BARE Shares – 5 Ways To Show Customers You Love Them On Valentine’s Day
‘Let’s face it – without customers, we don’t have a business. So why do so few companies remember to show some love to their existing customers? Usually, they are too busy trying to attract new customers, even though it costs five times as much to attract a new customer versus keeping an existing one.‘ BARE shares an article by Dan Gingiss for Forbes on “5 Ways To Show Customers You Love Them On Valentine’s Day.”
‘Valentine’s Day is all about love, so there’s no better time to think about how you can do a better job of showing some love to your loyal customers. Here are five easy and efficient ways to make sure that customers know you value them:
1. Respond to everyone on social media.
Whether you are acknowledging positive comments or trying to make trolls go away, it’s critical that you respond to everyone who mentions your brand on social media – whether they formally tag your brand account or not.
Today’s customers expect a response from companies, and responding shows that you care about any and all feedback.
Most importantly, it shows onlookers – i.e., prospects – what it’s like to do business with you.
2. Send a handwritten thank-you note.
With postage rates increasing almost every year and email a comparatively cheaper channel, consumers are seeing far more email in their inboxes than letters in their mailbox. That presents an opportunity for companies who are willing to make the extra effort to thank their customers in a personalized, meaningful way. “Don’t underestimate the power of a handwritten note,” says customer experience expert Joey Coleman. “In an increasingly digital world, getting something in the mail that was clearly written by hand evinces a level of personal care and attention that is not frequently seen in the world of business.”
3. Go the extra mile to help customers.
Pet supplies company Chewy.com responds to negative product reviews on its website by suggesting other products that might better suit the customer’s needs. It also provides immediate refunds even if a customer hasn’t asked for one. This strategy immediately converts a dissatisfied customer into a happy one. Other companies have employed a “surprise and delight” strategy to go above and beyond customer expectations.
4. Listen to your customers.
Many companies employ entire teams and expensive software platforms to “listen” to customers, whether it be via traditional focus groups or social media analytics. But far too few companies actually act on the valuable information that customers provide. Customers are more than willing to share what they love – and can’t stand – about your business, and being willing to genuinely listen to customers will provide insights such as new product ideas and key pain points in the customer journey.
5. Fix What’s Wrong With The Customer Experience.
Nothing says “I love you” like a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates. But what if the flowers arrive with a broken vase and the chocolates arrive melted? When multiple customers complain about the same issue, it’s not enough just to resolve their individual situations; instead, customer service agents must relay these failures to the departments within the company that are responsible for actually fixing the problems. Don’t make customers do all the work.
In other words, don’t just treat the symptoms; treat the root cause.
Don’t forget that customers don’t just share negative experiences on social media; they are more than willing to share positive experiencesas well. It’s just that they don’t have as many of those. So show your customers some love this Valentine’s Day, and they just might show you some love back with a positive tweet or Facebook post.’
Today, BARE International sets the industry standard as one of the largest independent providers of customer experience research, data, and analytics for companies worldwide. BARE’s customer experience research can provide you with critical data to make meaningful business decisions. Ask us how.
Read the full article at the source here
Customer Experience Research & Insights by BARE International
Your business challenges are unique. Our proven success across industry categories stems from asking the right questions to help you address the challenges you face everyday. Each solution we offer is customized to meet your needs, providing actionable feedback to help you make critical business decisions. We treat you the way you want to treat your own customers, providing a dedicated project team to give you the attention you deserve and an infrastructure spanning the globe to provide the resources you need to understand your customers’ experiences.
- Customized Research Solutions
- Immediate, Actionable Feedback
- Dedicated Project Team
- Family-Owned, Global Capabilities
Get in touch today to receive a complimentary evaluation of your business. We look forward to working with you.
