It costs so much money and effort to convert new customers that it is critical that you can keep them once you’ve won them. But, how do you go about keeping them? One important role for you as a supplier is to provide a great customer experience and these are some simple steps to ensure your customers want to keep buying from you.
1. Ask your customers about their experience
Never fear asking your customers for feedback. They can be your greatest source of information, as long as you are willing to listen and act on what they say. You need to ensure you have channels in place to receive immediate feedback. Just like Don Vito Corleone, in the Godfather, you should want to ‘hear bad news immediately’. There is nothing worse than searching furiously for a customer complaint or feedback channel, only to find the company clearly doesn’t want your feedback. It is frustrating and exacerbates a bad customer experience.
Often it’s better to have customer feedback come through a third party to ensure you receive honest responses. If the people asking for feedback do not have their own job on the line, you’re much more likely to get an objective response. In addition, you may be placing your customers in an awkward position by asking them directly about their experience. Either contracting specialists or putting together a simple digital or physical feedback form will help you understand the parts of service you are doing well, and the areas on which you need to work. You can also get a clearer picture of individual staff performance by asking for the employee’s name. The added bonus is that your employees are likely to perform better if they know you are grading them on their service and commitment.
2. Train your customer-facing employees
No one wants to buy from a person who doesn’t seem to care about their job or their customers. Customer service is more than just doing what needs to be done; it’s about caring enough to go above. There’s unlikely to be a customer who hasn’t experienced bad service at some time and it is rarely ever only because of the product you’ve purchased. While it might be annoying, most customers expect products to fail. No one is surprised when their computer freezes or their mobile phone can’t last the day without a recharge but it’s how you handle the product failure that will determine a customer’s experience.
Ensure your customer service staff know how to handle a customer complaint. Also, check their advice is consistent and they are meeting customer expectations. If you tell your customers you’re going to get back to them today, make sure you do, even if you don’t yet have an answer for them. Have service level agreements in place and ensure your staff follow them to the letter. Customer service training is important and you should be conducting regular formal and informal training sessions with all of your front line staff.
3. Personalise your customer experience
No matter the number of customers you have, each one deserves to be treated well. One of the easiest ways to make them feel special is to personalise your communication with them. Start by asking them how they want to be contacted: phone, email, SMS, mail (does anyone want that?). Then make sure you use that channel when possible for your communication.
Use their name when you can and try not to send generic emails that don’t relate to the product or service they have paid for. Yes, you’ll want to try and upsell to them, but make sure the upsell is relevant and would improve their current offer.
4. Monitor social media
Stay on top of complaints and public opinion by monitoring your social media channels and any other place you are getting a mention. There are numerous software options for this kind of monitoring available so choose one that will best fit your budget and needs. If you don’t have the resources to monitor you social media channels, I would suggest you don’t set them up in the first place. Everyone assumes you need social media to sell product, but it still very much depends on the product you are selling. Lame social media accounts and those that aren’t kept up to date are possibly worse than having none at all.
5. Be transparent
Hidden costs, overcharging and fine print are not the ways to deliver a good customer experience. There is nothing worse than a customer finding out they are locked into a contract due to some intentionally suspect terms and conditions. Your customers should want to stay with you due to the service you are providing, not because you lured them into a trap. Tell them up front what to expect and deliver on your promises and they will remain happy and loyal customers.
You also need to remain transparent with your employees, not just your frontline staff. Each one has their own network of friends and family and will be happy to pass on when they feel you’ve done them wrong. We’ve all heard someone we know complaining about their employer and you don’t want that employer to be you. Word spreads very quickly if you are not transparent in a transaction, or if you are not a great employer, and the damage to your reputation and your longer-term business can be devastating.
Rhonda Locke is a highly experienced marketer, a customer, product and brand champion, and is the Founder and Director of Unlocke Creative.