘as good as Nikwax rug cleaning detergent’, when the results I got were more like washing in cold water with no detergent at all).

So, if you make cakes for parties, but they are not wedding cake standard, be honest if a potential client asks you for a wedding cake. Say ‘I’d love to help, but my cakes might be a bit too rustic for what you’re looking for’. You’ve given the bride-to-be a realistic expectation and rustic may be exactly what she’s looking for. Plus, when she has kids, you’ll now be her go-to for birthday cakes because she trusts that you’re honest.  Or if you offer a service with a 24hr turnaround and you’re going to miss the deadline or don’t have capacity to take on another 24hr deadline that week, say so. The potential client may not need the super-fast turnaround and will be happy with 72hrs instead. And your existing client needs to know as soon as possible before the deadline so they can make alternative plans if they need to. Chances are, they will just be happy to be told, and you’ll have gained a bit of customer loyalty.

Do What You Say You’re Going To Do

One of the things that took most time with the rug business was organising the coming week’s logistics on a Sunday afternoon. The service I offered included collection and delivery of rugs from multiple locations each week. Sometimes I messed up and got the day or time wrong that I could be out to collect or deliver. As soon as I realised I had got it wrong I would tell my clients the new date and time, because there is nothing more annoying than arranging something, and for that thing to not happen because someone hasn’t bothered to show up.

So, if you say you’re going to do something and you can’t meet that deadline, or provide that service after all, tell the client as soon as you realise. And don’t tell them in a bolshy ‘not my fault, not my problem’ kind of a way. The attitude you have to problems of your own making is fundamental in how your client or potential client responds and perceives your business. Be apologetic, put your hands up and admit you messed up. You don’t have to grovel or over-apologise, just be yourself, be honest and give them the solution.

Don’t Try And Rip People Off

Sounds obvious, right? Then why do so many people who sell online overcharge for postage and packaging? Royal Mail is pretty pricey nowadays, but an envelope containing some needles that can be posted through the front door does not cost £3.95 to send. And if that’s what you’re charging, don’t then complain that people are going to Amazon instead. Costing out postage and packing is time-consuming and boring. But it’s also part and parcel (pun intended) of online selling. And if what you sell is scraping such a small profit that you’re having to make up the shortfall out of the postage charge, you need to take a hard look at your costings and profit margins.

In addition, up your posting timeframe game. When I buy something, I want it quickly. And if it’s not going to be quick I want to know how long it’s going to take. What I don’t want is to be hanging around for a week or two waiting for it to possibly show up and wondering if the order went through. State on your listing your posting days. Be honest that if someone buys on a Monday and you only send once a week on a Friday, they are going to be waiting for 5 days before the item they buy even makes it to the Post Office. Include the level of postage you use – if you use second class say that (and don’t charge for first class if you do). Send an email notification once you’ve posted so that they know a rough time frame of how long it will take.

Yes, this is boring stuff, and yes, it is time-consuming. But managing expectations is one of the key aspects of running a small business. Stop making excuses about why you can’t do this and start looking at ways to ensure you can.

Have The Right Attitude

I love browsing around little gift shops, having coffee at independent cafes and spending my hard-earned money on tiny online businesses. But I’ve walked out of places without buying, even when I really wanted to, because the person serving has a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude. It doesn’t matter how delicious the cakes or how beautiful the crafts are, if you make me feel like an inconvenience, I’ll be heading elsewhere. Likewise, if your website is a nightmare to navigate, I’ll just click away.

You don’t need to grovel and beg, but you do need to be friendly and make things easy. If a potential customer asks you a question don’t ignore them. If you’re on the phone and someone is waiting to be served, make eye contact with the person waiting and let them know you will be with them as soon as you can. If you’re on the phone to a mate, end the call and prioritise the person waiting.

If you sell online, answer sales enquiries promptly. That means the same day, even if it’s in the evening. If you miss a call, phone them straight back or send a text to say you’ll get back to them at a certain time and then do so. Make a note on your phone to remind you. Record an answerphone message so that when you do miss calls, the person isn’t listening to the generic ‘the person you are calling is unavailable’ message and wondering if they rang the right number.

But What if the Customer Really is a Nightmare?

 Yes, I know. I said earlier that the customer is always right. But we’ve all had that customer. The one who likes to throw their weight around, or has wildly unreasonable expectations, or who wants a premium service for absolutely zero money.

Firstly, your business insurance can be a great get out of jail card. If a job isn't covered by your public or product liability insurance, you don't do it. Read through the clauses so you know exactly what you’re covered for, because unless you’re sure, the chancers will know, and you may be coerced into saying yes when you don’t want to. But a 'sorry, my insurance doesn't cover that' is a refusal nobody can argue with.

Secondly, you need a solid terms and conditions document that is accessible to the public. You should either send it out with every quote, or it should be on your website clearly marked and easy to find. Your terms and conditions cover what you will and won’t do, as well as your expectations of the client. If someone asks for something extra or complains about something you haven’t provided, you can refer them to your terms and conditions document and say ‘sorry it’s all in there, and I did send you a copy’.

Thirdly, it’s OK to say no. I’m a self-confessed people pleaser when it comes to my clients and I always want to say ‘yes’ if someone asks for something extra. But one thing I learnt from running the rug cleaning business for 11 years is that there is no pleasing some people, and sometimes a ‘no’ is the better answer, for your sanity as well as your business. Do it clearly and, above all, politely, and you won’t lose customers. Difficult people are not just difficult toward you – they live their lives being difficult. A bad review from someone like that isn’t going to do too much damage to your reputation.

So there you have it. Good customer service, and from that your reputation as a good business to deal with, is all about honesty, politeness and just making a little bit of effort to give your customers and clients a good experience. And the best thing about providing good customer service? It’s free and it’s the most effective form of marketing you’ll ever do.

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