Customer loyalty is paramount, irrespective of how big our businesses are. And from experience, I have learned that retaining customers is multiple times cheaper than trying to win new ones. But as we may have experienced, getting customers is one thing. It is entirely a whole different game to win their loyalty. Knowing that repeat business (and who doesn’t desire this) comes from loyal customers, we should prioritize building loyalty as well as implementing strategies to assist with that, this may include incorporating loyalty programs (see this page) so that customers feel understood and seen. It is such a bad idea to let the customers, on who we spend lots of resources, vanish just like that. To avoid this kind of scenario, here are some strategies we should consider putting into practice.
Having the Right Employees
Our employees interact with our customers on a day-to-day basis. As such, they need to carry themselves around well and handle visitors with a high sense of courtesy. They are the image of our businesses, and any slight fault in their behavior can tarnish an otherwise good business reputation. Just because someone went to school does not mean that they have what it takes to handle customers. It takes a little extra skill to be in the good books with customers. Values such as patience, courtesy, politeness, and humility may be inborn rather than acquired. That is why we need to pay due diligence during the employee recruitment process and hire candidates who can fit in with the vision of the company. To know more about how you can attain this goal, you might want to refer to this helpful resource and get further knowledge about the same.
Bonuses and Discounts
We have heard how bonuses work, especially those who gamble at online casinos. The casinos usually reward their players with free money, which they can use to play games. Just the way these entities use bonus systems to win customer loyalty, we can also use the same in our businesses. For instance, we can take advantage of bonus schemes, where we award our customers with points every time they shop with us. When these points accumulate to a certain amount, they can redeem them and use them for shopping instead of spending money. The points system has worked for many businesses out there, and it still works.
Discounts are yet another strategy we can implement to win customer loyalty. And while we don’t have to give everyone discounts, there are those repeat customers who deserve it. Rewarding them with deals will keep them hooked on our products or services. We can also have a VIP program in place; it works.
Putting Customer Feedback into Consideration
Lets not assume that all is right without seeking our customers opinions. There are various ways we can collect customer feedback. You can conduct webinars and have the discussion online. There is plenty of webinar software available, Demio (https://serp.co/reviews/webinarjam/), for example, is a widely used webinar marketing tool. You can ask them direct questions on what they think should be improved, asking them to complete questionnaires, or sending out surveys. Surveys are normally a good way to get customer feedback because the business can set out the questions, ensuring they get the feedback they want. By using the software at Reputation.com, businesses can start creating surveys for their customers to fill in. Additionally, having a suggestion box where they can drop any comments is also a way of gathering information. We can even go a step further to create online customer forums. These platforms allow the customers to freely share their views on what satisfies them and what does not. Once we have collected the feedback, we can adjust our services and products based on the same data and let them know that their views have been acted upon. That will show that we care for them, and they will be willing to stick with our businesses for a long time.
Admitting to Making Mistakes
The customer is always right. And trying to engage them in arguments can destroy our relationship with them, even if they are the ones in the wrong. Letting them win does not take away our personality. The worst scenario is when we try to argue with our customers when we are the ones in the wrong. When a customer calls to complain about an expired product we sold to them, we should use the opportunity to claim responsibility and promise to have the issue resolved rather than try to put up a defense. Customers hate being in the wrong, which we must accept lest we lose them.