As a business owner, your customers need to always be present in your mind. No business can be successful unless it acknowledges the needs of the customers and fulfills their expectations. After all, it is, therefore, the best strategic position to build your market presence to match your customers’ demographics. The first business lesson you learn as a new entrepreneur is to build your communication and products with your customers in mind so that you can avoid the traps of building for profit which isn’t an effective growth strategy. But, there’s one thing that you never learn as a business student, and it’s how to prepare your office. While there are many office designers offering high tech suggestions and team-friendly decors, there’s something most designers forget to mention: You have to build your office with your customers in mind too.
Customers need you online
There is a big debate between virtual servers and local servers. The trend is for small businesses to rely on virtual servers before they can gradually acquire their own server machines and utilize the right combination of physical and virtual utilities to address peak times. As a business owner, the server is a tech factor that you rarely see, but that can completely transform the experience of your customers. Indeed, as most customers find their supplier online, your server needs to be able to handle high volumes. Additionally, you can’t maintain your physical servers without these generators. Indeed, it is your responsibility to consider a plan B to remain visible even when there’s a power cut. Think that a local power cut can take your entire business offline for several hours, meaning that you can lose potential customers who haven’t been affected by the cut.
Protect customer data
Are your customer data safe? It’s essential that you establish a data protection strategy for your business, including current encryption practices, collection of only the indispensable data, and regular review of your IT security protocols. Data breaches don’t happen because hackers are especially gifted at breaking into digital data, but because the business didn’t take the necessary action to keep them safe. Additionally, you need to learn to let go of data, by removing everything you don’t need and use. EU customers and partners will be quick to demand the removal of their data as per the GDPR regulations. If you have clients in Europe, you need to be ready to remove them on demand from your database and archives.
Happy employees = happy customers
The first contacts for your customers are your employees. Needless to say that you need to keep this knowledge in mind when you choose to design your office. A fun and quirky decor can help your employees to feel comfortable and relaxed in the workplace, which can have a positive impact on the customers too. Additionally, you want to keep your office safe, not only in terms of Health and Safety regulations and training, but also genuinely safe for the performance of your team. A bright and light office, for instance, can limit the risk of sore eyes and headaches.
The bottom line is that everything is connected. Your IT setup needs to ensure smooth and constant digital access as well as data privacy. But your interior decor is key to improving your team’s mood and the way they handle customers’ queries.
