Tweet

10 Customer Service Tips to Build Loyal Customers

Guest post by: Ingrid Cliff

Article Overview: It costs about 3 times more to find a new customer than it does to retain an existing customer. What does that mean? For most businesses, your best investment can and should be in keeping your existing customers happy, rather than always chasing new customers.

10 Customer Service Tips to Build Loyal Customers

It costs about 3 times more to find a new customer than it does to retain an existing customer. What does that mean? For most businesses, your best investment can and should be in keeping your existing customers happy, rather than always chasing new customers.

Many businesses I work with have functioning client acquisition strategies, but have nothing put in place to keep their existing customers satisfied. Here are 10 customer service tips to build loyal customers (and most cost nothing to put in place).

1. Say thank you. Customers have chosen to invest time and money with you. Being grateful for their investment and saying thank you is one of the simplest and easiest ways to build customer relations. This can range from a simple verbal thank you, to a handwritten note on an invoice or a postcard, through to a bunch of flowers or corporate gift. Whatever you choose to do to say thank you – do it from the heart and think about what you are doing.

2. Learn names. The most magical word a person can hear is their own name. Learn the names of your clients and use them in conversation.

3. Under promise and over deliver. Many businesses get caught in the bind of promising too much to try and attract a customer and then not being able to deliver on their promises. This leaves the customer feeling less than happy with your service. Life gets in the middle of things at times, so it is better to factor this into your business up front. If a job is scheduled to take 3 days, allow for 4 just in case. Give that little bit of extra service.

4. Little things mean a lot. With your customers, little gestures and touches make a difference. If you are delivering a piece of furniture – wipe it over for the customer when you deliver it into their home. When visiting a client and the garbage bin people have just been, wheel the bin in for them. Always leave a property/vehicle cleaner than you found it. If your business has kids as clients, put stickers or colourful stamps on your mail. It is the little touches that makes the difference.

5. Keep in touch. If you only contact your customers once a year (and that contact is an invoice), expect little customer loyalty in return. Find ways to keep in touch with your customers. Your “A” clients – the ones you love to work with, pay on time and generate the most income, should hear from you at a minimum every 1-2 months.

Again it doesn’t have to be big – an email hoping things are going well for them, a quick phone call, a bag of biscuits dropped in while you were passing or a copy of a newspaper clipping they may be interested in all do the job. All customers should hear from you regularly. Find a way to automate things as much as possible for you – a newsletter or an autoresponder email can make your life easier, while still reminding people that you are thinking of them.

6. Remember significant events. If your client is getting married, having a birthday or other special event, or are celebrating a holiday such as Christmas – all of these are opportunities to drop a line to say “thinking of you”. Some businesses I know have a concertina file for each month of the year. At the start of the year they buy a stack of birthday cards and fill them in, wishing their client a happy birthday. Where the stamp goes they pencil in the date of the birthday. They fill in the name of client, but leave the address blank to check just before it is mailed. At the start of each month they simply pull out all the cards for the month, check the addresses and then post out the cards.

7. Solve problems first time. Complaints are an opportunity to show how can you respond and fix problems. In my experience complaints only ever go bad if the person is ignored, not listened to, not treated with respect or palmed off. With any complaints, listen carefully without interruptions. Work out whether or not losing a customer is worth you being right if you feel the customer is in the wrong. Solve the problem or review your procedures so the problem does not recur. Tell the customer what you will do/have done and most importantly – apologise (and mean it).

8. Communicate. Lots of problems come from businesses that don’t communicate with their customers. If your delivery is delayed – contact your client and tell them. If you are going to be early – contact the client and tell them. Keep your customers informed of progress and any problems that may be occurring.

9. Respond to emails, faxes and calls. If a customer contacts you, aim to respond within 24 hours. Even just a quick email to acknowledge their contact is better than deathly silence.

10. Smile and be friendly. Genuinely caring about your customers and their well being shines through. You can teach skills – you can’t teach attitude as easily. Always look for the happy employee who genuinely cares about your customers and their needs. They will become your greatest asset your company has.

I read an article by Alan Cohen about his experience in a corporate chain hotel. He found this note waiting for him, laminated on the pillow. It was titled:

Stranger within our gates

Because this hotel is a human institution to serve people, and not solely a for-profit organization, we strive to ensure you will experience peace and rest while you are here.

May this room and this hotel be your "second" home. May those you love be near you in thoughts and dreams. Even though we may not get to know you, we hope that you will be comfortable and happy as if you were in your own house

May the business that brought you our way prosper. May every call you make and every message you receive add to your joy. When you leave, may your journey be safe.

We are all travelers. From birth 'til death we travel between the eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for society, helpful for those you meet, and a joy to those who know and love you best.

This simple note on laminated paper made a huge impact on Alan. What do you do to keep your existing customers happy?

Related Articles
  Extraordinary Customer Service: Where Does It Begin?
  Is It's Never Too Late or Early to Build Customer Loyalty
  To Grow Your Business Requires Closing the Gap Between Sales and Customer Service
  Taking Current Customers For Granted Is Something Your Business Cannot Afford
  Are Your Customers Satisfied or Loyal?

Article Tags: acquisition strategies, bind, bunch of flowers, client acquisition, colourful stamps, customer relations, customer service tips, existing customers, garbage bin, gestures, handwritten note, invoice, little things mean a lot, loyal customers, magical word, mail, piece of furniture, postcard, things mean a lot, time and money



Related Forum Posts
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: Service Or Product? - I agree with starting a Service-based Business in the economy. Here is what I think is critical: 1. Researching that your Service business has a market. 2. Marketing the Service with as much leverage as possible. 3. Product-izing the Service (aka Package Expert Knowledge). This will only help elevate you as "the" expert in your niche and make you accessible to people in different price points.
Business Tips - How about: Tips for managers to handle employees more effectively? Tips on how to deal with difficult customers? Tips on how to deal more effectively with suppliers? The only three I have in mind right now, but will try to come up with something else. Chris
LEADERS - L- Loyal E- Eager to learn and serve A- Active D- Delegate E- Efficient R- Reliable S- Smart
Marketers, Learn What You Can, Cannot Control Online - I am a Customer Service Representative in my company so naturally every once and a while I get angry customers fed up with my companies policies. Oh! I remember one day on my way home from school I was walking by a gas station and there was a man with a huge cardboard sign outside a small car mechanic business telling people not to go there because they are crooks. I am pretty sure they lost tons of business. I know my mama kept away from there after I told her about it. I found it pretty funny. I wonder if the guy got arrested or fined though....


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What If You Had a 100% Success Rate?

Quick Tips on Buying a Business

Are You An Accidental Consultant?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.