Last updated on August 3rd, 2023
Regardless of what product or service you deliver, the economy is evolving into a service economy. The quality of your customer service today is more impactful on your business than it has ever been. While that sounds hyperbolic, it’s actually true.
The recipients of bad customer service are highly likely to voice their pain. And there exist several channels for them to vent, including Twitter, GripeVine, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Yelp, blogs, myriad industry specific forums, and of course good old fashioned word of mouth. And these forums are publicly available for others to research and review before purchasing your services.
The bar for customer service has risen as a result of a greatly expanded “grapevine” for scuttlebutt to traverse. It’s that much more difficult to do such a good job that a customer is motivated to use the same channels listed above to share positive feedback. But when they do, seize it!
That is why we are thrilled every time we received a great review, and we received yet another five star one, so we’re posting it, sharing it, and yelling about it from the top of every mountain top we find. Why? Because we are proud of what we do.
Courtney Meyer of Menlo Partners Staffing was kind enough to share her recent experience with us, and we are thankful!
Why did we get a 5 star review? Because we operate by the mantra “Do the Work, Do the Work, Do the Work.” We want every customer to be a happy customer, and we believe the way to achieve that is to do everything we can to ensure their experience with VipeCloud is wonderful.
Thank you Courtney!
On that note, here are top X small business insights and predictions for 2022.
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Small Business Insights & Predictions
1. More Remote Work
The recent pandemic has entirely changed the way we work. After a taste of freedom, most employees don’t really want to go back to the office full-time.
In fact, 55% of U.S. employees prefer to continue working from home at least part of the time when the pandemic is over.
What’s more, studies also show that remote workers are more productive when they don’t have to spend time commuting to and from their workplace.
As a small business owner, you can leverage this information to maximize the productivity of your team.
Not only that, but letting your employees work remotely can significantly minimize your office-related expenses on a monthly basis.
2. Offer Emergency Assistance to Employees
Speaking of work insights, it’s important to offer your employees some kind of emergency assistance.
Since Covid-19 is still out there, it’s important for your employees to feel they have your back.
Now, what does it mean?
The best way to offer emergency assistance to your employees is to provide them with:
- Emergency expansions of paid sick time
- Paid family and medical leave
- Remote and flexible work options
This type of assistance will help to reduce potential productivity loss as well as the risk of spreading infection.
3. E-commerce is King
The pandemic has shifted so many people to shop online. And with many cities and states still having certain regulations, many small businesses are seeing an increase in online sales.
In fact, a recent study by QuickBooks shows that 28% of small businesses are selling more products and services online in 2020 with 94% of them saying the Covid-19 has influenced this change.
Therefore, if you’re a small business owner, now is the best time to get your business online.
4. Digital Marketplaces Are Trending Too
If your small business isn’t ready for building an e-commerce website yet, you could use digital marketplaces to list your products.
This option is especially beneficial if you own a local business.
5. The Rise of Social Commerce
One of the best solutions to selling your products or services online is through social commerce.
In fact, more and more customers are making purchases via social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
6. More Paid Advertising
When it comes to marketing, paid targeted and video-centric advertising will dominate in 2022.
While Google announced that it will stop targeting ads based on recent searches, this won’t apply to mobile ads or non-Google advertising platforms.
What we’re trying to say is, targeted ads are here to stay for the long term.
If you still haven’t started leveraging paid placement ads for your small business, 2022 is the year to do it. Basically, with pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, you’ll appear in search results along with organically ranked content.
That’s pretty powerful as even with low search engine rankings, customers who are searching for what you sell will see your content.
7. SMS Marketing Will Be Back
In addition to the trendiest forms of marketing communication like social media, SMS marketing will make a comeback this year.
Just like email marketing, consumers will adopt SMS marketing by entering their mobile number to receive special deals.
As a small business, you can notify your customers of inventory updates and new offers and discounts.
8. Video Communication is a Must-have
Speaking of marketing and advertising, it’s important to mention video communication as one of the most effective marketing strategies today.
With many customers craving real human connection, small business owners will increasingly use video content to communicate and build relationships with their customers, such as video email.
For example, if you have an online store selling apparel and accessories, you could host a virtual runway show.
Virtual experience-based marketing will become key to successfully engaging customers in 2022 and beyond.
9. Use AI Tools for Better Personalization
One of the best marketing tactics to boost the success of your sales process is to personalize your communication.
You can’t talk to different segments of your audience with the same language anymore.
Let’s take your email list as an example. You might have potential customers and loyal customers in a single email list. And if you send both segments of your list the same newsletter with the objective to upsell your product, it simply won’t work. It’s because a part of your contact list has never bought anything from you in the first place. But the AI has gone a long way and most modern email marketing providers use it to help you create successful campaigns. VipeCloud’s email marketing solution is one of them – enabling you to segment your audience for better personalization.
On the market for a small business CRM whose customer service team is ready to do the work to support your growth? Give VipeCloud a try and take advantage of our 15-day free trial today!
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