Treating customer service as a two-way street builds loyalty. Here are the four best times to reach out to customers.
Use these prime opportunities to contact customers, build their confidence in you and create better relationships.
- After you screw up. You might think it’s best to avoid customers after a mistake (Why belabor a tough subject, right?). But it’s an important time to stay in contact. Call customers shortly after the issue to make sure the fix still works and offer some kind of atonement (discount, extra help, free samples).
- A lost sale. Work with sales reps to uncover customers who haven’t ordered in a while or never made a second order. Contact them to see if there was a problem or a new way you can meet their needs.
- When new cream rises to the top. Some customers may always be your best (based on what they spend or how frequently they buy). But the customers just below that tier likely changes periodically. Review accounts to find other key customers and contact them, inviting them to become more involved in your organization – perhaps in a focus group, a special survey, new product or service testers, etc.
- When you need to say “thanks.” Keep a list of customers’ anniversaries of buying from you, special events (birthdays, company expansion, weddings, etc.) and call to congratulate them on those events and thank them for their loyalty. Even better, send a hand-written note.
