EVENTS                                                       NEWS

News from the Chamber of Commerce

 

Thank You To The Retailers

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the retailers who have participated in the Florence Nightingale commemorations by displaying posters and information about her life in their shop windows. It amazes me that there is little recognition of the work of Florence Nightingale on permanent display, particularly as she is one of the most famous women in history.

 

Why We Need Great Customer Service

The majority of economists in the UK are suggesting that the economic growth forecast for 2011 will be less than stated by the Bank of England. This is based on the recent changes made by the government to the UK budget. With this in mind, businesses of all sizes will be competing for market share where there is little activity.

So what can you do to make the difference?

It is a well known fact that customer service plays a large role in customer retention, so with that in mind remember the old slogan "It costs less to retain customers than to gain customers." Or as Internet marketer David Russ put it, "All of the customer service efforts required to make a previous customer purchase from you a second time will cost you significantly less than the sales and promotion efforts to make a new customer purchase from you for the first time."

We know it is nice to gain new customers but are we learning enough from the customers we already have? When was the last time you asked your customers what they like about what you do or what could you do differently that would improve your service to them? It is questions like these that can help you to understand what it is that customers really want from you rather than adopting the very costly trial and error technique employed by many businesses.

Customers are more likely to complain about a disappointing customer experience than the quality of a product.  Why is that?  Because, products are not personal, customer service is.

During the down times or when price wars fail to drive revenues, businesses often look to service to give them a competitive advantage. This is when service should be at the forefront and retention of loyal customers requires even more of a focus.

So why not ask those questions and find out what your customers really think about you. After all how many people do you tell when you have been on the receiving end of poor customer service?

If you want to know more, why not type Customer Service into Google you may be surprised at how much help there is out there.

 

Event News

 

Meet The Chamber

30th September from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm

Bradbeers Department Store

This event is being organised to let you know more about the Chamber activities and services.  It is being designed to show you “what is in it for you” when you are a member of the Chamber.  The event will be open to potential and existing members who would like to participate in more of the Chamber activities. For further information please contact Kathryn Masterman on 01794 513135.

 

Ruth Gower-Smith   President of the Chamber of Commerce

 

Monday: 12:15 – 16:15

Wednesday 12:15 – 16:00

Friday 12:15 – 16:15

 

Telephone: 01794 513135

 

If you are a member of the Romsey Chamber and you have some interesting news please let us know so that we can include you on this page.

For more information about becoming a member go to Join the Chamber or call 01794 513135.