Did you know that, in terms of brand perception, it takes 12 positive consumer reviews to make up for a single negative one? In case the implication isn’t clear: great customer service is infinitely important to your business.
Although companies often choose to focus on gaining new customers, they often underrate the value and importance of making sure existing customers have a positive experience that will keep them coming back. Creating customer loyalty is an ongoing effort that has to occur along multiple fronts. Here are three important tips on how to provide good customer care across the board.
1. You Need a Quick and Efficient System in Place
Customer service is no longer limited to a single inquiry lane in the store, or a phone line individuals can call. Now, it spans everything from smartphone applications to responsive social media. Did you know that about 45% of consumers in the U.S. will leave an online transaction if they cannot quickly receive a reply to their concern or question? This brings home the point that a responsive, updated customer service interface for everything from phone messages to email is important. A customer left hanging is often a customer who takes their money elsewhere.
2. Creating Customer Loyalty is a Relationship
Given what we know about customer loyalty, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that companies experience a 30% increase in value with just a 10% increase in consumer retention. How can you get that retention, though? One key way is making customers feel special, even after the sales interaction. Even a simple “thank you” email can not only reiterate this appreciation, but also serve as an open door to communication in case the customer might have additional concerns or questions.
3. Quality Customer Care Isn’t Accidental
Hand in hand with better customer care, is better employee training. Many of the actions or responses you might think of as “common sense” might not seem so to even your best employees. Training helps ensure that you deliver uniform, respectful care to your customers that goes above and beyond their expectations. It’s worth noting that 70% of customers judge their buying experiences based on how they feel they were treated.
Do you have tips for how to build customer loyalty? Let us know in the comments! More information like this: Direct buy
