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“Customers in Small Business are Fragile – Handle with Care”
What is Small? Many places of business that you patronize – such as independent neighborhood grocery stores,
fast-food restaurants, hair stylists, dry cleaners, video or music shops, and the veterinarian – are examples of small
businesses. Strategic Advantages of Small Business: i) can make decisions faster, ii) the owners are more accessible to the
customer problems & solutions thereto, iii) employees have immediate mode of expression and no communication barriers.
Small is a simple beauty.
Once you start up a new business, you plunge into an ocean populated by a few smaller fish, which compete with
you for food, and lots of bigger ones, eager to eat you alive. The big fish in the sea tend to be well-connected, multinational
beasts (such as ‘Wal-Mart’) taking full advantage of the perks of globalization – such as outsourcing, uneven exchange rates,
and low-margin high-volume sales models – making them nearly impossible to compete against. But fortunately, the conduct
of small business tends to be in close touch with their communities and customers; and attain more individualized customer
attention than big firms.
Service Quality Gap: In simple terms, appearance of physical elements, dependable performance, promptness,
helpfulness, competence, courtesy, credibility, security, good communication and understanding customers closely – are all
parameters of a Service Quality. And any deficiency in any of these parameters leads to develop a ‘gap’ in service quality.
Understanding of a few Behavioral Modifications in Service Processes in Small Business, offered below, can avoid
such ‘gap’ in, to sustain service quality:
1. ‘Human’ Not ‘Customer’ Contact: Each time salutation is very important to keep the customer footfall most
frequent. ‘Respect’ is one natural craving, just like thirst for water, which a person may not get at home but can
receive from the shop-keeper. Never emasculate the regular customers, even if he arrives to purchase a ‘penny-sale’.
24hr. service is the need of the day for smaller fish (entrepreneurs) to survive. A person traveling for an interview
the next morning requires a small product like face-wash, cannot let the mall open, but easily request his next door
shop to purchase the needed product. This enhances ‘empathy’ with the needy customer and a word-of-mouth
praise.
2. Be Receptive: In small business, ‘Direct Contact’ with customers should be taken as an opportunity to reinforce
service standards through ‘complaint analysis.’ Expression of irritation about customer complaints or denying
complaints abruptly/rudely must be a sin for both employees & the employer. Customer dissatisfaction of any sort
could be negligible in owner’s view but its eradication can bring manifold profits to the business.
3. Educate Employees: It is important to educate the employees in a small business firm regarding service delivery
process and especially customer value. Behavioral Training is important making them understand ‘Why Customer
is God!’ It is also important to improve interpersonal skills of employees even in stressful conditions because any
discourteous moment with any customer may discontinue the business in future from him – may end in gradual
losses. ‘Listening Patiently & Completely’ the needs of the customer at the time of personal selling, should be part of
education. One must know to satiate the customer in distinguishing between his desired and adequate service(s).

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4. Behavioral Aspects with Employees: An entrepreneur must understand the financial as well as non-financial needs
of his employees. Timely Reward System is utmost important; because each person – one day – would prefer to
encase his experience at a better place, given an opportunity. This reward may range from a mere ‘clap’ for official
appreciation to earn financially in terms of incentives, bonus etc. Balance in ‘personal touch’ and ‘professional
needs’ of the employees is crucial to recognize & practice.
5. Personal Marketing: Offering profitable customer deals through e-mail, mobile and social media has become
today’s fashion of targeting customers. Designing retail websites to keep in touch with customers who love being on-
line is another way of marketing. Its personal marketing not personal selling.
Conclusion: The reference of ‘Behavioral Modifications in Service Processes in Small Business’ helps small
entrepreneurs investigate & improve their own service delivery system. An entrepreneur should make himself ‘customer-
prone-educative’. Also train & educate his employees. Awareness of strategies adopted by large companies can be equally
executed by the small entrepreneurs. Small entrepreneurs can be real ‘Service Leaders’ to compete with big malls to extract
success (s) from the ‘small’ business to gain a ‘mall.’
Author: Dr. Sandeep Solanki, Marketing Section, HCT, Muscat (2013-14)