Most customers who leave you do it for the same general reason: They didn’t feel cared for.
Someone or some incident made them feel unappreciated. Research from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that almost 70% of customers said they’d quit doing business with a company because they felt the company was indifferent toward them.
Answering questions and fulfilling requests is only part of making each experience great. Customers need to feel cared for, too.
“Inspiring long-term loyalty starts with a plan,” says Ellen Williams, regional development director at Constant Contact. “Keeping your current customers happy plays a big role in growing your customer base.”
These hassle-free tips can help front-line employees show customers they — and the company — care:
1. Make recognition part of the plan
Customers contribute to your success. Their purchases and loyalty pay the bills. Try to recognize them for their contributions.
Contact customers who’ve helped your business grow, stayed loyal through tough times or are a pleasure to work with. Ask them if they’ll be part of a Customer of the Week (or Month) program. Highlight them, their lives or businesses and their years with you on your website, in social media or in email newsletters. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, put up signs featuring them.
2. Make them part of an exclusive group
An invitation alone to something exclusive can make many customers feel special. It often gets customers talking positively about your business, too.
Some organizations create an early access program, where certain customers can have access to new products before they’ve been completely launched. Others offer premium services that aren’t available to all customers, which can be profitable, too: More than 50% of customers in a survey said they’d pay more for better service. On a smaller scale, many companies invite customers to sign up to be the first to know about new products and services — then they give them special discounts and promotions.
3. Host an event
Give customers something for nothing, and it almost always turns into more profits. Invitations to special events often increase the money customers will spend with the company because the event built more trust and deeper business relationships.
For companies that conduct most of their business online or with far-flung customers, hosting webinars or sending out white papers can accomplish this. For brick and mortar businesses, on-site events such as anniversary celebrations work well to make customers feel special.
4. Make them part of your ‘family’
Invite customers to be part of your business by pursuing their feedback. Do more than a survey, though. Ask customers who’ve complained to be part of an advisory team that’s looking into root causes of problems. Ask regular customers to sit in on a round table about potential new products and services.
The online options are almost limitless. Many organizations invite super users to participate in chats that involve others customers and technicians. There, they share problems and customers often help each other, building a support system fostered by the company.
