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5. Always Show
Gratitude
Nothing says you care for your
customers more than giving them a simple, “Thank you.” Whether you thank them
for a recent purchase or show appreciation for choosing you, you will make them
feel good.
Do not take your customers for
granted. Tell them that you care and thank them for choosing you and your
business. You can find, “We appreciate your business.” on just about any
invoice template. If you want your clients to believe it, though, you should
demonstrate your thankfulness.
This can be a small gesture like a
handwritten thank you note or personalized gift. Or, it could mean creating a
culture of gratitude, where you look for ways to give back to your
clients. Perhaps you invite them to a regular lunch-and-learn session where you
offer valuable information to help them succeed. (This is another great way to
show that you are the expert and want to exceed expectations.)
While many businesses look for
shortcuts to success, hoping to leap over their competition, those that survive
in the long term have great relationships with their clients. To keep your
calendar booked into the future, start working on a few of these areas today.
6. Make Communication
Easy and Comfortable
Strong client relationships require
active communication, and that means your clients need to be comfortable
reaching out. Let clients know if you are best reached by email, text message,
Slack, or some other form of communication. You should also know how they
prefer to be contacted.
Don’t leave it at easy to reach,
though. You also want to ensure that your clients are comfortable approaching
you. They shouldn’t feel like any question is too stupid to ask (after all,
you’re the expert so they don’t have to be). Instead, they should see you as a
friendly, approachable expert who will guide them through the process.
Alert your customers to promotions,
rewards programs, product updates and any other content you think they’ll find
interesting and relevant. Ask people to share their stories or hold
contests to encourage engagement. Stay a step ahead by anticipating future
challenges they may have and suggesting new solutions. If you haven’t heard from
particular customers in a while, don’t be afraid to reach out to them. Even if
your efforts don’t result in immediate sales, they’ll go a long way toward
keeping your brand first in your customers’ minds.
7 Make the most of social media.
Showing customers you are available
to them via multiple channels, makes them feel a sense of belonging. When you
provide the attention they want, when they want it, it creates a happy
customer. If you are unavailable, it can have a lasting impact not just on
customer experience but your company’s bottom line.
Social networks are extremely useful
in maintaining customer contact after the initial sale. Social media offers
great opportunities to engage your customers and build trust by showing the
personal side of your business. Monitor your customers’ opinions, interests,
and motivations. Pinpoint and reward your most loyal customers. Make
efforts to change negative perceptions other followers may have by providing
great customer service. Consumers have turned to social media platforms to ask
questions, register complaints and resolve product issues. Take advantage of it
to show how your brand is listening and cares about your customers.
8. Treat your customers with respect
Presenting customers with an
understanding of how they are feeling in any given situation shows you care.
Convey to your customers, “I’d be frustrated, too.” in times when it’s needed.
Refrain from being “cold” and robot-like. It can turn angry customers to irate
ones, quickly. Show humanity and that you genuinely care.
Give customers ways for them to
express or feel emotions. Use humor, intelligent questions, or nostalgia to
steer their mind towards a particular direction. When you offer relevant and
emotional content or conversations, you open the doors for the customer to
connect with you. They will associate the good feelings with experiences they
have with you, thus, making them want to come back again.
However, you do not want to push too
far in the direction of, “Yes, we’ve seen this many times before.” Your clients
shouldn’t feel that they are receiving some cookie-cutter advice that you dish
out to everyone.
All clients, and their situations,
are unique. Yes, they are similar, and yes, you can assure them that you have
the experience to serve their needs. You probably even have a basic starting
strategy for common problems.
Just don’t make your clients feel
like a number. This doesn’t mean you need to remember the names of all their
children or their dog’s birthday. You should have a solid understanding of why
they have to come to you, though. The more personalized your
approach and your communication, the stronger the relationship.
Quality products are no longer the
only factor that contributes to high customer satisfaction as it’s the user
experience that will overtake the price and product of every brand as a
key differentiator by 2020.
Don’t treat your customers like
academic projects that must be completed by the end of the day, but look at
them as individuals and deliver a personalized service:
- Call
them by names. A study has
pointed out to enhanced brain activity in people when they hear their
names. This means, getting on first-name terms with customers will
bring you both closer and make visitors feel appreciated.
- Keep
order history. Whether they’re
first-time visitors or regular clients, it’s always good to track order
history and offer personalized recommendations.
Go the extra mile. If you want customers to stand behind your store, you need
to show a genuine interest in their lives. How? With a simple gesture of
caring, like sending a letter or a thank you card
9. Take Responsibility
for Mistakes
Sometimes we make mistakes. While we
try to cover all the bases and keep everything running smoothly, life happens
on occasion.
The worst approach in this situation
is to disappear, trying to hide until you fix the problem, or ignore it
altogether. Typically, the longer you wait to address an issue with a
client, the worse the consequences.
If you take responsibility for the
situation early, though, you can stay in the driver’s seat. Your client knows
that you have identified and are working on a solution. And when you take
charge, even if it was not your fault, you earn your client’s respect.
10. Resolve All Issues
during the First Interaction
First impressions are vital to every
business. If a problem comes up, and you don’t take action to try and resolve
it, customers will leave. They have not built trust with you, and loyalty does
not exist yet. Show them respect by taking their issues seriously, Show them
you are their support team and will work hard to resolve all their issues the
first time.
Don’t blatantly treat new customers
different from existing ones, either. If you do, it will be much harder to turn
a new customer into a loyal one. When customers know you will be there for them
and they can rely on you, they feel a sense of security. They will feel like
you will not let them down.
As the old saying goes, “Do as you
say and mean what you do.” Let them know they can trust you, and a healthy
relationship will form.
Give customers ways for them to
express or feel emotions. Use humor, intelligent questions, or nostalgia to
steer their mind towards a particular direction. When you offer relevant and
emotional content or conversations, you open the doors for the customer to
connect with you. They will associate the good feelings with experiences they
have with you, thus, making them want to come back again.
Being mindful of customer’s time
shows you care. Giving customer convenience in every way possible is
considerate, and customers love it. Ask customers if they’d like home delivery.
If this is a service you offer, it saves customers time and the need to travel.
Think of how to make their lives easier, without taking shortcuts or lessening
quality.
11. Keep
Promises and Fulfill Commitments
Never over promise or under deliver.
When you promise your customers something, stick to it. If for any reason,
something changes, be respectful, and inform the customer straight away.
Ask customers “Are you finding
everything okay?” Asking questions, like this one, lets customers know you
respect them. You want them not to waste their time searching for items they
are finding difficult to locate. Just a few words can show a
willingness to help. Do not ignore their confused looks and puzzled
expressions. Extend a hand and help. Customer service should also go beyond the
sale. Follow-up with customers who recently bought a car from you or purchased the
Internet service you offer.
Let them know that their happiness
with your products and services matter to your small business. It’s a fact, not
every customer will be satisfied with the service you provide, even if you feel
you did your best. There are also customers who complain about their
experience, but many more who don’t. When a customer expresses their
dissatisfaction, your response needs to be, “I really appreciate you letting us
know.” Change their feelings by changing their mind. (Psychological)
Don’t become upset or get angry.
Some tend to portray a psychological phenomenon called the Online
Dis-inhibition Effect. This is when you go online without your name and photo
visibly attached to your profile and let your anger loose.
For some reason, human beings feel
like the online world offers some form of identity protection, even when they
cognitively know this is not the case.
So, what happens? You let your
inhibitions and self-boundaries go. You end up responding in ways you would
never do if you were in person.
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