Top 10 Myths
There are too many technology myths floating around out there. We’re here to give you the clear, simple facts.
Meet Fran
Fran owns a professional dog grooming salon. She’s been in business for a few years and has a number of loyal customers. She occasionally gets new business, and would like to get more. Fran has one part-time assistant who does dog-washing and limited grooming.
Fran's current technology:
- A website that gives basic information on her company and hasn't been updated in 18 months. It’s hosted by a local company and suffers from intermittent downtime
- A customer database in Excel that she uses mostly for mailing holiday cards
- Email that Fran checks a few times a day
- A business phone and answering machine that most customers use to contact her and make appointments
Fran's goals:
- Increase revenue
- Increase the number of customers who use her assistant’s services
- Reduce time spent answering phone calls and emails
- Free up time to focus on building a more profitable business
Fran Finds Clearly Simple Solutions
Fran contacts Clearly Simple Solutions to advise her on technology opportunities that will help meet her business goals.
After identifying and evaluating a number of different opportunities for improvement, Clearly Simple Solutions develops these key business strategies:
Strategy 1 - Update the website
Fran needs a website that offers current information, like monthly promotions or grooming specials. She needs a more reliable hosting provider. She also needs to improve SEO and improve her local search presence to steer customers to her site.
Strategy 2 - Email customers periodically
Fran needs to maximize the potential of her customer database by using it to create email lists. Keeping in contact with customers and offering them special incentives will keep customers returning, especially for her assistant’s services.
Strategy 3 - Offer online appointment scheduling
Fran needs to minimize the time she spends making appointments on the phone by enabling customers to make appointments online. Online scheduling will also make her company more available, allowing customers to create appointments at their own convenience any time of day or night.
Fran Gets a Clearly Simple Technology Plan
Fran decides to implement the strategies slowly. First, she starts on Strategy 2 - sending email updates and specials to her customers. Fran decides to work on Strategy 1 next and puts a plan in place to update her website and local presence over the next six months. She can help offset the costs of this by advertising less in the phone book and local newspaper since she’s driving more sales from emails.
By measuring the number of customers who used her online services and email specials, Fran will monitor the results of these strategies before addressing Strategy 3 - online appointment scheduling - next year.
Fran Enjoys Clearly Simple Results.
- Fran's customers are happier because they benefit from her online sales and email specials. Many of them are excited about making online appointments next year
- Fran's business is more profitable. She has more loyal customers than ever
- Fran is able to spend less time on the phone and more time being productive
- Fran's assistant is happy working more hours, and Fran may even consider hiring another groomer soon