What your New Years Resolution?

Forgive me if you have been reading all about other peoples New Years Resolutions this week. For some reason 1st January seems to be the point at which most people reflect on what they have done in the previous year and what they want to achieve in the year ahead.

1st January wasn’t always the starting point of the year; going back to the Middle Ages various New Years dates were used, including starting on 25 March. England actually started using 1st January as the beginning of the year in 1752. In reality we can use any point in the year to start creating resolutions and reviewing what we want to achieve.

However, sticking to tradition I thought I would share one of my New Years Resolutions – this is to ‘interact with people face to face whenever I can.’ This applies to work and home life.

Over the past decade we have become more and more reliant on technology. In 2015 we all realised the importance of mobile devices and many businesses had to update their websites and the way they interacted with customers allowing them to have information 24/7 at their fingertips.

Engaging with prospects and customers online via social media, blogs, websites, emails and Apps are all critical ways of communicating. However we need to make sure that we don’t lose touch with people, especially our customers.

Over the Christmas period I spent a lot of time with family and friends and I realised that in 2015 I had not spent as much time with them face to face as I would like to have done. We had slipped into the habit of sending the occasional text message or email and even phone calls had been less. This made me think about how I am interacting with people that really matter to me at home and at work.

Every business strives to be customer centric and understands the importance of keeping existing customers loyal. In todays marketplace there are so many choices for every customer, why should they stay loyal to you? Often it’s the small things that make people come back again and again. Good customer service is not just about delivering the best quality service, every time it’s also about showing we care. Picking up the phone or arranging a regular meeting with your client will help you to get to know them better and understand their needs. If you run a retail establishment or are in the hospitality sector training staff to interact more and be friendly can make all the difference.

So my New Years Resolution is to talk more and meet with customers and business contacts in 2016. As well as helping to me to get to know them better I know that it will improve the service that I offer them. What’s your New Year Resolution? Please do share with us.