Keeping Customers Happy

Why do people choose to make purchases from small businesses rather than large ones? Often, it is because they value the high standard of customer service that smaller firms can provide.

Building customer relationships is crucial for increasing sales and growing your company, as reflected by your customer management software. Sure, attracting new business is important, but retaining existing customers is just as necessary - if not more so.

The personal touch

Have you ever walked into a coffee shop and found your regular order already waiting for you by the time you reached the front of the line? Or been greeted by name when you walk into your local bank?

Personal gestures such as these demonstrate to customers that they are valued. Every customer is different - and acknowledging your one-on-one relationship will make them feel welcome.

Knowing a customer's preferences and habits can also help you boost your bottom line through further sales to satisfied customers. For example, if you have a customer who always buys a particular product, suggest a related item that may be of interest. Of course, you should only offer customers a product that you think they may find valuable - nobody wants their time wasted with a sales pitch.

You can also anticipate when a customer is due to make another order and be there to offer it to them first - maybe even with a discount for locking in a regular payment that can be recorded in your customer management software.

Be reliable

This may seem like common sense, but it can be only too easy for small businesses - in their eagerness to seal a deal - to promise more than they can deliver.

News about bad service travels fast. The last thing you want is for your customer to be disappointed, so make sure that items will actually arrive on the day that you say they will, that any claims made in your marketing efforts are true and that you will cheerfully accept exchanges or returns.

Respond to complaints

Research shows that most unhappy customers will never even tell you about their dissatisfaction. That is why, when you do receive a complaint, it is important to deal with it quickly and satisfactorily. These customers are far more likely to return to your business if they felt you listened to them and were responsive. They are also likely to tell others about their experience.

Train your employees

Your employees are a reflection on you and your business. Set a good customer service example for others to follow and make sure staff understands that they will be held accountable for their attitude and actions.

One way to do this is to include customer service goals as part of the employees' objectives - and reward them for meeting or exceeding these goals. You may also want to reassure them that they are free to take measures to ensure a good customer experience, such as offering a discount to a repeat buyer or refunding a damaged item.

It is also worth remembering that staff morale is closely tied to workers' motivation to provide good customer service. First, ensure your staff is happy; then they are more likely to make sure customers are happy.

Gather feedback

What better way to find out what your customers like and don't like than asking them? Have a dedicated area on your website for customer comments - or a prepaid postcard if you run a bricks-and-mortar shop. Make it clear that you would really like to know what people think.

Remember, it is not enough to simply ask for suggestions - to truly build trust, you should show that you are acting on them as well. Include examples on your website or store bulletin board of real improvements you have made based on customer recommendations, for example stocking a particular product line or offering additional shipping methods.

Say thank you

Every order you fulfill should include a "thank you" of some kind, even if it is just the words themselves on a courtesy card. You can send out special thank-yous to customers on major holidays or on their birthdays or when they make a particularly large purchase.

And remember that everyone appreciates a gift. Maybe you offer a free item for every ten orders they place or free shipping over a certain amount. Whatever the tactic, small gestures of thanks count and will be remembered.

Go the extra mile

Small businesses may have to work harder than their larger counterparts to attract and retain customers - and taking extra steps to accommodate customer requests can go a long way towards your efforts to stand out from the crowd. If you don't carry a particular item, see if you can special-order it. If they have an unusual request, try your best to honor it.

It may be temporarily inconvenient to take these extra steps, but it is likely to pay off in the long run as a delighted customer tells their friends - and you record additional customers and sales in your customer management software.