(Akiit.com) Contrary to popular belief it’s entirely possible to set up a business where you both help people and make a profit. In fact, many thriving companies are doing just that. However, to ensure success, you must remember some key things. Find out what they are in the post below.
Put the customer first.
When most business people talk about putting the customer first in business they are referring to providing an excellent level of customer service and aftercare, which is, of course, entail to any company’s success. However, when your business is offering a social, medical, or education service to people putting the customer first needs to go beyond this.
In fact, what a lot of service businesses do is to look at the customer’s experience from start to finish and make this as smooth as possible. This may include adding online opportunities to book appointments or access information, so less of the customers time is taken up.
Alternatively, it may involve providing customer follow up plans or reviews of their experience, to ensure that the original goal of the service is attained and maintained over time. After all, a service is a unique sort of product, one that cannot just be created an handed over to the customer, and that is why additional care in this area is needed.
PR is key.
Sometimes those that are running a company with the goal of helping people feel they don’t want to waste money on PR. After all, that money could be put to better use, right? Well, not necessarily because it doesn’t matter how excellent your service is if the right people don’t know about it or how to access it.
In fact, because of nature of a helping business, there are some smart PR opportunities built in that can be exploited. An excellent example of this is where those running a medical business like a doctor’s’ surgery, or dentist’s’ office end up creating a patient experience with print graphics in places like waiting rooms and receptions. Something that can help advertise additional services as well as reinforce the businesses values to their customers, making it useful in promoting the company and ensuring it is a success.
Blank walls in waiting room are a great opportunity for PR.
Don’t forget about the administration side of things.
Sadly, when the primary goal of those founding a business is to help people, it can be all too easy to forget about the financial and administrative side of things.
Of course, this is a bad idea when it comes to running a company, especially one that is dedicated to helping people a poor admin system will leave you open to all sorts of issues including not being covered by insurance when if things do go wrong.
Bad planning on the financial side can be equally as disastrous too, and this can happen if the helping part of the business isn’t balanced with adding the right margins to the products you are offering. Something that means your expertise and assistance will be available to anyone at all. Therefore it is vital to care for the admin and financial side of a helping business, as well as just the caring one.
Staff Writer; Phil Carter