When it comes right down to it, your customers are the reason you even have a business to begin with.
Stop for a moment and think about where you would be if it were not for the dedicated customers who buy products and/or services from you on a daily basis. In many cases, you’d be out looking for work.
With that being the case, no matter what line of business you are in, you have to give customers the attention they want and deserve. To not do so opens you up to problems, some of which you may not be able to overcome.
In always putting your customers first, make sure you do it in a way that gives them reason to reward you over time too.
Happy Customers Tend to Be Longtime Customers
So that you keep your customers around for as long as possible, keep these tips in mind:
- Customer service second to none – First and foremost, your customer service must be nothing short of stellar on a daily basis. Remember, it just takes on bad customer service experience to send many customers fleeing; fleeing that is into the arms of your competition. Yes, you will have some customers who will feel that they got short-changed in terms of the service your business provided them, but do your best to reassure them that is simply not the case. In the event there is an issue with the service you gave them, do your best to give them reasons to stick by you. One of the ways to do this is by providing them a discount on their next purchase. You may have to twist an arm or two at times, but it will prove worth it over the long haul, notably for your company’s financial health;
- Your niche truly does matter – What line of work you’re in certainly plays a major role in how you go about customer service. For instance, if you reside in the transportation industry, you know all too well how important timely and satisfactory service proves to be. In many cases, you only get one shot with a new customer to provide them with a winning experience. Drop the ball on this and there is a good chance they drive off elsewhere for their needs the next time around. In the event you offer ride sharing technology for your customers, make sure it is working properly, not a recipe for disaster. With millions of people needing to get from one place to another on a daily basis, your ride sharing operations need to be stellar, especially when it comes to delivering on-time service. From making sure the drivers do their jobs to your riders getting picked up in a timely manner, the key is to put forth a smooth operation. When you do that, customers tend to come back again and again.
Let’s Make a Deal
- Deals are always a winner – Finally, are you offering your customer specials as often as possible? Although you can’t continually be lowering prices, you should put deals out there whenever the timing seems right. For instance, if you have some long-time customers, do you reward them? If not, what incentive do they have to stay with you for years to come? You can give them periodic discounts when they bring in new customers etc. By doing so, you give them more reason to not only stay with you, but also look around among friends and family to see who else they can get to do business with you.
If you have been a little lax up to now when it comes to putting customers first, the time to change that has definitely arrived.
About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business topics on the web.
