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Double Your Customer Base

October 25, 2009

Customer satisfaction with credit card processing is key to any business, whether it is big or small. If your customers aren’t satisfied, they will tell their business loan associates. This could cause you to lose future credit card processing business. A common notion is that dissatisfied customers will each tell ten people of their reason for being unhappy with your company. Those ten people may tell additional people. Then, it’s a domino effect, and the unfortunate result is that your company’s reputation, and it's working capital, will fall.

Customer satisfaction with credit card processing is key to any business, whether it is big or small. If your customers aren’t satisfied, they will tell their business loan associates. This could cause you to lose future credit card processing business. A common notion is that dissatisfied customers will each tell ten people of their reason for being unhappy with your company. Those ten people may tell additional people. Then, it’s a domino effect, and the unfortunate result is that your company’s reputation, and it's working capital, will fall.

You obviously cannot affect your customers’ actions after their interaction with your business is completed nor can you keep them from sharing their negative thoughts with others. You can, however, try to make their experience with your company's merchant services a pleasant one and address any discontented customers as you become aware of them. Perhaps then they will express their displeasure with you, work with you in resolving it, and leave happy. Then, the domino effect is never triggered.

To make this happen, however, you need to make sure that all of your staff realize that it is a top priority to make your customers happy. If you are the only one working to this goal, your business cash advance efforts are futile if your front-end personnel who actually deal with the customers are not working to ensure customers’ credit card processing satisfaction. There are several ways to emphasize this customer focus to your employees. One might be to establish a monthly employee recognition program in which employees who have surpassed your expectations in servicing customers are rewarded with a gift card, free lunch or other reward. Another method would be to inform them of the extent to which they can accept credit cards and go to appease a customer. Empower your employees to resolve the customer’s complaint immediately, rather than deferring to you. In order for them to do this effectively, though, they must know what is acceptable (giving the customer a discount) and what is not (giving the product to the customer for free). If they know what the limits are, they will be more comfortable in solving customers’ problems. Whichever method is used, it is important that your employees espouse your business loan customer-centered attitude.

If your entire staff recognizes the importance of customer satisfaction and actively works to incorporate a customer-centric attitude in their approach to work, customers will see this. They may reward you with their loyalty or, if you’re fortunate, even with positive word-of-mouth to their friends. The positive domino effect is very effective in marketing your business.