Why interacting with customers should be a two way street.
In a world that is becoming ever more online, having loyal customers is becoming a more difficult prospect. Sure, we would all love for our customers to find our service and then never use another supplier ever again. However, it’s not a realistic view. The internet has opened up a world of possibilities to find and compare services and products made by different companies. You’re no longer only fighting to be the best at what you do, you’re fighting to build that relationship with your customers. But, as with most relationships, it shouldn’t be a one way street where your customers make all the rules.
MAKE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION COUNT
We all know that first impressions count but there is no point spending all that time making a good first impression if it doesn’t carry on through. When you make contact with a person it is important to make it personal. This allows them to differentiate you from the rest of the competition that they will have contacted. You don’t have to look too far into this, if they mention something as simple as popping out to lunch, the next time you contact them why not personalise your next email with something as small as ‘hope you got a tasty treat for lunch!’? Or suggestions if you know the area they are off to? When customers are getting quotes from multiple places, it can be easy to fade into the background.
When you make contact with a person it is important to make it personal.
KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS UPDATED - PERSONALLY
If your customer decides to go ahead with your service or products, make sure they’re kept up to date with what’s going on. For example, if you order something from a company online you would want a confirmation of your order. But why stop at this? If you already have a system in place to send a message to let them know you have received their order, set one up to send them a message when their order has been dispatched and a thank you message for a couple of days after their order has been received. Better yet, don’t just send these emails with a generic company name signature at the bottom of them, make sure they’re personalised to the person your customer has been dealing with. It makes it look more like a handwritten email and, as mentioned earlier, it’s the personal touches that count.
LET THEM KNOW WHAT'S GOING OFF IN YOUR WORLD
Once you’ve started to build this relationship with your customers, you should make sure that you’re not only keeping up to date with them but so that they are also being kept up to date with you. We all see the boring e-flyers that are just full of products and offers but if something happens in your office that is worth shouting about, why not inform your customers about it? Of course, make sure that it is not all singing your own praises and that you do still send the offers and updates but, remember, making it personal is the way to make it memorable.
