Quality customer care is a sure fire way to aim for steady, predictable growth. Every business book on the shelf will tell you that. But in truth, many companies survive and make a good living by barely offering any care at all for their customers.
Maybe this is because, as a nation, we don’t like complaining but mediocrity is everywhere you look. A sandwich shop on the corner that doesn’t have fresh bread but is the only one in the village. A petrol station that is filthy with surly service but it’s located by a busy road. A restaurant with poor service but is slightly better than others in the area.
All of these businesses succeed through lack of competition. They may survive for years as they are and make a decent living – without providing proper customer satisfaction.
Why care about customer care
Imagine for a moment what a difference it would make if these businesses really tried. If they really embraced their customers. If they worked out what their customers wanted.
What would happen then if a new competitor opened up nearby? Would it affect them? Possibly. But if they had a customer care programme in place, the effect would be limited because their business would be built on a strong foundation of customer loyalty.
The more loyal your customers are, the stronger your business. With loyal, happy customers, much of your marketing is done for you. Much of your new business is taken care of and your profits are often predictable. If you decide to expand, you will be able to do so, confident that you have a highly successful business model that you can replicate easily.
It all starts by appreciating that the customer is king. Your customers are the most valuable asset in your company. Keep your customers happy and they will keep coming back.
Why do your customers leave?
What is it that makes your ‘loyal’ customers flock for the exits and leave? Well, a whopping 75% of customers leave because of ‘perceived indifference’. That means that they stop using your service or product because they feel that you aren’t interested in them – that you don’t make them feel special anymore.
When a rival company gets in touch with them with a special offer, they can be tempted away because you never made their business feel important.
So, while you may think you are treating your customers well, most of them probably think otherwise. When a customer leaves, they don’t usually make a fuss or complain. They quietly slip out of the back door never to return.
How to retain your customers
Perhaps you really are going out of your way to serve your customers, but they just don’t realise it. Well, perception is reality. So if 75% are leaving because of ‘perceived indifference’, here are five easy-to-implement ideas on how to change their reality:
1. Capture customers’ details
and keep in touch with them. At least once a month contact them with a special offer, product preview, clearance sale, new product line, open evening or whatever. This lets them know that you are thinking about them and finding new ways to serve them
2. Ask them how you are doing
Conduct a customer satisfaction survey on an annual or regular basis depending on your customer base. You can even offer an incentive if they complete the form. This will help you see where you could be better – even if it’s only down to perception.
3. Conduct regular customer forums
This allows you to tell your best customers more about what you are up to and to find out from your customers what they like about your service and products. It can also be a useful opportunity for customers to meet your staff (especially background staff) and of course, other customers. If you’re feeling brave, let them talk about you while you are out of the room for an hour and then listen to their feedback on what they like and don’t like about your company.
4. Develop more than one contact point
If a buyer leaves or your contact leaves, the relationship between your two organisations disappears overnight. But if you have more than one point of contact, the relationship is far stronger and can withstand the odd member of staff moving on. When a carefully planned company pairing system really works, your two organisations become so closely intertwined that no other company will get a look in. For example, an office supply company or printers can act as a virtual stockroom delivering items the same day they are required. This locks out the competition and makes you indispensable to the day to day running of your customer’s business.
5. Be honest
Own up to mistakes, and don’t pretend to be something that you are not. You can’t build a long-term relationship that is based on mistrust. A customer would rather you held your hands up to making a mistake than trying to shift the blame where it doesn’t belong.
Encourage complaints
Do you know what most people do when they hear a customer complain? They think of a reason why the complaint is not valid. When a customer complains they are telling you that they want to keep using you despite the problem but would prefer to do business with you if you could sort it out.
For every customer that tells you about a problem, 10 customers may have experienced the same problem and gone elsewhere or are getting progressively more annoyed by it. When a customer tells you something is wrong, listen and then ask them if anything else is wrong. Most people treat complaining customers with contempt, when in fact, they act as an early warning.
