5 Tips To Empower Your Customers To Save You Time

Can you identify your favorite customers? Think about it for just a minute. What makes them your favorite?

It probably stems from the fact that you enjoy working with them.

But why do you enjoy working with them? 

Do they make your life easier? 

Do they make running your business easier?

Do they bring you jobs that are profitable?

Are they easy going?

Do they trust you completely?

Do they abide by your rules? 

Do they save you time? 

All of these questions should yield an instant “yes” for your favorite customers. It is what makes your job enjoyable. The reason they bring you the most joy is that they probably are the most painless, profitable, and efficient jobs. They save you time, and you make good money on it. 

So dive in deeper into your relationship with your favorite customer. Somewhere along the road you empowered your customer to become great. You set them up for customer success. This leads to running a successful business. 

So how do you do it? What are some steps you can take to empower your customers to save you time? Let’s take a closer look. 

1. Educate 

Your time with your customer is precious. Teach them about your industry so they understand what is easier for you to print. If they understand flashing, underbasing, and what goes into artwork, they will naturally give you better orders. 

2. Incentivize

Do you dissect your jobs and find what makes them go smoother? Is it better artwork? Easier setups? Fewer flashes? Make sure your prices reflect them, and offer your customers better deals on efficient jobs. Perhaps giving your customers a few bonus shirts if they use a lighter color. If it saves you print time, it is worth it. 

3. Motivate

Sounds silly, but positive reinforcement makes a world of a difference. If you appreciate a specific characteristic about your customer and the way they work with you, let them know. Compliments and thank you’s will make your customer feel special. 

4. Set Expectations Early 

Make sure you have an extremely clear workflow for order management and let your customers know early on how you like to do business. Instead of reacting to their needs, be proactive. 

If you require payment up front, make sure they know that immediately. 

If artwork is troublesome for you, let them know about turn around times when artwork is approved so they work diligently to approve proofs and give you easier artwork to work with. 

If there are special formats you want sizes sent to you, let them know what is easiest for you so they follow your protocol. 

5.  Communicate

The worst thing you can do is keep your customers in the dark. Make sure you have very clear and open communication channels along the way. Whether that is in the quoting, proof approval, shipping, or payment process, talk to them regularly and pro-actively. Do not wait for them to come to you. Make sure those communication channels are mutual, and that you have an open door policy for them at all times. 

After all, they want their order to go smoothly too, right?