1.What is important when exporting goods or services for the first time? Professional advice, Personal contacts

To staff off, seeking professional advice may be an important first step.  Undoubtedly, there are many business and legal regulations related to export.  But as a novice in this area, it is impossible to fully understand all the details involved.  Professional advice then becomes an indispensable way to avoid expensive mistakes.

Last but not least, the number of personal contacts is no small consideration either.  Networking has now become an important aspect in the modern business world.  The more people you know, the easier it will be for you to market products, to expand your customer base, and to close deals.  The same can be said when export business is concerned.

 

2. What is important when monitoring the quality of service provided? Feedback from customers, Checking sales figures

To begin with, feedback from customers cannot be overlooked.  There are several ways to obtain customer feedback.  For instance, we can distribute questionnaires to customers and then collect them.  Some companies even put a customer response card in the product package.  Setting up a helpline service or customer email service is also an fast and effective means of keeping in touch with customers. 

Another vital thing to do is to check sales figures.  Sales figures are normally strongly correlated to the quality of service provided.  In today’s competitive business environment, a firm with poor service standards will suffer the drain of repeat customers almost immediately, and perhaps permanently.  Therefore, any sign of declining sales figures should serve as a warning signal to people in charge of customer service.