SmallBusinessNewz

The holidays are approaching. Regular SmallBusinessNewz readers are probably getting tired of hearing me say that by now. In fact, just within the past 24 hours, I posted an article on what Brick and Mortar businesses should do to get ready (although some say this is just stuff that everybody knows already).

I happen to think reminders are in order sometimes, and one of my reminders was that you might want to consider taking on some extra help for the holiday season. According to results from a survey from RatePoint, many small businesses agree. The survey shows that about 40% of small businesses are hiring up to five new employees for customer support over the holidays. These new hires will handle an extra load of customer inquiries and orders and returns.

“The holidays are a pivotal time for small-business owners to have their customer support processes operating efficiently,” said Neal Creighton, CEO of RatePoint. “A common-sense approach to customer service can increase repeat customer transactions and boost new sales, which is ultimately what small-business owners want when targeting the bottom line.”

Now RatePoint is reputation management firm, so it stands to reason that they would share some information regarding that as well. And they did. Over 80% of business owners surveyed said that business reputation, in addition to solid customer support, impacts their ability to attract and retain customers. Most of them said they'll spend up to 10 hours monitoring their reputations during the holiday season to safe guard against potential customer issues.

 “It’s the little things customers remember that go along way,” said Creighton. “Answering their questions, embracing feedback and posting praise from satisfied customers illustrates a well-rounded and reputable business that is ripe for long-term growth.”

The majority also acknowledged that customer reviews aid customer perception, which is a key reason to stay on top of your reputation.