Three Steps Closer To Those Elusive Loyal Customers
Competitive pricing may attract customers, but superior customer service makes them loyal.
It’s not enough to have repeat customers. You want a loyal customer base. The loyal customer is one that not only comes back, but prefers to shop your store and recommends you to others. They sing your praises and forgive the little hiccups that happen from time to time because they think you’re fabulous. So what can you do to earn more of them?
Be Easy to Reach
Some customers require more hand-holding than others. Many customers want their questions answered by a person and they want it right away. Some prefer to call while others prefer email. Still others want online chat to get instant answers without having to talk on the phone. Offer as many avenues as you can manage to make it easy for a customer to reach a person and get the answers they need. Tip: Nexternal integrates with LivePerson if you would like to offer customers the ability to chat online with you. See this Liverperson post in the Knowledge Base to learn how to set this up.
Be Competent
It’s not enough for them to reach a person. They need to reach a person who knows what they’re talking about. Speaking to a clueless representative makes you look like a clueless company. Give your representatives the knowledge they need to properly represent you, and empower them with the ability to do what it takes to make customers happy. Tip: Some companies time each customer service call to see how long it takes to resolve each caller’s issue. Don’t do this. It places emphasis on getting rid of callers instead of listening to and resolving issues.
Be Appreciative
People like to feel important. Supporting “the little guy” makes a lot of customers feel good when they shop at independent retailers. They feel like they are helping, and in return they also hope to get individualized service, or at least some kind of recognition for their “deed”. Tip: Consider throwing in a little free gift with particularly large orders, or perhaps a hand-written thank you note.
Zoe is a web designer by day and a caped super-hero by night. Okay not really, but she really is a web designer at Nexternal with over 14 years of experience coding HTML, CSS, and other magical web things. She also enjoys helping others, which is a bit like channeling her inner hero. Google+ Profile
