3 Ways to Drive Customer Loyalty and Keep Customers for Life
Ever had a customer that you felt the urge to hug? That one amazing customer who keeps coming back to your business, continuously compliments your products, and is liberal with referrals to friends and family? These are the types of customers that keep small businesses afloat, buoy entrepreneurs during their toughest days, and remind us all of how important customer service really is. So what can your business do to drive customer loyalty and turn everyday customers into "forever" customers?
3 ways to drive customer loyalty
1. Get personal with your customers
Long-term business relationships aren’t really built on business at all; they are built on personal connections between companies and clients. Yes, it is important to deliver an excellent product, but there are many companies out there that will deliver the same product, sometimes at a lower price. Personal relationships are the key to securing a forever customer.
The next time a customer comes into your store, stop what you are doing to ask them about their day. Don’t talk about your products (unless they specifically ask, of course). Instead, talk to them about their favorite sports teams, their most recent vacation, and their children. They will remember that you made a genuine effort and will most likely feel compelled to come back at a later date.
2. Conduct customer surveys regularly
Not every customer will tell you when she or he is happy with a product. Even those customers that are unhappy may stay silent because they are too busy to change vendors or may be contractually obligated to stay with your company for a specified period of time.
Don’t assume that you know how your customers feel about your product or service—ask them instead. Get in the habit of sending out surveys in a medium appropriate to your client base (email, phone, even in-person meetings). Asking for this feedback will give you valuable insight into how you are doing and what you can do better.
More articles from AllBusiness.com:
- Small Business Retailers: Here’s How to Turn Your Retail Pain Point into Retail Opportunities
- 7 Ways to Earn and Build Customer Loyalty for Your Business
- How to Encourage Customer Loyalty in Your Small Business, and Why It’s Critical to Your Success!
- 10 Simple Client Appreciation Tips to Keep Your Business Growing
- How to Turn Every Customer Service Call Into a Valuable Customer-Retention Conversation
Once you receive a survey, communicate any improvement plans to your customers and follow up with them on your progress. Pretty soon, they will be rooting for you to succeed and will want to be part of your success.
3. To drive customer loyalty, practice consistency
Customers are more likely to frequent an establishment if they know that they’ll receive great service every time. Take the time to train your customer-facing employees on how to create an exemplary customer experience on every occasion.
If this seems like an insurmountable task (you may be thinking, how it is possible to make every interaction perfect?), try breaking your customer interactions down into bite-sized pieces. Hold a meeting with your employees on the topic of phone calls and discuss the interactions you want them to have. Or focus on email communications.
Allow your employees to offer their own ideas on how to improve customer interactions. Instead of tasking them with a defined script for every conversation, give your employees a general framework of the type of attitude you expect them to exhibit. Schedule customer service training sessions regularly to allow employees to brush up on their skills and ask them to participate in simulated customer conversations. The more your employees practice, the better your customer retention numbers will be.
RELATED: 7 Secrets to Keeping Your Service Business Clients for Life
