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Techniques That Can Help Build Better Customer Retention

How do you separate the good companies from the bad? The answer’s simple: customer retention. In business, it’s easy to get caught up in the sales aspect of things and forget about your customers after they’ve bought your product. However, customer service is just as important as the sales you make. Established business owners know that the first purchase is just the beginning of a relationship, and the real business lies in retaining the client.

With that in mind, if you want your business to be around for a long time and prosper, then any efforts made towards building better customer retention will definitely pay off. But good customer service is more than just answering phones and helping clients with specific questions. It’s about creating a process that fosters communication, trust, and personal growth from both parties.

Remember, getting customers is hard. Keeping them, however, should be simple, right? Well, it all depends on your approach. In other words, with so many competitors out there, it can be difficult for certain business to retain customers. That’s why it’s important for business owners of all sorts, from accountants to retail shop owners, to think outside the box and put real energy and effort into making their clients feel welcomed. If you want loyalty from your customers, you’re going to have to come up with practical ways to keep clients coming back. Here’s how:

Communicate with Your Clients: Customer retention is a big challenge for any business, and that’s where effective communication comes into play. But what does that mean? Well, it means listening to the customer or client and helping them with their problems while you convey your own message as well. If communication is one-sided for whatever reason, then it’s no longer valuable to the client. If, however, communication comes from both parties, then it’s now recognized as a conversation.

So as you work on developing new ways to help customers, communicate. That means to communicate when things are going well and communicate when you run into problems along the way. When plans go as expect, bring it to your client’s attention, and when there are problems, provide possible solutions. This will help your brand build credibility, leadership, and confidence in the long run.

Don’t Hide Behind Your Computer Screen: Although voicemails, emails, and social media make it easy to communicate, they carry no emotions. That’s why business owners shouldn’t always rely on these tools to convey meaningful messages. If a client isn’t in the office or in a meeting, leave a message asking them to return your call as soon as possible. On the same note, clients should also know how to get a hold of you as well in case they have additional questions, need to change orders, or just want updates.

We’ve all had experiences dialing numbers trying to reach someone for help or listening to an automated message on the phone before finally giving up. But it shouldn’t have to be this way, especially for clients that have paid for your service. If the frustration of not being able to reach a real person gets the best of your customers, they might just leave, never to return again.

Provide Excellent Customer Service: Great customer service is more than just helping clients solve simple problems; it means going to extra mile to meet their needs. As a customer, you typically remember the companies that treated you well — and the ones that didn’t. That’s because when companies value their client and customers, you’re more likely to use their services again. However, when customers aren’t treated fairly, they’re more likely to give negative referrals which can hurt an organization’s path to success.

So, pay attention to your customer’s concerns and complaints. If they let you know that they’re not satisfied with something, find out why. This will allow you to correct your mistake and most important, improve your customer service. As a business owner, you shouldn’t take offense to negative feedback. Instead, use it as motivation, and make it easy for customers to contact you, whether by phone, email, or in-person.  The last thing to remember is keeping a positive attitude toward your customer. After all, your business is at stake if things go south.

Keep Your Staff Motivated: When it comes to job satisfaction, financial rewards, and customer retention, having a positive group of employees are key. A motivated team means that you’ll have a highly productive staff helping your clients solve their issues, which will help you achieve your business goals. But before you design a motivational strategy to keep your employees inspired, you need to first understand what influences them in the first place. The same methods that drive them to peak performance will be the same method that helps your company thrive.

Although not every employee will be motivated by the same thing, as long as they see you trying, they’ll be more willing to go the extra mile and help clients. So, what are things you can try and do to keep employees motivated? The opportunities are endless, and the rewards are substantial. You can try giving your employees new equipment like computers, keyboards, or desk. Having a family day at least once a year is another unique way to motivate your team to be more productive.

If that doesn’t work, then ask your employees what changes they’ll like to see. This won’t only save time, it will also make them feel more appreciated in the long run. Why? Because you’re displaying how much you value them and their opinion, something big-time organizations often forget about. Remember, feedback isn’t something that should just be offered to clients; it should also be offered to employees as well. After all, without them, the company would have little chance of staying open for business.

Thanks for the read! Did I miss anything important? What are some other ways customers can build better customer retention? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Herman Davis
Herman Davis
Herman Davis loves taking advantage of the sunny weather outside. If you can’t catch him online, you might be able to catch him out playing football with friends or cheering on the Denver Broncos. Follow him on Twitter below.

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CONVERSATIONS

  1. A well-functioning customer service has the best people in an organization. They do not necessarily have to be technicians, indeed, the main quality they must have is the ability to relate. It’s the how that makes the difference. How you relate to the client, how you listen to him, how you talk to him. Ask questions, open to solutions that the client offers (which are often the best), and above all do not look down on him, strong of our own knowledge, avoiding unnecessary tensions. The Customer Service staff must get a personal idea of the customer experience with the various interlocutors of the company, put ourselves in his shoes and see the company as he saw it. What must really interest is knowing and understanding. Make it feel heard.
    From experience, I do not think the customer is always right; indeed, he is often wrong and behaves rudely and uncooperative. At the same time, let’s remember it, the responsibility of the relationship is in our hands.

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