18 Oct Customer Focused Hours
We have all been there before; you start your car and slowly pull out of the garage and the low tire pressure light comes on. Like most mornings I had a full list of meetings and projects waiting for me at the office. With a sigh, I got out of my car and walked around to see which tire was causing the issue. My front right passenger tire had a nail in it. My mind quickly went back to a conversation I had with my COO over lunch the prior day, when we heard someone getting a new roof near our office. Today was my lucky day.
Okay, no worries, I could pull into the local tire store and get it repaired and still make it to the office in time for my first meeting. I carefully drove my car the less than mile trek to the tire store to find an empty parking lot. The place was closed and did not open until 8:00 am. I am usually at the office by 7:45 am. The tire got fixed, but my meetings were delayed.
I know I am not alone in leaving the house before 8:00 am to get to work. I have my commuter friends who join each morning trying to make it through the light before it turns red and get on the highway to fight traffic to the office. In fact, by the time the tire store did finally open there was a line of us needing our tires serviced.
And it’s not just the tire store; if I am off to a sales meeting, I would love to run my car through a carwash on the way. Alas, most of the car washes don’t open in my neighborhood until later in the morning.
How much business are these establishments losing by not thinking about the hours their services are needed?
How much business are these establishments losing by not thinking about the hours their services are needed? Something we should all take the time to examine.
It’s not just the occasional use, sometimes the needs of our clients and prospects change as the season changes. Last week the check tire pressure light came on again. This time all my tires were lower because of the cooler weather. You would think the local tire store would know of the higher demand on days when the weather changes. Nope, still not open until 8:00 am.
Take some time this week to think about the hours you are open. Are you setting hours based on personal preference, the needs of your staff, or needs of your customers? You might find more sales if you adjust your hours.
Scott Miller is the CEO of Centerpost Media, host of the Create. Build. Manage. Show (seen on BizTV, heard on BizTalkRadio, and available wherever you listen to podcasts,) and a member of the Forbes Agency Council, Entrepreneur Leadership Network, and Dallas Business Journal Leadership Trust. You can find Scott on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via “@scottmillerceo” or on LinkedIn via “@scottmillermedia.” Centerpost Media is a content marketing agency with a vision to help every business they encounter with their media needs by providing outstanding quality, service and value. Centerpost Media is the parent company to BizTV, BizTalkRadio, BizTalkPodcasts and Bizvod.