Let’s be honest, while customers can often be a lot to handle, you can’t live without them either. They are the foundation of any business, and their loyalty is what gets you a regular paycheck. However, customers can be very fickle, and keeping them happy is a difficult thing. If you make one wrong move, you may anger them or scare them off to a competitor. It’s obvious that nobody wants this to happen, so here are 5 ways that you can get some customer love right away.
1. Always Deliver on Your Promises
This one sounds easy, right? Why wouldn’t you keep your promises? Well, you might have to trim away some features due to time or budget constraints, or push back the release date because you fall behind schedule. Some of these issues are understandable, nobody’s perfect. However, you have to realize that you are letting your customers down every time you back out of a promise. No matter how big or small you think it is, you will lose your customers when you do it too often. On the other hand, you’ll have a strong following if you always stick to your word.
2. Own up to Your Mistakes
This one kind of follows the first topic, but you need to admit when you mess up. Don’t try to sweep it under the rug or hope that nobody notices, because they will. Even the biggest companies out there have had some PR headaches, but they could have been avoided if they just said they made a mistake. You would be surprised to learn about how forgiving a customer base can be. Even if their accounts have been compromised, it’s better to let them know instead of trying to quickly gloss over it. Nobody likes to admit when they are wrong, but people respect you for your honesty. Admitting a mistake also means that you won’t make it again, unlike companies that are trying to sneak by unnoticed.
3. Make your Software/App Easy to Learn Quickly
When trying to get your customers (and prospects) on your side quickly, and with the ever-increasing need to get their honest feedback on your website, software or app quickly (in order to make the necessary adjustments), it’s a must that they can quickly learn how to operate your offering. And it’s not about tedious FAQ pages, or watching instructional videos in a different browser window, it’s about making your product easy to navigate IMMEDIATELY in order to get quick appreciation. It’s worthwhile utilizing online guidance tools (WalkMe is a good example) that simply and successfully allow users to familiarize themselves with how to work your site without have to look for external assistance.
4. Train Your Staff
Be sure that your staff is able to meet the needs of your customers. They should be able to answer all the basic questions and be courteous to everyone that they talk to. Customers aren’t going to know who is a veteran and who is still new in the company, so they’ll expect the same level of service with everyone. Make sure that your staff is trained and knowledgeable about everything they need to be (and then some.)
5. Say “Thank You”
It’s amazing how far a simple thank you can take you. People want to feel appreciated. When you thank them for calling or their business, people take notice. Don’t assume that everyone is just a number and that they’ll stick around forever. Let customers know that you appreciate them and hope to see them again soon. If it’s such a little thing, it shouldn’t take you very long to do it. Do the right thing and say thank you. That way, they’ll be back for sure.
6. Play Favorites
Lastly, be sure that you reward loyal customers. It’s ok to play favorites in a business because those that are getting the benefits will appreciate it while those that are not will want to join in. This is another way of letting your customers know that you care about them and that they aren’t just a wallet to you. You can do this in a number of different ways. Provide discounts or rewards for people that visit often or join a program. You can even give people certain deals that are only available to valued customers. No matter what you do, it will have an impact.
