No business can thrive without repeat customers. If you can turn new customers into loyal patrons who return over and over again, who routinely choose your brand over the competition, and who speak highly of your business to their friends and neighbors, then you’ve harnessed the best possible asset that any business can have.
As these 7 quotes to inspire lasting customer loyalty show, understanding how your customers see your business and how your customer service affects that view is the key to gaining customer loyalty.
Take a look at some of these strategies that can help you build a loyal customer base….
Make Customer Service a Top Priority
It sounds so simple. Everyone knows that customer service is important, yet customers abandon businesses every day because of a poor customer service experience. What can you do to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you?
Be proactive. Invite customers to share their concerns and criticisms, and address them promptly and with a smile. Make it easy for customers to express themselves by providing multiple means of contacting someone who can address their issues.
In many ways, customer service is all about attitude.
If customers feel that they’re receiving personalized attention from someone who cares about their experience, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Reward Loyalty
A common marketing tactic for businesses that are trying to expand their clientele is to create special offers or deals that are only available to new clients. However, these kinds of strategies can leave returning customers feeling frustrated and taken for granted.
Take the time to acknowledge and reward the customers that have been with you all along.
Special offers, early access to sales, or rewards for a certain number of purchases are just some of the ways that you can let your regular customers know that you value their patronage.
Lead by Example
Who is the face of your business? Which employees do your customers encounter first when they walk into your place of business?
In many cases, the first people your customers meet are likely to be the employees who make the least money, have the least job security, and have the highest rate of turnover. These are your cashiers, your floor sales people, your reception staff, and so on.
Model the treatment that you want these workers to give your customers by treating these employees the same way.
Let them know that they’re valued and important, and take their concerns seriously. Foster an environment that inspires loyalty within your employee ranks.
Employees who are happy and loyal will have every reason to work their hardest to inspire loyalty in your customers.
Stay Engaged
Don’t let your customers forget you. Keep them thinking about you by letting them know that you’re thinking about them.
Today’s businesses have more means of reaching out to their customers than ever before. Learn to use social media, email, and other web-based tools to your advantage.
Your customers don’t need to read every newsletter or respond to every post, but seeing your company name on a regular basis will help keep your business at the top of their consciousness.
The experience of being a customer is universal; everyone is someone’s customer at some point.
Take the time to think over your own experiences as a customer and take note of what inspires your own loyalty to a business or brand.
Don’t hesitate to incorporate the things that attract you to a business into your own business practices.
About the Author: Cheryl Baer is an author who writes on topics that include business development and marketing.
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