Last week I was interviewed by Daniel Bortz, a writer for Entrepreneur.com. He asked my opinion on some things small businesses can do to keep their customers coming back. The ideas in his article focused on tactics that most small businesses can do and can be made easier using technology tools. The suggestions centered on connecting with your customer and understanding what they want from you and your business. Our daily, routine interactions with customers give us opportunities to know them better and to communicate with them better. But we have to make the effort. We have to pay attention. [...]
customer loyalty
Many competitive industries rely on low prices and heavy discounting to attract and keep customers. But this strategy is not the only one that can help you increase customer loyalty. Even in a highly price competitive business, customer service can beat low prices. This article shares a perfect example of how one dry cleaner lost a customer by giving them a horrible experience. It also shows how another dry cleaner in the same market stands out by adding a personal touch to the customer service they offer. When Customer Experience Trumps Low Prices
Over 9 million times every month, someone does a Google search on the word “trust”. Google Trends shows a steady upward trend in the word “trust” used in media stories since 2004. We hear the word every day. Many of of use the term daily. Some more than others. “Trust me, I wouldn’t even offer you this car if it wasn’t in perfect condition. You won’t be sorry!” But do we really know what the word “Trust” means? More importantly, do we truly understand its value? Trust can help us do our jobs better. And, when baked into an organization’s [...]
A while ago I wrote about a book called: “Choosing Civility”. One thing I like about the book is that it puts the responsibility for change on us, not on others, Even the title says it well. It reminds us we have the ability to choose how we act. Since my job is to help companies increase customer loyalty, this thrills me. Because the best way to increase customer loyalty is to treat your customers well every time with no exceptions. You need to deliver what I call “Amazing Service”. And to do this means you and your employees need [...]
It seems natural customer loyalty would follow good service. If you get what you want and you are treated right, why would you not return to a business? But sometimes it’s useful to have more than an intuitive argument. So I have done a bit of research and I have found two statistics that tell me there is a clear link connecting customer service and customer loyalty. They also suggest some substantial benefits from improving customer service. The first is a well-known number. It comes to us from the American Society of Quality Control (as best I can determine). According [...]
Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Your first contact sets the bar for customer expectations And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… Is it always a good idea to “wow” your customers the first time they do business with you? Maybe not. Your first contact sets the bar for all future interactions. So if you really knock their socks off the first time, be ready to continue at that level. If you don’t, you risk losing their confidence and their trust. They’ll wonder why things have changed and if the change is permanent. Once they start [...]
