Never going back

We will never go back to the way it was.

 

In the last year, I have heard that sentiment expressed enough times — and have seen enough examples — to fully accept that as my 2011 mantra.

 

Here are some things that will never be the same:

• Customer service. It’s no longer good enough to be reasonably polite to people. As the price of goods and services continue to rise, consumers are going to be looking at more than price (and we’ll get to that shortly).

 

You know how you’ve always been doing it? Probably not good enough. Have you asked someone to “shop” you? Get someone, unknown to your staff, to either call or visit in person (or both) and then report back to you on the service they received.

 

• Price. When price is the only thing that sets you apart from your competitors, you and your business will be at the mercy of any company that can shave a few cents or dollars off your price.

 

And there’s always someone around who is willing to do that.

 

What makes you unique? What makes you different from everyone else? Figure it out, capitalize on it, promote it.

 

It is a fallacy that you must cut your prices to compete. Research shows that people are willing to pay extra to get exactly what they want. What do your customers want? Do you know?

 

• Value. Value is closely related to price, but not identical. Are you giving your customers good value for their dollar? What ways can you increase the value of your customer’s experience without slashing your prices?

 

• Technology. This represents the biggest shift of all. If you are not tech savvy, find someone who is and either bring them on staff or hire them as an independent contractor.

 

Yeah, it’s that important.

 

Having a website that is updated regularly is just the beginning. To stay alive in the days ahead, a business needs to have at least a mobile site.

 

Why? A Morgan Stanley Internet analyst expects smartphone sales to surpass PC and laptop sales in 2012, with more than 450 million units sold. 

That number will approach 650 million units by 2013.

 

If people are looking for your business and can’t find an easy-to-view version of your website, they’ll keep looking until they find one.

 

Then there is “user-generated content” — what people are saying about you on the World Wide Web. Do a Google search and find out.

 

Are you signed up for Google Alerts? This free service notifies you any time your chosen word or phrase shows up on the Internet.

 

Find some customer-review websites in your industry and pay attention to what they’re saying abut you. For example, if you’re in the hospitality business, TripAdvisor should be the first place you go to check for consumer reviews.

 

Should you respond to every negative review of your business? There are pros and cons to that; you don’t want to let flagrant lies go encountered, but you don’t want to appear defensive.

 

Talk it over with that Internet guru you just hired.

 

Do you have a Facebook account? Do you update it regularly?

 

Most of all, you need to be flexible — as much in your personal life as in business. Make no assumptions.

 

Better yet, recheck all your assumptions and measure them against the new reality.

Because we’re never going back.