~by Dixie Somers~.
When customers feel comfortable in a business, they return. Ensuring your customers’ comfort is a smart, low-cost investment that pays off. Below are a few ways you can make sure that customers are comfortable in your establishment.
Provide Refreshments
Stock your store, front desk, and waiting room areas with coffees, teas, and light snacks. Always have a purified water station. Particularly in the winter and summer months, these refreshments can help customers settle down from the elements and focus on your business.
Make sure all hot and cold beverages maintain the proper temperatures to be safe. Limit refreshments to common pick-me-ups such as mints, hard candies, and nut-free chocolates to avoid liabilities for potential exposures to allergens.
A Greeter
Many brands made names for themselves with a simple policy of boisterous greetings for all customers who enter their locations. Greeting customers is also an excellent opportunity to pass them your latest discount flyer and introduce them to new services.
Smaller businesses can invest in a doorbell to signal the arrival of new customers and welcome them inside. Businesses with large floor areas and busy offices should station a guard or cashier near the entrance to perform this function.
Help the Disabled (and the Able-Bodied)
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes accommodations for the disabled mandatory for most businesses and workplaces. In addition, customers may fit your business into a long day of errands and work, and bring their families.
These considerations keep everyone feeling comfortable:
- Push-buttons to power entrances and exits for disabled customers and those managing small children
- Handicapped bathroom stalls and changing tables in all restrooms
- Sofas and chairs with back support in lobbies and waiting rooms
- Area rugs or carpeted runners in highly trafficked common areas to reduce impact on feet and fall risks
Air Curtains
Installing air curtains creates a stream of air as a seal against warm air escaping and cold air entering. This keeps customers in a comfortable temperature no matter what the season is. Air curtains also save energy and cut heating and cooling costs, trapping warm and cool air inside where customers need it most. Clean air curtains regularly to discourage dirt build-up and poor performance.
Positive Restrooms
Customer restrooms must be clean and pleasant at all times. Create a restroom check schedule with set, memorable times and post it in the employee areas. Designate responsibility to check the bathrooms for essentials, overflows, and damage.
Increase your bathroom’s amenities by stocking hand lotion, tissues, and air freshener. Call a plumber immediately to fix stopped-up toilets and non-working faucets.
Comfort can determine if customers return to or storm out of a business, never to return. These simple strategies ensure your customers feel good, keep you in accordance with the law and save you money in the long-run.
Meet the Author: Dixie Somers
Dixie Somers is a freelance writer who loves writing for business, finance, and those with an entrepreneurial spirit. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters.
