In countries like the USA, service-based business accounts for around 75% of GDP. If you want to get ahead in the service industry, you’ll need to do something to set your company apart from the competition.
So what do you need to do to run a successful service-based business? This article lists 12 great tips for your consideration.
1. Be Unique
One of the best ways to run a successful service business is to make your company stand out from the crowd. There are a huge number of competing business operations out there. If you want yours to be successful, you’ll need to make it unique and memorable.
When you have a service that’s remarkable, you’ll attract new customers through word of mouth. There are many ways you can make your company stand out. You might try to have the lowest prices or the longest opening hours.
2. Know Your Customers
In the service industry, the customer is king. You’ll need to know everything there is to know about your customer base if you want to be successful. If you don’t know your customers well, you might inadvertently drive them away.
For example, you’ll need to know how much disposable income your customers have to spend. If your customers don’t have much cash available, you’ll need to focus on providing good value for money.
On the other hand, if your customer base tends to be rich, you might be able to charge higher prices. If you feel like you don’t know enough about your customers, you might consider giving out customer surveys.
Customer surveys can be a great way to find out more about your customer demographics. It can be challenging to get people to respond to surveys.
As a service-based company, you have an advantage. You can offer incentives such as discounts to encourage people to participate. This could result in a huge amount of invaluable information for your company.
3. Focus on Marketing
When you’re running a business in the service industry, you should not overlook marketing. Many companies focus too much on providing good service and neglect this critical area.
Of course, providing quality, memorable service should be a top priority, but you also need to get the word out about your company. Consider working with a digital marketing company to help get the word out about your services.
These companies can use the latest search engine optimization techniques to make sure your company ranks highly on potential customers’ Google searches. In modern business, there’s simply no escaping the need for a digital marketing strategy.
4. Make Sure You Have Insurance
Even the most successful business could be ruined by unforeseen circumstances. If you don’t have insurance in place to cover accidents, you’re taking a huge risk.
You need to make sure you’re insured. You also need to make sure this insurance covers all your commercial activities. Many business owners think they7’re covered, but it turns out they don’t have the right insurance policy.
Part of your responsibility as a business owner is to be aware of the insurance you need. If you’re not sure, make sure you do some research into things like professional liability insurance cost.
5. Know Your Limits
It can also help to know your limits. Many companies try to serve too many customers at too many locations and stretch themselves too thin. The key is to serve as many customers as possible without compromising on the service.
Good business owners know their limits and don’t try to expand the operation beyond their capabilities. Before opening a new location or expanding your current one, ask yourself if you’ll be able to handle it.
In some cases, going beyond your limits can be very damaging for your business. Expansion doesn’t always make sense.
6. Get Help
In a service-based business, it can often make sense to get some outside help. Given the complexity of the modern business world, it simply isn’t viable for one person to know everything they need to know.
If you find yourself in a situation where you feel out of your depth, don’t hesitate to bring in some outside help. You might consider bringing in a professional consultant.
A consultant can help you with a wide variety of issues. For example, an IT consultant can help you to set up your IT systems.
You can bring in a consultant for almost any technical or practical problem that you might have. Clever use of consulting firms could transform your business and make you more efficient.
7. Know Your Worth
It’s also important that you know your worth. If you’re providing a unique and excellent service, you need to make sure that’s reflected in the price. Undervaluing your business and not charging enough for your services could cost your company thousands in the long run.
Since inflation is becoming such a huge issue, it might make sense for you to raise your prices. With that said, you should do this with caution. Raising your prices too much could push loyal customers away.
8. Use Technology
In the world of modern business, technology is essential. You almost certainly rely on certain IT systems to deliver your services.
Not all IT systems are created equal. A good system could make your company more efficient and help you quickly serve your customers.
On the other hand, a slower system could hinder your efforts resulting in mistakes and low customer satisfaction. If you want to offer the best possible service, you need to use your IT systems to your advantage.
If your computer systems are slow and cumbersome, consider investing in a new streamlined system. It’s no exaggeration to say that your IT system could save your company hundreds of hours of work.
9. Consider the Future
One of the most important business tips is to plan for the future. The world of business is constantly changing, so you need to try and consider what your industry will look like in the future.
For example, technological developments could transform the way your industry works. Think of how the internet changed the game for shopping services.
If you can identify upcoming trends, you can prepare yourself and use those insights to your advantage. If you fail to be forward-thinking, you might find your company ends up being obsolete.
10. Expect the Unexpected
While you should try your best to plan for future developments, you also need to accept that the future is often unknowable. The most meticulous plans can quickly fall apart after contact with reality.
For example, the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 had a huge impact on the service industry. Many companies were able to adapt quickly to these new circumstances. Those who did were still able to turn a profit during this difficult period.
Your business model needs to allow you to respond to sudden, unexpected changes.
11. Focus on Finances
It doesn’t matter how good your services are if you can’t manage your money properly. Many companies go under because they didn’t properly balance the books. If you want to run a successful service company, you need to focus on the financial side from day one.
One problem that many companies have is that the finances get out of control when the business grows. You can avoid this by working closely with an accountant.
An accountant can even help you if you’ve let your finances get out of control.
12. Treat Customers Well
Finally, you need to make sure you treat your customers well and create a good experience. In the service industry, it’s all about creating a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.
If a customer feels like their needs are being met in a warm and pleasant environment, they’re much more likely to come back. Customers who have this kind of experience are also likely to tell their friends about your company as well.
You should make sure your employees have excellent customer service training to help create this kind of atmosphere. You should also make sure your workers get regular refresher courses in creating a great customer experience.
You might also consider using a mystery shopper to evaluate your worker’s performances.
These Tips Can Help Take Your Service-Based Business to the Top
As you can see, there’s a lot you need to consider if you want to take your service-based business to the top. You’ll need to have a solid business plan, a great grasp of your finances, and you’ll need to create a fantastic customer experience.
If you’re interested in learning more about some other business-related topics, check out the rest of our blog posts.