With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, a financial services firm has urged small businesses to “romance” their customers this year, or risk missing out on valuable sales to competitors.

Bibby Financial Services claimed that with competition intensifying in the UK economy and soaring customer expectations, it was “crucial” for small firms to be attentive to the needs of the public.

In order to help companies deliver improved customer service in 2004, Bibby came up with the following tips:

Go that extra mile – always strive to exceed your customer’s expectations such as promising delivery within 12 working days, but actually delivering in seven. However, you must keep your promises.

Show then you care – get a dialogue going with your customers and positively encourage feedback. Set up a customer hotline, create an online feedback form or phone key customers to get a better understanding of their requirements.

Make their lives easier – you could, for example, adopt a simple returns policy procedure or provide free parking for visitors to your premises.

Get up close and personal – wherever possible, give your customers a personalised service, greet regular customers by name or assign particular members of staff to particular customers and empower employees to make decisions to enhance customer service levels.

Mind your ‘p’s’ and ‘q’s’ – create a good impression by encouraging staff to be as courteous and polite as possible.

Don’t pass them from pillar to post – try to deal with potential problems as and when they arise and ensure that issues are resolved quickly with the minimum of fuss. Provide training to teach staff to listen to customers and take steps to resolve any issues.

Be a good listener – the key to any successful relationship is listening. Remember that the customer is always right and never get drawn into an argument. Recognise that sometimes you may have to back down in a negotiation to retain customer loyalty.

Cherish your top customers – a few big customers can be responsible for a large proportion of profits. Prove your devotion to those clients by inviting them to a special event, reward their loyalty with a discount or a gift and reinforce the idea that they are valued in all communications with them.

Trust is the key – cultivate the attitude that all people are worth trusting and you will find that you are rarely wrong. Build strong customer relationships based on trust.

Share your passion – the passion you have for your business can be infectious to your customers and can increase feelings of loyalty to you and your product or service.

David Robertson, chief executive of Bibby, said: “Most people don’t think about using the words ‘romance’, ‘commitment’ or ‘passion’ within a business context, but the key to delivering truly outstanding customer service is to understand what makes your customers tick and to continually strive to meet, and surpass, your client’s requirements.

“By taking the time to romance your customers, you will not only enrich existing relationships but attract new customers and keep several steps ahead of the competition,” he said.