Posted by Meredith Estep on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 @ 09:28 AM
Attracting new customers is an important element of any business. However, what you do with those customers once they enter your doors will have a big impact on whether they come back again.
If you find that your company is lacking repeat business, there are some ways to ensure a first-time customer becomes a regular. Implement these tips to keep your customers coming back for more.
Learn their Names
It is not always easy to remember customer names when you are communicating with multiple clients each day. However, greeting customers by name is one of the easiest ways to ensure they return to your business again and again. Try using the customer's name a few times during your first conversation to help the information stick in your mind.
Use Your Manners
This seems elementary, but it is amazing how many customer service representatives fail to use words like, "please" and "thank you" when communicating with customers. Teach your staff to greet each customer as they walk in with a phrase like, "Good morning, how can I help you today?" Remind employees to thank a customer when their business is finished. Simple niceties can go a long way in motivating that customer to walk through your doors again.
Provide a Quality Product
Customers come back when they receive a quality product for a good price. If there is a reason the customer is not satisfied with the product, customer service representatives should know how to manage the complaint and go the extra mile to make the customer happy. In most cases, even unhappy customers can become quite satisfied if they feel their concerns are respected and addressed efficiently.
Send Thank-You Notes
This is another simple gesture that does not get as much recognition as it should today. When a new customer brings you business, follow up with a written thank-you note a few days later. This correspondence is the perfect time to alert them to other services you offer that would make their business more convenient. The act of a thank-you note is not widely used today, so yours is sure to stand out in your customer's mind.
Provide Incentives
First-time customers can leave your business with an incentive to come back again. This could be in the form of a coupon for a discount off their next purchase or a frequent customer card that offers a bargain after several purchases. You might even provide a "new customer packet" that includes information about your business and coupons from your company and other businesses nearby.
Getting customers through your door is the first step, but getting them to come back again is the backbone of any healthy company. These tips will help you turn first-time buyers into regular customers your business can count on over the long term.
-Meredith Estep
Posted by Meredith Estep on Wed, Jan 20, 2010 @ 01:29 PM
Making your customers feel important is a tremendous step in building customer loyalty. How do you know what customers want in order to feel important? While each individual is different, there are six definitive ways you can make your customers feel important every time they interact with your business. 1. Know Your Customer's Name
Know thy customer! If you or your service team regularly meets customers face-to-face, then practice learning and memorizing names. Every time the customer returns to your place of business, they are greeted by name, making them feel like they are royalty. 2. Treat Each Customer as Your Best Customer
Customers want to know they are valued by your business. No customer should be an interruption. They are the lifeline of your business and should always be treated as such. Train your service staff to give complete attention to a customer. Let the customer know that their needs are the most important item of business at this very moment. 3. Smile Genuinely
Why is it so hard for some service professionals to smile? A dour-faced service professional will accomplish much less than one who is friendly. Be sure that you and your service staff practice giving a smile to every customer. 4. Resolve Issues Immediately
If you have a customer with an issue, resolve it immediately. Nothing makes a customer feel valued and important than when you drop everything to solve their problem. Avoid saying, "I'll see what I can do." Sometimes it is necessary to get back to a customer at a later date, but if there is an immediate solution available, do it now.5. Be Proactive
Making customers feel important also means that you anticipate their needs. Do you know that Mrs. Smith likes to have a coffee waiting at her table? That Mr. Jones requires extra legroom? Think ahead of your customers. Know what your returning customers need are and be ready to meet them. Though you may not know all the needs of new customers, try your best to read them and anticipate what they may need. Do not be afraid to ask what else you can do to make them happier. 6. Say "Thank You"
Your mother probably taught you this fundamental rule, and it is certainly good advice. Always say "thank you" and use the customer's name whenever possible. By acknowledging that you appreciate their patronage, your customers will know they are valued.
Valued customers are your loyal customers. Make the effort to make them feel important. With each positive impact you make on a customer, you will be rewarded - not only with their business, but by referrals and a reputation that precedes you.
- Meredith Estep
Posted by Meredith Estep on Wed, Jan 06, 2010 @ 11:36 AM
A large part of your business' success depends on the customer service you provide. Will your customers want to return? Will they tell others about your business? Depending on your level of service, customers will make choices regarding their loyalty to you. Give them that extra service that points them in your direction again and again.
Here are six ways you can provide creative customer service that your clients will remember.
1. 24 Hour Call Service
Do you accept calls any time of day? Depending on your business, a 24 hour call line can be the difference between getting more business or sending customers to the competition.
For instance, do you run a plumbing business? Unfortunately, for your customers, plumbing emergencies do not just happen during business hours. Consider a phone line that customers can call any time in service businesses, such as locksmiths, towing, computer repair, auto repair, etc.
2. Give a Gift Basket
How do you thank your customers? Consider a gift basket for long-term, loyal customers. If someone has been placing orders consistently over the year, consider giving a gift basket as a thank you for their loyalty. Giving something back to customers lets them know you value their business.
3. Remember Birthdays and Special Events
Keep a calendar of important dates for important customers. Try to keep a database of birthdays for all your customers. Send a gift certificate in the mail as a birthday present, or even a free gift. Remembering birthdays and special events helps make a customer feel special, and he or she will reward you with continued business and referrals.
4. Memorize Names
A helpful customer service idea for your business is to ask and remember your customers' names. Nothing tells a customer that they are appreciated more than greeting them by name every time they walk into your store. Teach memorization tricks to help your staff associate names to faces. This idea can go a long way to helping you build customer loyalty.
5. Send Tokens of Your Great Service
Stay in touch with your customers. Send a simple postcard after a purchase to ask how the product worked for them. Publish regular newsletters to let your customers know about special happenings about your business. Put a holiday greeting every year in the mail.
While you want to keep your correspondence professional and brief, each little reminder in the mail helps your customers know that you value their business.
6. Provide Reminders
Sometimes a customer needs to be reminded about appointments and regular maintenance. For example, if you are a dentist or a chiropractor, a small postcard reminder that a checkup is due can result in getting customers in the door again. An auto mechanic service might send a regular oil change reminder every three months to encourage customers to continue important preventative maintenance on their vehicle. Not all customers will remember to continue setting appointments. Do the work for them, and your business will be rewarded.
Customer service is not just the face-to-face interactions with your customers. It is also the little things that build big loyalty - and boost your bottom line.
-Meredith Estep
Posted by Meredith Estep on Wed, Dec 02, 2009 @ 08:09 AM
Did you know that the cost for attracting new customers is five times more expensive than retaining current ones? Therefore, you should make every effort to build lasting relationships with your clients. In doing so, they will reward you with loyalty and their patronage.
Here are five steps you can take to ensure a lasting client relationship:
1. Treat Clients as Though Your Business Depends on Them
Always make your clients feel important from the first meeting to the hundredth. Give them respect and make them feel that they are your most important focus. This means:
- Smile - Smiling is contagious. Even if a client has a pesky issue, you or your service staff should always face the problem with a smile and a positive attitude.
- Eye contact - Look your clients in the eye and acknowledge their presence. Let them know that their issues and presence are important. Eye contact goes a long way in establishing rapport.
- Focus - Train your service staff to give their complete focus to a client. Clients do not feel important when a service staff is talking to a co-worker while trying to handle their problems. Make sure that your staff gives deserved focus to your clients.
2. Get to Know Your Customers
All customers want to know they are important to you. Get to know them. Remember their name and greet them by name whenever they visit or call your business. Find out what else is important in their life. If you know that they have a dozen grandchildren, ask them how the grandkids are doing. Try to learn the business and personal needs of each customer.
3. Be Willing to Say Both "Yes" and "No"
Your clients will respect you when you say "yes" to their needs, but they will also respect your limits even if you say "no." If a request is outside of your staff's capabilities, be sure to tell the client what you CAN do, instead of simply what you CANNOT do.
Always try to solve a problem immediately when possible. If not, tell your client that the issue is important, and you will respond with an answer as soon as possible. Try to give them a time frame as to when they can expect your answer, and keep them updated along the way if it will take you more than a day to get them the requested information. Setting these proper expectations will show the client how much you respect and value their time.
4. Reward Customers with a Gift
Give an occasional gift to loyal clients. It might be a free dinner for two, a bottle of wine, or tickets to an event. Clients who receive gifts know that you value them and will reward your business with many returns.
5. Stay in Touch
Keep a database of your clients' contacts. Send a periodic newsletter to let them know you still are thinking of them. A newsletter is a great way to stay in touch and remind clients of your services and other new happenings to your business.
Developing customer loyalty is akin to nurturing any type of relationship. By adding a positive human touch to each interaction, you can build long-term relationships that will add to your organization's bottom line.
- Meredith Estep