Retention is tough enough with your employees, but it can be even tougher with your customers. Luring them in the door with special offers and ridiculously low prices might bring them in the first time, but continuing that trend can take a chunk out of your bottom line profits. You will need to have a means of convincing your customers that your business is worth returning to and any good experience they had will have to be repeated.
The catch phrase in the business world is say what you are going to do and then do what you say plays a crucial role in retaining customer loyalty. It goes further for more people than prices. Reduced prices on products and services might bring a few people in from your competitors, but if they left their old source based on price, they will leave you if they can find the same thing cheaper somewhere else. Consider that pricing and quality of many products are going to close at many different outlets, bringing customers back will require offering one thing better then everyone else's service.
To better understand the concept, you have to know what customer service really is and it can mean different things to different people. To some customers, good customer service means they can enter your establishment, get what they want and get out in as little time as possible. Others want a grand selection of common items while for others, having the business owner treat them like a king is more important that the quality of the products and low prices. They are willing to pay extra for person service. Then there are those who do not want to be bothered while they look around.
The key to good customer service is being able to recognize the type of customer you are dealing with every time one walks through the door. If you are busy trying to help some who does not want your help for instance, the customer that wants you to fawn over them may feel neglected and head somewhere else to have their ego stroked. Of course, if you have two of these personalities in your business at the same time, you are in trouble.
If you do not offer services to the public, you still have customers or clients for whom you perform different functions and if you promise something will be done at a certain time, you have to make sure you deliver or you will lose the customer. You will need to be careful when accepting projects to make sure you can meet their deadlines as having to go back and tell them you are going to be late, may cause the project to be the last one you ever do for them.
Hitting deadlines are not only good business but also necessary, but if you finish a project early it is nothing to be ashamed of. Go ahead and send it in when you get done and the client may actually appreciate having their project completed ahead of schedule.
Why Customers Come Back
Here are 10 things you shall do:
1. Set yourself apart from the competition.
Give your customers something they can't get elsewhere. This is your niche on the Web. Make your niche something of real value over time and people will come back again and again.
2. Don't waste time on activities that can be automated.
For instance, let your email program filter and route your incoming messages automatically, use a template to build new pages for your site, etc. Automation frees up your time so you can concentrate on the important stuff - your customer.
3. Eliminate the time you spend on non-productive tasks.
For instance, unsubscribe to newsletters you never read instead of deleting them each time. Handle paperwork one time and then file it instead of stacking it in a pile. All these little things add up to lots of wasted time that could be spent on your customer.
4. Concentrate your efforts on marketing to the people that need your service.
Start by auditing your marketing and sales data to find out how and why a sale is made. Eliminate or change marketing strategies and services that don't serve the needs of your customers.
5. Respond to email quickly.
Response time should be under 24 hours. By responding quickly you send the message that your customers are important and you are genuinely interested in meeting their needs.
6. Follow up on sales orders.
Make sure your customer is thoroughly satisfied with their purchase and offer additional services related to their purchase.
7. Give refunds promptly and unconditionally.
8. Ask your customers to fill out a survey so you can better understand their needs.
Offer a valuable freebie or a discounted service for participating. This strategy establishes a dialogue between you and the customer and helps determine the direction of your business.
9. Publish a newsletter.
Give your subscribers valuable tips and information they can't get anywhere else. Offer subscriber-only discounts and freebies.
10. Make your site easy to navigate.
Customers value their time and appreciate finding what they want quickly and effortlessly. Imagine every customer as a real person standing in front of you. What are his needs and how well are you addressing these needs? Let this image guide you in all aspects of your business and you'll discover hundreds of ways to form lasting customer relationships.
Both Michael Laleye & Joel Suarez are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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