Strategies for Building Customers' Relationship

Customer service is much more than a purchase and an exchange of pleasantries. What makes or breaks a relationship is the customer service psychology in play there. When you understand the psychology is when you achieve customer service. Your goal is for every customer to leave your place of business, feeling positive about the service they receive. However, no matter how hard you try, there are still times when this is not the case. If you don’t have the right information, it makes providing customer support and service even more difficult to do.

You want to create positive experiences rather than having most days feeling too much like an emotional roller coaster. How you respond to situations and behavior are major factors that can contribute to the type of customer service you provide. If you want to know how to gain more business out of your existing customers’ relationship, here’s our customers’ list of eleven tips for outstanding relationship:

1. Listen & observe your client’s pains and challenges rather than pushing a product

I briefly touched on this in the other points, but this one deserves to be mentioned on its own. You need to understand the pains, challenges and goals your clients face so you can align the products/services you offer in a way that resolves their challenges or helps them meet their goals.

Selling is like dating. You won’t get very far on the first contact (first date) if you try to sell right off the bat. People are a lot more skeptical and informed.

You need to build up trust between you and your potential clients. That includes showing them how you understand the challenges they face in their business and how your products/services help them answer those challenges.

You’ve got to demonstrate to your clients that you are someone they can trust and someone who knows what they are talking about. That means you need to be knowledgeable and informed about the products/services you sell, your competitors products/services and show an in-depth knowledge of your client’s industry.

2. Keep your Customers engaged

Lack of engagement is one of the big red flags for customers churn with your business. The trick to avoiding this problem is to keep them happy and engaged in post sales. Because loyal customers are far more profitable than new customers.

How do you do that?

It can be a daunting task to maintain continuous engagement with your customers to offer support to foster this crucial business relationship.

But the thumb rule is: the better is the engagement, the happier your customers are. When customers are engaged correctly they are more likely to retain, recommend and buy more. If your customer engagement strategies are effective, they will positively impact your key performance Indicators (KPIs).

Here are some strategies to improve customer’s engagement:

Send a thank you email as a token of appreciation and connects you with them with a positive impression. And the base of building customer relationships is connecting with people.

Ask for reviews to measure your customer success with your products and services. You can encourage customers to provide reviews; you can entice them with a discount or special deal, like free shipping on their next order.

Cross-sell or upsell your products through post purchase email. Notify your customers on your new products and also offer product recommendations based on their previous purchase.

Customer loyalty programs are one of the best ways to engage customers after they have made their purchase.

Request for referrals is an effective form of marketing. People tend to make a purchase for sure when it is recommended by a friend or family. The best time to request a referral after the sale is closed.

3. Build a strong brand image; it makes customer to stay loyal.

Every business puts its best efforts to build a strong brand image for fueling business-customer relationship. Strong brand image impacts in increasing the trust level in customers and helps in customer retention. Successful branding leads to increased customer loyalty, an improved image, and a relatable identity.Technology Sales Leads (TSL) marketing The brand image can be strengthened through making use of brand communication with word of mouth. Brand image has great importance. Put your best efforts to develop your brand image and maintain the trust of your customers.

Loyalty is a virtue. But it has to be earned to truly mean something. That’s true in life in general, but it also goes for marketing. Customers won’t just stay loyal to brands because they’re there—you have to earn the loyalty of the people you sell to. The customers who are brand loyal are simply loyal to your business.

Brand loyalty is simply when customers become committed to one brand over its competition and make consistent repeat purchases over time. There are actually many reasons why a consumer can become loyal to one brand over its competition.

Some common reasons that can be helpful to examine are:

Convenience – Customers might be lazy to seek out your competitors as it is easier that way once they have chosen you first.
Status – Brands that provide tips on ‘being yourself” make customers feel cool and they buy it. When brands provide such a pleasant experience, customers will stick around.
Trust – When customers know your brand well and are convinced to depend on it, they are likely to be associated with you.
Reputation – If a customer believes in what a brand stands for or they like the brand’s attitude they’re likely to want to buy from that brand.
Excitement – A brand that is inspiring or that continuously does interesting things to grab attention can engender loyalty from customers.
Camaraderie – When buying from a brand makes you feel like a part of something bigger than yourself, you’re more likely to want to continue buying from them.

4. Respond quickly to every query politely and clearly

Generally, it is very important to choose the right words before you speak to your customers. The customers can get a bad impression with certain words or phrases used by the customer support agents. Always make your customers feel comfortable, valued, and appreciated. Be knowledgeable of and understand the relevant policy and procedures. Always listen to what they say without interrupting them in between.

Tips:

Make the conversations one-on-one basis that will give a special feeling to the customer.
Use the first name to address the customers while talking to them.
Identify the nature of the problem and understand customer needs.
Send personalized greetings to set a personal tone to your conversation.

Never waste time in general questions – jump directly to the right solution for the customer makes the process personal as well as efficient.

When you respond to all queries made by customers, you show them a willingness to resolve any issues and answer any questions. This is an excellent way to build trust, loyalty, and to gain their honesty. Just say, “I would be happy to help you with this” as soon as you receive a customer query. Refrain from babbling or trying to “wing it” to prevent negative experiences from happening.

Be transparent with what you know and eager to find out what you do not know. Actively listen to your customers needs to resolve them quickly and efficiently. This applies to both online and offline customer interactions.

What you say is just as important as how quickly you say it. Use positive phrases and terms when responding and conversing with customers. Show them the respect they deserve. Avoid using negative words like, “I do not know, Nope, Calm down.” Use the art of communication to connect with people. Choose your words wisely.

When you respond to customer comments, questions, queries, and reviews, quickly, you show them that you care. Not only do you care about their time, but about providing the information or attention, they requested or required. If you take too long, people will become unhappy, and it could cost you a customer. Respond promptly, do not keep them waiting.

5. Always Show Gratitude

Nothing says you care for your customers more than giving them a simple, “Thank you.” Whether you thank them for a recent purchase or show appreciation for choosing you, you will make them feel good.

Do not take your customers for granted. Tell them that you care and thank them for choosing you and your business. You can find, “We appreciate your business.” on just about any invoice template. If you want your clients to believe it, though, you should demonstrate your thankfulness.

This can be a small gesture like a handwritten thank you note or personalized gift. Or, it could mean creating a culture of gratitude, where you look for ways to give back to your clients. Perhaps you invite them to a regular lunch-and-learn session where you offer valuable information to help them succeed. (This is another great way to show that you are the expert and want to exceed expectations.)

While many businesses look for shortcuts to success, hoping to leap over their competition, those that survive in the long term have great relationships with their clients. To keep your calendar booked into the future, start working on a few of these areas today.

6. Make Communication Easy and Comfortable

Strong client relationships require active communication, and that means your clients need to be comfortable reaching out. Let clients know if you are best reached by email, text message, Slack, or some other form of communication. You should also know how they prefer to be contacted.

Don’t leave it at easy to reach, though. You also want to ensure that your clients are comfortable approaching you. They shouldn’t feel like any question is too stupid to ask (after all, you’re the expert so they don’t have to be). Instead, they should see you as a friendly, approachable expert who will guide them through the process.

Alert your customers to promotions, rewards programs, product updates and any other content you think they’ll find interesting and relevant. Ask people to share their stories or hold contests to encourage engagement. Stay a step ahead by anticipating future challenges they may have and suggesting new solutions. If you haven’t heard from particular customers in a while, don’t be afraid to reach out to them. Even if your efforts don’t result in immediate sales, they’ll go a long way toward keeping your brand first in your customers’ minds.

7. Make the most of social media.

Showing customers you are available to them via multiple channels, makes them feel a sense of belonging. When you provide the attention they want, when they want it, it creates a happy customer. If you are unavailable, it can have a lasting impact not just on customer experience but your company’s bottom line.

Social networks are extremely useful in maintaining customer contact after the initial sale. Social media offers great opportunities to engage your customers and build trust by showing the personal side of your business. Monitor your customers’ opinions, interests, and motivations. Pinpoint and reward your most loyal customers. Make efforts to change negative perceptions other followers may have by providing great customer service. Consumers have turned to social media platforms to ask questions, register complaints and resolve product issues. Take advantage of it to show how your brand is listening and cares about your customers.

8. Treat your customers with respect

Presenting customers with an understanding of how they are feeling in any given situation shows you care. Convey to your customers, “I’d be frustrated, too.” in times when it’s needed. Refrain from being “cold” and robot-like. It can turn angry customers to irate ones, quickly. Show humanity and that you genuinely care.

Give customers ways for them to express or feel emotions. Use humor, intelligent questions, or nostalgia to steer their mind towards a particular direction. When you offer relevant and emotional content or conversations, you open the doors for the customer to connect with you. They will associate the good feelings with experiences they have with you, thus, making them want to come back again.

However, you do not want to push too far in the direction of, “Yes, we’ve seen this many times before.” Your clients shouldn’t feel that they are receiving some cookie-cutter advice that you dish out to everyone.

All clients, and their situations, are unique. Yes, they are similar, and yes, you can assure them that you have the experience to serve their needs. You probably even have a basic starting strategy for common problems.

Just don’t make your clients feel like a number. This doesn’t mean you need to remember the names of all their children or their dog’s birthday. You should have a solid understanding of why they have to come to you, though. The more personalized your approach and your communication, the stronger the relationship.

Quality products are no longer the only factor that contributes to high customer satisfaction as it’s the user experience that will overtake the price and product of every brand as a key differentiator by 2020.

Don’t treat your customers like academic projects that must be completed by the end of the day, but look at them as individuals and deliver a personalized service:

Call them by names. A study has pointed out to enhanced brain activity in people when they hear their names. This means, getting on first-name terms with customers will bring you both closer and make visitors feel appreciated.

Keep order history. Whether they’re first-time visitors or regular clients, it’s always good to track order history and offer personalized recommendations.

Go the extra mile. If you want customers to stand behind your store, you need to show a genuine interest in their lives. How? With a simple gesture of caring, like sending a letter or a thank you card

9. Take Responsibility for Mistakes

Sometimes we make mistakes. While we try to cover all the bases and keep everything running smoothly, life happens on occasion.

The worst approach in this situation is to disappear, trying to hide until you fix the problem, or ignore it altogether. Typically, the longer you wait to address an issue with a client, the worse the consequences.

If you take responsibility for the situation early, though, you can stay in the driver’s seat. Your client knows that you have identified and are working on a solution. And when you take charge, even if it was not your fault, you earn your client’s respect.

10. Resolve All Issues during the First Interaction

First impressions are vital to every business. If a problem comes up, and you don’t take action to try and resolve it, customers will leave. They have not built trust with you, and loyalty does not exist yet. Show them respect by taking their issues seriously, Show them you are their support team and will work hard to resolve all their issues the first time.

Don’t blatantly treat new customers different from existing ones, either. If you do, it will be much harder to turn a new customer into a loyal one. When customers know you will be there for them and they can rely on you, they feel a sense of security. They will feel like you will not let them down.

As the old saying goes, “Do as you say and mean what you do.” Let them know they can trust you, and a healthy relationship will form.

Being mindful of customer’s time shows you care. Giving customer convenience in every way possible is considerate, and customers love it. Ask customers if they’d like home delivery. If this is a service you offer, it saves customers time and the need to travel. Think of how to make their lives easier, without taking shortcuts or lessening quality.

11. Keep Promises and Fulfill Commitments

Never over promise or under deliver. When you promise your customers something, stick to it. If for any reason, something changes, be respectful, and inform the customer straight away.

Ask customers “Are you finding everything okay?” Asking questions, like this one, lets customers know you respect them. You want them not to waste their time searching for items they are finding difficult to locate. Just a few words can show a willingness to help. Do not ignore their confused looks and puzzled expressions. Extend a hand and help. Customer service should also go beyond the sale. Follow-up with customers who recently bought a car from you or purchased the Internet service you offer.

Let them know that their happiness with your products and services matter to your small business. It’s a fact, not every customer will be satisfied with the service you provide, even if you feel you did your best. There are also customers who complain about their experience, but many more who don’t. When a customer expresses their dissatisfaction, your response needs to be, “I really appreciate you letting us know.” Change their feelings by changing their mind. (Psychological)

Don’t become upset or get angry. Some tend to portray a psychological phenomenon called the Online Dis-inhibition Effect. This is when you go online without your name and photo visibly attached to your profile and let your anger loose.

For some reason, human beings feel like the online world offers some form of identity protection, even when they cognitively know this is not the case.

So, what happens? You let your inhibitions and self-boundaries go. You end up responding in ways you would never do if you were in person.

The aforementioned strategies for building customer's relationship is powered by Trade Nigeria media team.

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