According to the Harvard Business Review, most business owners are only spending a small portion of their time with their customers — as little as 3% of their working hours. This means that there are many weeks when business owners are only spending around two hours with the people who are arguably the most important part of their business.

This raises an important question. How much time should small business owners be spending with their customers? Is there such a thing as too much time spent face-to-face with the customer? How do you keep in check? With over a decade of experience working the water damage industry, here’s what we’ve learned about connecting with the customer.

Business Owner’s Set the Tone

If your employees are trained in customer service, shouldn’t you have the chance to step back and let them take charge of face-to-face time with the customers? The answer isn’t really black and white. Your employees absolutely should be spending their time interacting with the homeowners, business owners, and insurance agents you serve. However, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.

There are many reasons it is so important for business owners to spend time with their customers. One of the most compelling, in our opinion, is because they’re the leader in their company and their actions set the tone for everyone else involved.

When you prioritize and enjoy your customers, your employees will take note and follow suit.

When is Enough Enough?

How much time should business owners spend with their customers? The general consensus is that CEOs should be spending 25 percent of their working hours with their customers. This is true for businesses that are thriving, but may not be enough time if your business is less than a year old or experiencing struggle.

During difficult or challenging seasons, it isn’t a bad idea to increase the time you spend with employees up to 50 percent. This will give you a chance to observe the problems that are causing difficulty within the day-to-day operations of your business. This will also allow you to be a part of problem-solving in real time,

Too Much Face-to-Face Time?

Some business owners don’t have the problem of spending too little time with their customers. In fact, many business owners are so invested in their customers that they allow other aspects of their business to struggle or they don’t make time for business growth.

Face-to-face time with customers only becomes a problem if it prevents you from taking care of your business. Allow enough time in your schedule for office work and planning for the future. This can be accomplished by creating systems that are automatic, systems that can be carried out by your employees without your intervention.

 

At More Floods, we have created systems for business owners who are just like you. We have created automated resources that will allow you to step back from tasks that are taking up too. This frees up more time in your schedule so that you can focus on your customer and work at scaling your business. To learn more about being a part of the network at More Floods, click here or call 1-866-667-3356.

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