As a business owner, customers are a key component to your success. Whether you’re starting a brand-new business, or trying to grow an existing one, keeping your customers coming back time and time again is a necessary goal.
But what are some best practices for turning a one-time customer into a customer for life? Here are 7 steps on how to achieve this.
Ease of Contact
This may seem like a simple feat, but you wouldn’t believe the number of companies that make communicating with a supportive team a nightmare. When it comes to your company’s online presence, it’s important to stay relevant. A few key items your company must have to create an easy flow of contact are:
- A well-managed email
- Contact phone number with the ability to leave a voicemail
- Social media presence, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- A chatbot option for commonly asked questions and instant feedback
While it is a huge step to simply provide the platform to contact your team members, it’s equally important to make sure you’re responding to them in a timely, and helpful manner.
Back Your Business with a Great Team
While this step mostly applies to brick-and-mortar businesses, having a well-managed and well-trained team for online businesses are important too. You’ll want to make sure your management staff are fully capable of training new employees to meet your companies’ high standards for customer service.
One fact about customers that will never change is they expect and respect a positive and friendly employee interaction.
Your employees should be:
- Knowledgeable
- Accessible
- Professional
- Friendly
- Patient
Customers are the entire reason your business exists… train your team to treat them that way!
Work Together for the Greater Good
Not only should your employee’s work as a team, but customers and employees should work together to serve the greater good as well.
This can be in the form of raising money to donate to charity. A great example of this is businesses who give the option for customers to round up their change for a local charity. This practice will create a reputable brand for your business, as well as make your customers feel good spending their money with you because they’re given a chance to make a difference.
Always Listen
Allowing your customers the opportunity to provide feedback, both positive and negative, can help improve your business. This practice gives customers the chance to say what they’re loving and what could be done better to make their experience a more positive one.
It’s not as simple as providing customers the platform to give feedback, but you and your team then need to listen to that feedback and implement change when needed while rewarding and acknowledging what is being done well.
Provide Incentive to Come Back
A tried-and-true way to keep customers coming back is to give them offers for returning that they can’t refuse. For example:
- A percent off their next visit
- Points earned for each dollar spent that can be used on future purchases
- A punch card that offers a reward after a certain number of visits
- Referral bonuses for bringing new customers back with them
While many customers will respond positively to monetary incentives, the simple incentive of having a friendly staff to interact with each visit can be enough to keep customers wanting more.
In Review
Building a customer base is only the start of your business success. What is really going to make your brand stand out is your ability to create a loyal customer base that not only comes back time and time again, but also refers their friends and family to help aid the growth of your company and its clientele. It’s important to remember, the customers are the base of your business. Their happiness and loyalty are what create your success. Utilizing these tips to bring customers back through your doors is a sure fire way to create and build your company’s success.