10 moves that will make your customers feel appreciated By Roy Osing
"Customer Appreciation Days" don't cut it. In fact
they add very little to thank loyal customers for their business.
You can't make people feel appreciated by doing an occasional
tribute to their importance. And you can't do it by holding an event; an
often crowded and cheesy affair with free coffee and muffins.
Customer appreciation is about making them ALWAYS feel special. Every time they
"touch" your business for whatever reason.
These 10 acts will warm your customers to you and create a
customer service culture unmatched by others.
1. Recruit employees that REALLY like to serve
others; who are "born" with the natural desire and ability to put
the needs of others before their own. If you don't have employees born to
serve, you will never be able to express your appreciation to your customers.
2. Appreciate each of your customers differently.
Applying a boiler plate approach to all assumes that everyone likes to be thanked
in the same way. Not true. Everyone is different and the challenge is to find
the way they, specifically, like to be recognized for their loyalty. By the
way, avoid "trash and trinkets" and other gimmicks to say "thank
you"; they're cheap and impersonal.
3. Take every opportunity to thank
them for their business. A simple but powerful tool to reinforce how
much they are appreciated.
4. Empower your frontline people to serve
your customers the way THEY want to be served. Escalations to supervisors on
complaints or other issues robs your employees of the ability to have personal
credibility and "flex" to the customer's unique needs.
5. Take the problem solving role. People
feel listened to and respected when someone takes an earnest concern in helping
solve a problem they are encountering.
6. Institute a loose system of rules and policies.
In fact refer to them as "guides" to indicate an openness and
flexibility to engage customers in a friendly manner. Allow employees to act in
favour of the customer; do whatever it takes to "say yes".
7. Reserve
special offers and deal promotions for your existing
customers to thank them for their loyalty rather than as an incentive
to attract new customers. Offering "3 months free service" to someone
to get them to switch from their current supplier does little to make your
existing customer base feel special.
8. If you can't meet your customer's specific needs, for
whatever reason, help them find where they can go to get satisfaction EVEN
A COMPETITOR. This shows you care about them and not about pushing your own
agenda.
9. Have a conversation with a customer to discover what's
going on with them; don't flog your message and products at
them.
10. Surprise
them with something they don't expect. This isn't about sending a
birthday wish to them every year; it's about discovering something more
intimate about them and giving them a "gift" accordingly. Surprise
gifting speaks volumes about how you really feel about them.
Treat your customers like human beings with feelings and
individual desires if you want to make them feel special.
About Author
Roy Osing (@royosing) is a former President and CMO with over 33 years of leadership experience covering all the major business functions including business strategy, marketing, sales, customer service and people development. He is a blogger, content marketer, educator, coach, adviser and the author of the book series Be Different or Be Dead
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