“Exceed your customer’s expectations. If you do, they’ll come back over and over. Give them what they want – and a little more.”
– Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club
It’s difficult to ensure that customers return and do business with you regularly. This is because they are often willing to give your competitors a chance, especially if better deals and products are on offer!
So, what should be done to keep competition at bay? How do you manage to keep customers by your side come what may? This article will help you cover the basics with handy small business tips that will ensure customers stay loyal to your brand for years! The tips are straightforward and divided into separate stages for your convenience.
Stage 1
i. Ensuring that your product is second to none!
It’s important to offer a flawless product that has no complaints! Listen to feedback (negative and positive) and work towards ensuring that all issues (if any) with the product are resolved. Also, make sure that your offering doesn’t lag behind competitors. A thorough research about offerings from competitors will help you understand if there are any shortcomings. This will also help you offer the product at the right pricing as desired by customers.
ii. Ensuring that customer service is exemplary
What happens if your product is exceptional, but customer support is way below standards? The answer is simple – customers will run away as soon as they can! It’s important to hire friendly customer support executives who are helpful at all times. They should receive extensive training on the products you offer to ensure they can highlight the product’s strengths in its entirety.
Stage 2
i. Opening multiple channels of communication with customers
Make sure that you are available to customers whenever they want to get in touch! For this, you will have to be visible on multiple platforms, from emails and social media to SMSes and phone calls!
ii. Engaging with customers on a timely and consistent basis
Many firms have launched social media profiles with thousands of followers. A problem of sorts arises when they don’t make the effort to interact with these followers. For example, an inactive social media page on Facebook will send out wrong signals about your company’s willingness to stay relevant in the digital age.
Stage 3
i. Pamper customers with deals and offers
People love receiving freebies! So, offer exciting discounts, coupons, and deals whenever you can! You could also give away thank you gifts for customers to show you care. Loyalty cards offer another way to retain customers for long. Just make sure that the number of visits required for a discount on these cards is low so that customers are hooked to the idea!
We hope you found this article useful. Make use of the tips featured here to gain long-term business success! Also, get in touch with us if you need any giveaway ideas for business gifts. We look forward to hearing from you soon!