"YOU CALL, WE DELIVER"
Small business beating internet titans
The stores, restaurants and other small local high street shops that we patronise are more in touch. It’s a great strength being able to feel the “pulse of the business.” On the front line every day, these businesses become acutely aware of the market flow. If a customer complains about something, or a competitor does something out of the ordinary, it’s noticed. So, how does a small business survive the big giants?
One example is Ink Point in New Inn Pontypool. Not only does it compete with amazon and eBay, but also supermarkets with their large buying power, offering low cost high quality alternatives for your printer cartridge. Ink Point has grown its business on core values of reliability, accuracy and providing honest information building a reputation of trustworthiness with an old fashioned “our world is our bond” service. Speaking with Rhys Haines, who runs Ink Point, he believes that it is imperative to make customer relations a priority when running a small business. He says “we think it’s important to go that extra mile to give our customers what they want and I believe that the relationships we’ve built has allowed us to survive through tough times during the recession”.
Understanding the importance of “adding value”, Ink Point chose to offer services such as printer servicing and repair to lure customers away from their internet rivals. With a very attractive 100% money back guarantee and the provision of free advice to individuals and companies (solo or larger) about which is the best printer with the best running costs has been popular. And they still add value, offering a massive 60% saving on printer cartridges. With free collection and delivery.
This makes their prime business (a green refill and remanufacture of printer cartridges) Become an enhanced business package, not just one product. And because accessibility and accountability is considered an asset with Rhys and his staff, you talk directly to them, not a customer service department. This edge is one that a goliath competitor with their form filling and customer service agents that you never speak to again, cannot deliver.
It’s clear that Rhys and his staff are serious about providing a john Lewis style service locally. It’s a strength no mistake, one of the titans would do well to remember.
K Jones
A very satisfied customer.
You’ve got a complaint. It’s with a corporation. You call their customer service department. After pressing 5, then 2 and finally 1* (if you are lucky), you are through. Then you receive “parrot speak”.
An automatic script, from a person, apparently. Nowadays, the large corporations are not necessarily in touch with the “pulse of the business”. The problem with becoming a titan is that you often lose this connection. This is illustrated by problem programmes such as undercover boss, where the owner or CEO secretly becomes another Joe or Joanna on the shop floor, revealing the good and ugly of their business. Losing that immediacy is something a small business cannot afford to do.