There’s nothing more important than your customers. They are the driving force of what you do and without them, your business wouldn’t be a success. One of the main reasons that customers stay loyal to businesses is because they feel valued.
When a customer feels seen and heard, their experience of dealing with the business is always pleasant. The experience of purchasing goods and services is just as important as the goods and services themselves. So, how do you make sure your customers always have a good experience?
The key is connection. You need to find ways to communicate and connect with customers so you always know exactly what they want. Here are some key tips on how to create that successful connection.
Avoid Automated Responses
Automated responses are convenient when it comes to answering simple queries but they won’t serve you well when it comes to connecting with your customers. Your long-time, loyal customers won’t want to be treated the same as your new customers. Make the effort to personalize your responses where you can.
This will help to make all of your customers feel special. Additionally, it’s important that your customers know they can get answers to specific queries when they need them. There should be an easy way to communicate with your customer service team without having to go through a song and dance each time.
Make Yourself Available
Following on from avoiding automatic responses, your business should always be available. There are so many methods of communication and each customer will have a different preference. For instance, some customers may want to call while others prefer to text.
Using a virtual phone system is a great way to make sure your business is always available when your customers want to get in touch. It means customers can connect with you using the method of their choice without any hassle and you can respond, no matter where you’re working from.
Go Above and Beyond
It will be obvious to your customers when they are important to you. When they feel important, they’ll keep coming back. Make sure that nothing is too much trouble for your customers.
Even if a customer has a bad experience with your products and services, you can end it on a high note by offering exceptional customer service and resolving the issue. You can also offer incentives for loyalty and personalize recommended products based on what you know about each customer.
Follow Up
The communication shouldn’t end when the query or complaint has been resolved. Following up is a great way to stay connected with customers and show customers you’re truly interested in their experience. Check in by asking questions or requesting feedback.
This is one of the best ways to perfect your customer experience because it allows you to gather information and tailor a customer’s experience to their preferences. Most customers love when businesses follow up, even when they don’t engage.
Character Building
To understand your target audience, you need to build a picture of the type of character your customer is. Each customer is individual but there may be things that they have in common. When you know the character of your customer, it will be easier to customize the experience.
No-one likes to be targeted by a salesperson in a transactional manner. Customers want to be approached in a way that shows the business is a real industry leader. If the customers know they’re in safe hands, they’ll spend and continue to spend.
Social Media
The whole world and its grandmother uses social media these days. It’s an excellent tool for marketing but it’s also fantastic for building relationships with your customers. Just a few simple transactions between business and customer via social media is enough to do the groundwork for creating loyal customers.
Make sure every comment and message is replied to, across all platforms. It can help to have a dedicated social media team who are trained on how to respond well to customers. It could be that many of your customers choose to use social media as their preferred method of communication.
Never Forget Your Base Customers
Your base customers are the loyal customers that continue to use your business and drive your sales. These customers are vital for building on the success of your business. Connection should always be a key with these customers.
Your base customers should know they are appreciated without a shadow of a doubt. If they have a query that needs answering, your team should be available at the convenience of these customers. Reward them with discounts and work to keep them coming back.
Gratitude
Your customers are spending their hard earned money on your products and services in good faith. They are making your business successful and allowing you to move forward. They should never be in doubt of your gratitude.
Simple gestures are the best way to show gratitude. A short email of thanks to all customers or a video message posted on your social media could do your business wonders. Customers like to connect with real people so showing yourself, your workers, and what happens behind the scenes is a great way to tear down the borders that separate you.
Surveys
Customer surveys can be time consuming but they can also help you gauge how your customers are feeling. Are they happy? Do they want improvements? Unless you ask them, you’ll always have to wonder.
A quick survey, that takes up no more than ten minutes of customer time, can be sent by email. This will help you to recognize areas that need to be changed and how you can implement those changes successfully. Constructive criticism from your customers could be the making of your business.
Connecting with your customers is paramount for the success of your business so be sure to make it a top priority. If you’ve found this article helpful, take a look at the others.
