Four keys to customer engagement

Did you know that when a customer stops doing business with a company, 68% of the time it is because that customer feels ignored, unappreciated or taken for granted? Of course you know it’s a good idea to express gratitude to your customers, but how exactly do you do it? Here are four easy ways to show appreciation and earn their loyalty.

1. Stay in touch regularly. Perhaps he feels that he is being a nuisance if he visits his clients too often, so he is wrong to ignore them. This gives your competition ample opportunity to take away your customers. Make sure you contact your clients early and often. In most companies, there shouldn’t be more than 90 days that your best customers don’t hear from you.

Connect with consumers in countless ways, including emails, notes, news articles, phone calls, small gifts, and faxes. Mingle. Strive to make each contact interesting. Make an effort to bring a smile to your customer’s face. Candy or food always works too. You can leave a candy jar and fill it at each visit.

two. Ask your customers how you can serve them better. Many sales reps and business owners are afraid to ask this question because they feel the customer will demand more than they are willing to give. You may be surprised to learn how little it takes to keep your customer happy. His suggestions and ideas can give you a different perspective that you may not have considered before. In many cases, simply asking for their opinion means a lot to them.

Some clients prefer to be contacted by email, others by text, and still others prefer the personal touch of a phone call or visit. Find out what works for them. Even if it’s not your preferred mode of communication, remember it’s not about you. It’s all about them.

3. Cash never hurts. We spend so much time and effort in offering various deals and promotions to attract new customers that we forget to take care of our loyal customers. Telephone companies are a good example. How many millions of dollars are they spending on advertising and offering incredible deals if you switch from your current phone service to theirs? However, when a long-term customer has a problem, they are often less willing to give the same financial incentive to retain business.

Consider starting a loyalty program. Whether you give your customers a card to stamp, or just keep track in your own system, look for ways to reward your customers when they hit certain milestones. Track customer anniversaries and send them a card to commemorate the date they started doing business with you. It is very likely that they will be pleasantly surprised. Watch when your customers refer business to you. A thank you note is definitely a must; handwritten notes are particularly impressive. Why? Because not many people write notes anymore. A box of chocolates or other gift is also appropriate for more meaningful references.

Four. complaints welcome. Marshall Fields said, “Those who buy support me. Those who come to flatter me please me. Those who complain teach me how I can please others so they will buy from me. The only ones who hurt me are those who are upset but They do not do it”. to complain. They deny me permission to correct my mistakes and thus improve my service.”

Complaints are a form of early warning system. Consider what happens when a customer complains: a dissatisfied customer will tell 9-10 people about their bad experience, 13% will tell more than 20 people. The good news is that up to 70% of those people will return if the complaint is resolved. Better yet, up to 95% will return if the complaint is resolved quickly.

Unfortunately, only one in six customer complaints. What that means is that if you get five reviews a week, there are potentially 130 dissatisfied and disgruntled ex-customers you never hear from. If you don’t already have a complaint resolution system, think about what you need to do to resolve those complaints as quickly as possible. Not only will you keep the business, your relationship with that customer will grow stronger as they realize you are truly there to serve them.

Use these four simple strategies and you will increase your customer engagement, loyalty, retention, referrals and profits.