Customer loyalty plays a vital role in boosting sales and building your brand, which is why it’s important to understand how to keep customers happy and satisfied. Saivian says while the ideal scenario would be for you to never lose a customer in order to retain their business in perpetuity, this isn’t always possible.
Here are seven tips that will help keep your customers coming back for more:
1) Give Them What They Want:
Your customers don’t just want service; they want service from people who can do something for them. Your employees should know enough about what you offer so they can answer the most popular questions or concerns relating to your products or services. This way, even if your customer has seen an advertisement for another company, he might still buy from you.
2) Be Fast, Efficient and Reliable:
Your customers want service quickly because they have other things to do in their lives. Build your business so that when someone asks for a product or assistance, he receives it right away. If you need help in figuring out how to make this happen, look at the companies you admire or are similar to yours. What makes them fast? How can you mirror that speed? Once you know the answer, create ways to emulate this process without sacrificing quality.
3) Have an Eye on Quality:
Even if everything goes smoothly with working with your company – even if every customer is delighted by his experience – remember that nothing lasts forever unless you continue promoting high-quality products and services. A customer might not complain about poor service if he knows your products are top-notch, but there’s no guarantee that the relationship will last unless you continue to improve constantly says Saivian.
4) Listen to Your Customers:
What do your customers want? Are they asking for products or services that you don’t offer? This is an area that many business owners ignore until their customers start doing business elsewhere. Speak with them and ask what kinds of things they wish they could purchase from you. Would it be faster response times? Would it be a different product line altogether? Try to find a way to meet these requests as quickly as possible because chances are if several customers feel the same way, others will follow suit if their desires aren’t fulfilled.
5) Make Them Feel Special:
Just as you should always be aware of what your customers are looking for, remember that they want to feel special. Even if you’re not the only business in the area, do everything possible to make them feel like they belong. For example, host an annual event or offer frequent coupons and discounts so they know you care about their business.
6) Give Your Customers Credit:
Customers love being recognized for making a difference in your company because it makes them feel good – and this is something you can easily accomplish by hosting an annual awards ceremony or even an informal “employee of the month” contest. If there’s ever anything positive written about your company. Highlight one customer who played a part in the success explains Saivian.
7) Be Honest:
Loyalty is built upon trust and honesty. If you make a mistake or break your promises. Apologize and explain the situation as soon as possible. So it doesn’t escalate to the point where you can no longer make up for it. Never lie about anything because if this becomes discovered. Your business will lose its trustworthiness and your customer retention rate could plummet faster than ever before.
As we know there is a lot of competition out there and there is nothing easier than getting 1 customer to your competitor, but the 1st point is important as it talks about how employees need to know something about your products and services says Saivian. This way you don’t end up losing customers by not knowing what certain material is or how it can be used.
The example I recently had an experience with a clothing retailer where the staff didn’t know anything about the product at all. Yet they still proceeded to sell me something completely wrong (heavyweight rain jacket for summer). Which after wearing once was found out too late that it was not suitable for use in southern Africa & was useless. The same item could have been sold correctly if someone knew what he/she was talking about. Because then I would have bought the correct one (which was a lot cheaper in the first place).
Even when customers leave after a sale and you don’t hear anything from them. They still sometimes need help or advice. So it’s important to track down everyone who purchased something. Make sure they understand how to use your product/s before they begin to complain somewhere else.
Conclusion:
It’s important for any business to not only know what they’re selling but how it works as well explains Saivian. Customers will appreciate the attention given to detail and this will help retain them in their position as repeat customers. Ensuring your business runs smoothly with excellent customer care and continued growth.