10 Best Customer Retention Strategies
There are very popular sayings like “Customer is God” or “Customer Can Make No Mistakes”. We believe we need to take these sayings through heart and go ahead for Customer Satisfaction. Following are the 10 points which must be followed to keep customers satisfied and retain them life long.
Being Proactive
We need to be very proactive with customers on any kind of dealings. For example , if any issue is detected with the products, we should inform the customers in advance and inform them about the course of action still resolution. A company should also have effective social media advertising and marketing to its new customers and lead to loyal customers, giving the customer confidence and thereby increasing faith with the company; this will effectively grow your business.
Adhere to Commitments
Promises made to the customers are to be adhered without any exception. In case of delay to commitment, prior intimation must be given to the customer about the timeline and in no way customer be left to speculate. For example, consistently marketing on social media allows the market to understand how committed you are to your company. Using Twitter, Linkedin, etc to demonstrate your past management abilities and commitment to customer support is a strong method.
Customer Feedback
The feedback from customers pertaining to products or services are very important and we should not wait for their calls but should get in touch with customers and take their updates for any improvement. The online customer satisfaction survey can also be conducted to collect customer feedback on their experience. This will make the customers feel important and will go a very long way of increasing loyalty and feedback. Online customer satisfaction surveys are a great way to know and greet your customers. Offering programs for customer rewards is another great way to interact with your customers.
Complaint Resolution
Whenever a complaint received from a customer, the same needs to be noted, preferably, automated through software with a docket number given to the customer. Due attention needs to be given for the issue resolution and in case of deviation, it should be clearly notified to customer. Also post resolution, a final feedback from the customer is a must just to ensure that there is no gap between the given resolution vis-a-vis customer expectations.
Customer Service
The staff inside the store should provide excellent customer service and the best shopping experience. In case of any doubt on products, it should be shorted out with the customers at spot with practical demonstration of the product. There should be a smile and a happy atmosphere inside the store. Adequate sample products may also be kept inside the store in case a customer asks for a physical demonstration. Effective customer service and support will keep old customers and bring in new ones.
Social Media
The use of social media like Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms are very important for attracting customers and retaining them as other social media influencers achieve. For instance, existing customers may be targeted to further procure other products with special discounts and post online procurement a greeting should be automated like say a “Thank You” page instantaneously which will ultimately lead to customer delight. Effective social media marketing may be a solution to many problems.
Loyalty Program
A customer loyalty program or customer rewards program goes a long way in retaining customers. The customers are rewarded through this program which in a way make them come back and shop in future. Once enrolled in customer loyalty programs, the customers are to be given exclusive deals with attractive incentives & loyalties pertaining to new products and services. The royal treatment will eventually help people to feel valued and important and start to build an effective rapport.
E-Mails
Email marketing contributes a big way in retaining customers. Once the customers become e-mail subscribers, segmentation of their purchases can be done. For example, segments could be created based on the specific products which the customer purchased, the amount spent and the discount which they have availed. These details can be intimated through e-mails. Occasional greetings on birthdays or marriage anniversaries could be sent which would result in customer delight and emailing satisfaction surveys for feedback may lead to loyalty to the programs and customer service provided by your establishment, leading to long-term success of your new or even old company.
Realistic Expectations
Customers have to be set with expectations which are achievable. For instance, the delivery time of any product should not be over comminated and mentioned as immediate delivery. Instead a buffer time to be taken and then expected date of delivery to be mentioned against each product. Also the functionality features of the product should be clearly mentioned and in no way it should deviate from the actual functionality. It has been practically observed that In many cases the sales team make over commitment while selling and the support team face mammoth tasks in addressing those with the customers. The sales and support team should be well synced so that these types of gaps can be avoided.
Honest with Customers
This is a very primary and basic requirement for retaining customers. The customer should be provided with an honest experience whenever a shopping transaction is completed. In case of online transactions, fair prices should be offered for products with tracking number allocation. To sum up, customers should be treated on a similar line as how we expect to be treated – this is one of the best ways to improve retention rates for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Establishing a strong privacy policy is important as it allows consumers to feel safe while interacting with your business.
Product Improvement
Emphasis needs to be given for continuous improvement of products supplied and the product needs to be updated as per the latest trend. Upgradation may be done free of cost or through minor charges so that the customers can feel that they are using products of updated technology vis-à-vis their competitors.
Conclusion
Satisfying the customer and retaining them is a continuous process. This can be achieved by following a customer retention analytics program, being closely involved with the customer, loyalty marketing programs, customer satisfaction surveys, social networking, social media marketing, rewards, etc. The accuracy of the final check out process while selling your product is as important as others. The AlnicoSoft modules https://www.alnicosoft.com provides an accurate check-out process at the end point sales counter and hence the customers can leave on a smiling note – a customer delight in the truest sense of the term. Alnicosoft POS is always beneficial to business as it is cost effective as well as accurate, well designed with simple GUI based usage.
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