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  • Top 7 Ways Implementing Systems Will Benefit Your Business

    Top 7 Ways Implementing Systems Will Benefit Your Business

    In today’s dynamic world, an increasing number of individuals are venturing into business, driven by a desire to bring their unique ideas and products to the forefront. And since you are here reading this, chances are you are one of them.

    Fueled by the belief that your creations can fill a void that existed in the world, you have faith that others will benefit from and appreciate what you have to offer. Choosing the path of entrepreneurship allows you to live life on your own terms, free from the constraints of a predetermined schedule dictated by others.

    Whether you embark on a business journey to address a societal need, contribute positively to the environment, or simply strive to make a difference in people’s lives, I am here to cheer you on. Your determination to build an ethical business, one that genuinely helps and uplifts others, is commendable.

    But understand this – starting a business is like stepping into the driver’s seat of a car, ready to embark on an exciting journey. However, to effectively drive the business and take it to new heights, you need systems as your vehicle to make it all possible.

    Imagine yourself sitting behind the wheel, with your vision, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit propelling you forward. You have a destination in mind, a goal you want to achieve. But just having the desire and determination isn’t enough. You need a reliable vehicle, equipped with the necessary tools and systems, to navigate the road ahead and overcome the challenges that come your way.

    In this analogy, the Business Systems are like the vehicle that carries your business forward. They provide structure, efficiency, and control, much like the wheels, engine, and controls of a car. Or in your case it’s Your business that needs an integrated systems to function optimally.

    In order to help you recognize the effectiveness and maximize the potential of your business, implementing systems can be a game-changer. Here are 7 ways implementing systems will benefit your business.

    1. You Enjoy Increased Efficiency and Productivity:

    Implementing systems automates routine tasks, reducing the time and effort required to complete them manually. This increased efficiency frees up valuable resources, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and value-added activities.

    In the context of business operations, “systems” refer to the organized and interconnected set of processes, procedures, software, and tools that work together to achieve specific goals and objectives within an organization. These systems can be technological (software applications, databases, etc.) or non-technological (standardized procedures, workflows, etc.).

    For example, a customer relationship management (CRM) system is a technological system that helps businesses manage interactions and relationships with their customers. It provides a centralized platform for storing customer data, tracking sales activities, and managing marketing campaigns.

    Another example is an inventory management system, which allows businesses to track and control their inventory levels, automate reordering processes, and optimize stock management.

    2. Streamlined Customer Relationship Management (CRM) helps you provide Personalized Experiences:

    Businesses need customers to run it, and obviously the next most important system you’d want to have in your business is a CRM system that allows you to effectively manage and nurture your customer relationships.

    It enables you to track customer interactions, store relevant data, and analyze customer behavior. With a CRM system in place, you can personalize customer experiences, deliver targeted marketing campaigns, automate sending/tracking invoices, and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty by developing useful workflows that cater to your customers needs the best.

    3. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration brings out the best out of Team Members:

    Systems facilitate seamless communication and collaboration among team members and departments. With centralized platforms and customized tools for sharing information, you and your team can collaborate in real time, regardless of your physical location. This leads to improved coordination, quicker decision-making, and better overall teamwork, ultimately boosting the business’s performance.

    4. You gain an Improved Data Management System and Enhanced Decision-Making Abilities.

    Systems provide a structured approach to data management, ensuring accurate and reliable information across your organization. By integrating systems, businesses can centralize data, automate data entry, and generate real-time reports and analytics. This empowers management with actionable insights for making informed decisions, identifying trends, and spotting opportunities or potential risks.

    Checkout this series of videos where I have shared how I used Airtable to automate and capture Body Measurements of a Fitness Coach’s clients, so she could receive weekly growth info and visualise them on her side using tables and charts to understand how each of her clients are making progress.

    5. Scalability and Growth Opportunities become Endless:

    Implementing systems lays a foundation for scalability and growth. As businesses expand, systems can accommodate increased transaction volumes, handle larger datasets, and support more complex operations.

    Imagine you start a small online store selling handmade crafts. As your business gains popularity and the number of orders increases, scalability allows you to seamlessly handle the growing volume of sales without causing delays or overwhelming your resources. It involves having systems and processes in place that can easily accommodate larger customer bases, increased production, or expanded service offerings. Can you imagine doing this without systems? And my guess is you did not start a business to stay stagnant at a certain revenue number right?

    6. You get Streamlined Financial Management:

    Sound financial management is critical for entrepreneurial success. Implementing accounting and financial systems enables entrepreneurs to maintain accurate records, track cash flow, and manage expenses effectively. By automating financial processes, entrepreneurs can generate timely reports, analyze financial performance, and make informed decisions based on reliable data.

    Again, we captured all of our income data, seamlessly integrating it into our Airtable System (automated obviously). This enables us to generate comprehensive reports that analyze patterns of growth and stagnancy, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of our efforts. By leveraging these insights, we gain clarity and strategic direction for setting goals and taking actions to drive the growth of our business.

    7. You Attain Adaptability and Agility like a Pro Business Person:

    Entrepreneurship requires adaptability and the ability to respond swiftly to market changes. Implementing systems that support agile operations, such as inventory management systems, supply chain optimization tools, or customer feedback systems, empowers entrepreneurs to adapt quickly to evolving customer needs and market dynamics.

    This agility is what enables you as an entrepreneur to stay ahead of competitors and seize new opportunities.

    By embracing the right systems that align with your business goals, you can establish a solid foundation for sustainable growth, increased profitability, and long-term success in your entrepreneurial endeavors. Whether you need assistance in selecting and implementing the appropriate systems or require guidance to optimize your existing systems, I am here to help.

    Book a consultation with me or download my Service Guide to explore how to improve your business by leveraging the power of systems. Let’s embark on a journey to unlock the full potential of your business and propel it towards greater heights.

    Credits:
Photo by Andreas Klassen on Unsplash
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

  • Customer Service Magic: How to Make Your Customers Go ‘Wow’ Every Time

    Customer Service Magic: How to Make Your Customers Go ‘Wow’ Every Time

    I once considered hiring a business coach because I struggled with some mindset issues and found certain tasks in my business overwhelming. I knew I needed someone to hold me accountable and help me push through these challenges.

    There was this coach, who came highly recommended by someone who had worked with her and spoke highly of her coaching. I was also impressed by her social media content and decided to reach out.

    Inside my mind I had almost invest into her, thinking she was the right fit.

    However, right after our discovery call, my excitement faded. Her communication through direct messages was poor — she often forgot to respond to important questions and only sent the meeting link at the last minute. During the call, she outlined a roadmap for my growth which I requested from her, and she promised to send me the document afterward. I followed up twice for the document, but she never sent it.

    As the initial excitement of working with her faded away, I began to doubt her genuine interest in collaborating with me for reasons unknown. Consequently, I made the decision to abandon the idea of partnering with her altogether.

    Regardless of whether she genuinely lacked interest in working with me or not, I firmly believe that there are far more effective approaches to facilitate communication as well as declining a potential business partnership.

    And from my experience being in the Online Service Industry, here are my top 11 secrets to Leave Customers Saying:

    ‘Wow’, I had the best experience ever!

    1. The first impression is crucial, so make it memorable.

    Depending upon how you have setup your business for customer interaction with your business, ensure that your business makes customers feel welcomed and valued from the very first touchpoint.

    If it’s a human interaction, prioritize quick responses and, at the very least, set up an automated message indicating when they can expect a detailed reply. Be sure to follow up within the communicated timeframe, demonstrating that you respect their time as much as your own.

    If you have a website for customers to land in first, ensure that your website is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and user-friendly. Have an attention-grabbing headline that clearly communicates your value proposition. Infuse your brand with a distinct personality, align it with your target audience’s values, and consistently deliver on your brand promise.

    Create a delightful browsing experience at every touchpoint on the website layout making it user-friendly, visually appealing with intuitive navigation menus that guide visitors effortlessly. Consider including essential pages like ‘About Me/Us‘, ‘Contact Me/Us‘, and ‘Blogs‘ in the navigation bar, as it is a universally recognized standard.

    By doing so, you prevent customer frustration and avoid losing potential leads who might otherwise leave in frustration while searching for information they need. Remember, a cohesive and user-friendly browsing experience keeps customers engaged and encourages them to explore further.

    2. Focus on Speed, efficiency and provide a seamless Buying Experience:

    In today’s fast-paced world, customers appreciate businesses that prioritize speed and efficiency. Especially since they have been spoilt with ubiquitous businesses that have already implemented that kind of efficiency setting the standards quite high for all of us. But good news is, implementing such efficient technology to the benefits of small business and solopreneurs has also become easy like never before.

    Streamline your processes, minimize wait times, and offer swift resolutions to customer inquiries or issues. Implementing efficient systems and technologies can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and generate positive word-of-mouth.

    Simplify the buying process by removing any unnecessary steps or barriers. Offer multiple payment options and make it easy for customers to track their orders and delivery status. If you are serious about scaling up, then consider speed and efficiency to be on top of your priorities.

    3. Create an Unforgettable Customer Experience

    Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

    Encourage customers to provide feedback, and act on their suggestions as fast as possible. This demonstrates your commitment to improvement by keeping outstanding service to the customer as the ultimate goal – showing that you value their input and act upon it creates a strong sense of customer appreciation.

    As an Online Business Manager, I figure out all the touch points in the customer journey, so I can implement collection of feedback as much as possible. And then create a robust system to continuously use their feedback to improve our products, services, for memorable a customer experience. Customers not only have access to share their thoughts and opinions through surveys, reviews, or social media – but we encourage them to do it sending a signal to our customers that implementing necessary changes or enhancements based on customer suggestions is paramount to our business.

    Most importantly, Do not hesitate the ask for negative feedback if they have any, as there can be blind spots you might have missed that can be brought into notice with the help of a customer’s feedback

    4. Offer exceptional customer support:

    Make sure that your customer support is readily available, helpful, and friendly. Respond to queries and complaints promptly and efficiently. Offer channels of support, like email, complaint form, or live chat etc. making it convenient for customers to get the help that they need as best as possible.

    5. Personalize the customer experience: they want to feel valued and cared for

    Use customer data to understand their preferences, purchase history, and demographics, and tailor your communication and recommendations accordingly. Treat each customer as an individual by personalizing your interactions and offerings.

    Personalize their experience by using their name, segment them offering tailored product recommendations, and sending personalized emails. This shows that you value and understand your customers, making them more likely to be impressed and loyal.

    Automate as much as possible and create a system to add manual personalization where it is needed.

    For example, while working with a fitness coach – I introduced a system to add coach’s personalized detailed feedback for the client to be sent to their them via email, along with the reminder that their enrollment is about to end, asking for their final feedback and testimonial, and any other relevant info. We also offered them a special discount if they choose to renew their enrollment before their current enrollment ended.

    Adding this detailed personalized feedback often helped us get their feedback reciprocatively. And quite a few happy customers renewed their enrollment promptly due to the added incentive.

    You can brainstorm your own ways of personalization to offer best service that can created for your customers, and help them believe you truly have them at. the core of your service mentality.

    I automated Slack notification when a client was about to end their enrollment, so the coach could add her feedback into the system for this specific client and then they’d receive the said email in time.

    6. Surprise your customers: go the extra mile to delight your them.

    This can include sending personalized thank-you notes, offering unexpected discounts or rewards, or providing exclusive access to new products or services. Small gestures of appreciation can leave a lasting impression and create positive word-of-mouth buzz.

    Being an Online Business Manager, helping my clients serve their clients with the highest value is paramount for me, and I always look for ways that the end customers are not just getting for what they paid and but beyond that. So implemented this added gesture of sending a birthday wish to the clients and they love it!

    Since it was a coaching business, we had their birthday info, but you can simply ask them to fill in their date of birth as optional field which you can uitlize to send a personalized note on the special occassion.

    So go that extra mile

    and pleasantly surprise them!

    Photo by Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

    7. Deliver exceptional quality:

    Consistently deliver products or services of exceptional quality that exceed customer expectations. Pay attention to the details, invest in superior craftsmanship or production, and conduct rigorous quality control checks. Providing top-notch quality sets you apart from competitors and leaves a lasting impression on your customers.

    Keep your promises – deliver what you promise, and do it on time. This after all, what the customers trusted your with their money for, so absolutely no compromise on that part.

    Be transparent and honest about your products, services, and pricing. Build trust with your customers by being reliable and consistent. If a customer expresses an issue, work closely with them until it gets resolved.

    8. Foster a customer-centric culture within your organization.

    Ensure that all employees understand the importance of exceptional customer service and are empowered to go above and beyond for customers. This is really important one, and trust me it can make or break your growth in this competitive business world.

    Provide ongoing training and support to enhance their skills in handling customer interactions. A customer-centric culture drives a consistent and exceptional customer experience across all touchpoints.

    Speaking from my own experience, I have gone from being a happy customer to chose to never pay a penny again when I did not receive close attention to my issues raised with companied. If customer has a valid issue, solve that on priority and if not help them understand why it is not with utmost patience and respect. But leave them hanging and waiting and especially chasing you. Don’t!

    9. Offer exceptional customer support:

    Make sure that your customer support is readily available, helpful, and friendly. Respond to queries and complaints promptly and efficiently. Offer channels of support so customers’ issues could be tracked and handled promptly. Create a system of tickets so you carefully review complaints raised and ensure appropriate measures are taken upon each of them. Also learn from those to improvise business wherever you can.

    Invest great training programs for your employees. Train them to deliver excellent customer service. Educate and empower them to make decisions and resolve issues on their own. Encourage a culture of empathy, listening, and problem-solving.

    10. Embrace technology to make the customer experience convenient and seamless.

    All of the above points I mentioned cannot be done without leveraging technology to your benefits. Offer user-friendly interfaces, provide self-service options, and leverage automation to streamline processes.

    This is a basic need for both your employees to enhance customer satisfaction in the best way possible and also offer a seamless experience to the customers to make business with you. Utilizing technology effectively can simplify customer interactions and demonstrate your commitment to staying ahead of the curve.

    11. Continuously innovate and evolve:

    To consistently “wow” your customers, embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and innovation. Stay updated on industry trends, monitor customer preferences, and adapt your offerings accordingly.

    By constantly evolving and providing fresh and exciting experiences, you keep your customers engaged and excited to do business with you. Once you reach a point where you feel you mastered taking great care of your customers, enjoy the fruits of your labour but don’t become so complacent that you forget about innovation and that the world is constantly evolving. So stay alert, adapt and innovate as your business grows.

    Because business is a journey and not a destination.

    By implementing these points and emphasizing the importance of exceptional customer service, you can inspire your target audience to make their customers stop in their tracks and say “wow” this is best dollar I have ever spent! Remember, delivering a remarkable customer experience not only generates customer loyalty but also drives positive referrals and business growth.

    If you aspire to make this kind of customer service to be a reality in your business, and you need a helping hand to make it a reality – I can be of help!

    Feel free to get in touch and we can make that happen together!

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  • How to use Mail Merge to send bulk emails from Gmail

    How to use Mail Merge to send bulk emails from Gmail

    Irrespective of what kind of services you provide – if you want to do a great job at giving your clients the best possible experience, you need a few email communications that are associated closely with the customer journey with you.

    But as you grow your client base, you can’t possibly afford to keep sending all the emails individually right?  especially when each of these emails have some personalized message to the specific recipient.

    For example, if you want to send your clients enrolled into your next batch of group coaching, let’s say – Batch XYZ May 2022. Then your email may look something like this.

    Sample Email for Welcome Email for New Batch Enrollment.

    And assuming you have enrolled 10 members, imagine how much of a pain it would be to manually update each of these emails 10 times for each member!

    Thankfully, these things have become extremely customizable, easy, and fast with technology and software.  Sometimes, like in this example that I am going to demonstrate, it may also be free.

    If you are someone who learns better from videos, then here’s one where I have demonstrated not just one but three different use cases where I use Mail Merge to send bulk emails.

    For the first example, I create a template email with details specific to the recipient to be replaced with placeholders like these.

    Dear {{First Name}} {{Last Name}}...

.....

Your Batch ID: {{Batch ID}}
Start Date:    {{Start Date}}
.......

    The actual data that will be replaced in the email placeholders will be coming from a Google Spreadsheet.

    Now that my template is ready I am going to create a Google spreadsheet that would hold the actual data to replace these placeholder values before sending an email to each member.

    Please note that the placeholder values have to exactly match with the headers in the sheet for Mail Merge to appropriately use the data and generate emails correctly.

    Example: {{First Name}} placeholder will put ‘Neha’, ‘Vivek’ and ‘Ria’ respectively in the emails.

    As you can see I have filled three rows here, expect that – 3 emails will be generated with the help of data from the google sheet using the template and then the emails would be sent to three different recipients.

    I use a Google Spreadsheet Add-On for mail merge to send these emails – called Yet Another Mail Merge. The free version lets you send 50 emails per day which is a good enough limit for a Solopreneur or a Small Business for their communication.

    Install Yet Another Mail Merge Add-On

    Once the add-on has been installed you can access it from the menu bar.

    Btw, you only need to install the add-on once. For the subsequent times of usage, this add-on will be good to go from the menu bar itself.

    Click on it to open it and set your options.

    Identify the draft/template by the subject line and send a test email to yourself first –  which will pick the details from the First row to create your email and send a test email to your own email ID.

    Now go check the email for any errors in your mailbox and send the actual email to each recipient using mail merge. For the purpose of demonstration, I used my own email aliases for the recipients’ ids.

    So now that Mail Merge has sent each of these emails, I should expect that I have received all these emails in my own emails id. And I see that I have indeed received all of these emails.

    And each email has been personalized with data from the google sheet rows.

    Another cool thing – when I open the email in my inbox, the mail merge also gets updated with the Merge Status and shows whether the email has been Sent, Opened, Clicked, etc.

    So once your emails templates are set, you most likely don’t even need to open Gmail to send these emails. Identify your emails by their subject lines, select them and you are good to go.

    Having said that, Mail Merge also remembers which template was used from the previous time. So if save the sheet, and use the same sheet multiple times then it automatically picks the same email template it used the last time.

    You can keep the previous records sent from this sheet while sending the new emails list from here, but don’t clear the Merge Status from this column, or else Mail Merge will send the emails to the old list again.

    I never clear the old records. And sometimes, I resend to a few people who seem to have not noticed an email that I think needs their attention. I hope that this gives you some ideas on how you can improve the system for sending your emails by pairing it with whatever other tools that you are working with.

    My favorite tool to pair with google Sheets for Mail Merge is Airtable, where either I can copy the required data from a View or if it is a process that repeats over and over again, I use Airtable Automation to send data from Airtable into google sheet based on triggers.

    Let me know your thoughts on this method in the comment section below and I would love to read them all.

    Also, do share it with someone who you think might find it helpful!

  • Airtable Case Study – Coaching, Q&As via Mail Merge

    Airtable Case Study – Coaching, Q&As via Mail Merge

    Email is such an integral part of our lives! 

    • It’s quick.
    • It lets us communicate without engaging in a conversation. 
    • Conveys your message even in your absence.
    • Most people are sure to at least check their emails.
    • Send a message to one person or 50, the effort it takes is the same.
    • So on and so forth.

    Email📨 is the best and only tool for several communications types.

    But there’s a problem with these overly favorite tools, where people stop thinking outside of the box and try to squeeze stuff that requires more than an email for things to get done in a streamlined manner. 

    As much as Emails help us take off things from the ground, once we reach a point where some specific set of activities are done over and over again, it can get out of control quickly draining us of all our energy doing things mundanely.

    Okay, I will come to the point I am trying to make.

    Let’s say we have a very small business owner who makes personalized scented candles.

    In the beginning, the owner is happy to take in specifications from customers via email. This is the stage where the business owner is still testing the waters.

    🤔 What works and what does not?
    🤔 What takes how much effort and time, etc.

    Soon the candlemaker will begin to see a pattern of things that are similar and can be combined to work at once. They may also begin to need a way to visualize things in a better manner – dates of delivery for various orders in a calendar format for example, or zone-wise delivery addresses to combine their shipping to save cost and time. And many such things.

    Then do you think email can sustain for long to communicate with the customers in such a scenario?

    Now that we see where things can go complicated, I wanna share a case study on a similar scenario and how I used Airtable to create a system streamline inflow of requests and send out the required response. In fact, unlike the candle business owner, tasks here are much simpler I would say.

    If you wanna skip reading and just want to watch me explain it in detail, I have a video for you here. 👆

    The task was of that of a Side Hustle Coach who used to take in questions from her students via emails on stuff that they were struggling with and then would write them back with her solutions and helpful suggestions. After working with the students she began to notice a pattern in these questions. 

    Oftentimes, multiple students working in similar areas would have the same issues. And she found herself to be sending responses along the same line to multiple students, but Individually.

    I created an Airtable form that could allow the students to send in their queries, created the areas as multiple choice for them to fill in so the questions would get categories into areas.

    This helped the coach to work on a similar issue all at the same time

     Also since on the backend, the coach can visualize these questions in ways that make the most sense to her, I created a view that groups queries as per that condition.

    In this case, it was a group by Help Area. So that helps the coach tackle all the questions under similar areas, let’s say YouTube + Instagram together. Then she can move to the next group. 

    Or Just create views that select a single help Area in one grid view to focus on a single area at a time. 

    In short, you can customize the heck out of it to suit exactly your requirements. Here I picked the needs that were specific to the user in the picture.  

    You can use My Invite Link to create your own FREE Airtable Account.

    I also have shared this template for FREE below. ⤵️

    The coach can now directly land on the respective views she wants to check on and work with all the ‘New’ queries she has received, row by row, all at once. 

    When she’s happy with all the input she has typed in for each student query, she can then use Mail Merge(an add-on) from google Sheets to send emails to all the students with a couple of clicks.

    Ctrl + C the section from Airtable view.
    Ctrl + V on the spreadsheet and ‘Start Mail Merge’

    Alternatively, you can also use automation to send these data records by record based on a trigger – for example, change a field value within the record from ‘New’ to ‘Send Now’. Then go to the spreadsheet and ‘Start Mail Merge’.

    Each student will then receive a personalized message at their email address.

    Email Template with Placeholders.
    Actual Email received by the recipient.

    Tell me now, does this method sound like something that reduces the overwhelm and streamlines repetitive tasks? If you’d like to try this template for FREE, I am leaving a link to it below. 🔽

    Get a FREE Template to this Case Study

    🗣️Let me know in the comment section what you think about this solution.