Gaining an edge over your competitors through smart sale and marketing strategies is just one part of the business success story. Another crucial aspect of it is keeping your customers satisfied so they return to you time after time.
Satisfy customers' needs
Customers' satisfaction boils down to knowing the primary needs of your target customers and how best you can increase the value and benefits they are able to derive from your product/service.
Some examples are:
- A "pro-family" restaurant that not only welcomes children, but keeps the energetic little ones happy by providing them with fun things to do.
- Hospitals that send SMS messages to notify patients that their turn to see the doctor is coming up, thus allowing them to move away from the queue and use their time more productively.
- A "running lab" that provides a treadmill to let potential customers test out sports shoes, as well as personalized advice on selecting shoes' with best fit.
- An airline that increases the size of seats and amount of legroom to make their economy-class passengers more comfortable.
- Banks that provide full-service Sunday banking to cater to the needs of their time-deprived customers.
Treat your customer right
Good customer service is the bread and butter of your business. You can offer promotion and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to back, your business won't be profitable for long.
Good customer service is all about sending customers away happy - so that they'll want to come back to you, as well as positive feedback about your business for themselves, and in their turn become repeat customers.
To build and sustain that good relationship, ensure that your business consistently does these things:
Commit to quality service
Train your staff to be always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. Everyone in the company must be devoted to creating a positive experience for customer, and endeavor to go above and beyond customer expectations. It pays to be helpful even if there's no immediate profit in it.
Know your customers
Try to learn everything you can about your customers so you can tailor your service approach to their needs and buying habits. Obtain feedback and treat complaints seriously, so you can get to the root of your customer dissatisfaction and remedy the cause.
Know your products
Try to anticipate the types of questions customers will ask. Conveying knowledge about your own products and services will help you win a customer's trust.
Don't disappoint
If you guarantee a quote within 24 hours, get the quote out in a day or less. Fail to do so and you'll lose credibility - and customers. If you can't make good on your promise, apologize and offer some type of compensation, such a discount or gift.
Show courtesy and respect
Remember that every contact with customers, whether by email, phone, written correspondence or face-to-face, leaves an impression. Acknowledge them, treat everyone fairly, offer help without being a pest, and show your appreciation for their patronage.
Don't leave customers hanging
Treat every callback, email and service request with a sense of urgency. Customers usually want immediate resolution; if you can provide it, you'll probably win their repeat business.
Never argue with customer
Even if the customer isn't right, don't just focus on what went wrong in particular situation, but do your utmost to fix the problem. Disgruntled customers will do business with you again if you resolve their complaints tactfully.
If you apply these "commandments" faithfully, your business will become known for its good customer service. Over time, this will bring in more new customers (and profits) than promotions and price slashing!
- Keep Your Customers Coming Back For More
