Customer Relationships Drive Small Businesses, and Communication Fuels Customer Relationships

BEAVERTON, Ore., Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- How important is communication to a small business?  With little or no communication, customers' interactions with the business are stinted and customers may be turned away.  With fewer customers, there is less revenue.  With less revenue, there is less business.  

Small- to medium-sized business (SMB) expert, Denise O'Berry, believes that communication is the key to better customer relationships, which can help lead to a thriving and successful business. O'Berry outlines recommendations and tools that managers can use with their staff to help retain and maintain the best possible relationships with customers.  Small businesses can visit www.telephones.att.com/smb for O'Berry's advice and learn more about communicating with their employees.

Pick Up the Phone

First and foremost, a business needs to know its customers – what their needs, wants and concerns are. Creating a customer profile can be helpful in developing a picture of that person and how he/she needs to be supported.  One of the best ways to maintain a relationship with a customer is through the phone in a two-way dialogue, since talking face to face is rare in this fast paced global business world.  Although email and other one-way communications have their place in customer relationship management (CRM), a phone call is crucial to help connect and engage a customer.

"With all the new technology and innovations in the market, it may surprise many that the best CRM tool is the phone, as you can gain valuable insights from listening to clients and talking with them about solutions for their problems," said O'Berry, SMB blogger and author of Small Business Cash Flow: Strategies for Making Your Business a Financial Success.  "Building relationships is a matter of give and take, and there is no better way to do this than in a personal conversation."

CRM Tips

For a strong CRM program, a business should collect customer information with every sale and monitor who buys what, when and how often, as well as obtain a customer's phone number and email address (but ask permission before contacting the customer).  After a customer has trusted a business with his/her personal information, it is important to sustain the relationship by implementing these five tips:

1. Continual Check-Ins. Call the customer to get his/her feel for the company and discuss ways to improve.
2. Proactive Calls. If it's been a while since a customer has made a purchase, give him/her a call to see how you can help.
3. Promotion. Set up a special promotion that links to the needs of a customer.
4. Email Marketing. Set up a regular schedule of email news that highlights existing customer success stories, customer testimonials, new offers, and company news.
5. Send a Letter. In addition to that follow up phone call, send out a note via US mail to make you memorable. Businesses don't do this much anymore. Make sure the note includes your company contact information -- address, phone, and website.

O'Berry's article addressing customer relationship management is part of a series that Advanced American Telephones has planned to help small businesses communicate.  Advanced American Telephones, which manufactures AT&T-branded home and office telephones under a license agreement with AT&T Intellectual Property, will be posting these resources on AT&T's site dedicated to SMBs (www.telephones.att.com/SMB).  

It Starts with the Right Equipment

AT&T telephony products meet the needs of SMB customers across multiple industries, enabling advanced communication solutions that provide higher value than competing devices.  

• Synapse™ Business Phone System: Providing up to 50 extensions with easy management, this system is scalable from one to 16 outside lines, expanding as the business grows, without adding unnecessary expenses. Plus, it offers the option to add accessory cordless handsets, so employees can enjoy mobility in larger work environments.
• SynJ™ Extended Range Phone System: SMB employees work in a variety of places -- from small offices to large warehouses. The SynJ extendable range phone system provides cordless handset extensions, Push-to-Talk functionality, up to a half mile of extended range* (using DECT 6.0 repeaters) and mobile page and conferencing. 
• Cordless Headsets: It is easier than ever to go hands-free at work with AT&T's light and comfortable cordless headsets. Ultra-convenient with multiple wearing styles, these headsets allow employees the opportunity to multitask and go farther from the base (up to 500 feet) than most headsets*.

About Advanced American Telephones

Advanced American Telephones (AAT) designs, manufactures and distributes AT&T-branded telephone products in the United States and Canada under a brand license agreement with AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.  AAT is owned by VTech Holdings Ltd. VTech is a widely recognized leader in corded and cordless telephones.

Synapse and SynJ are trademarks of Advanced American Telephones.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T|DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.

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© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service is not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other ATT-related marks shown here are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

*Open range test was performed by Wyle Laboratories, an independent commercial test facility. "Up to a half mile" repeater range is based on "up to 980 feet" per repeater and "up to 500 feet" cordless headset range refers to the maximum open field range. Actual range may vary depending on intervening obstacles. Maximum operable range distances are based on all-indoor use.

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SOURCE Advanced American Telephones