Building customer loyalty is all about building relationships. If you run a business, you are undoubtedly aware of the fact that there are typically two types of customers: 1) One-Time Customers: those that purchase a product or service only one time, and 2) Repeat Customers: those that purchase from your company again and again - sometimes for years.
Repeat customers are often referred to as loyal customers. And these are the types of customers can be a business's best asset. Many small business owners spend a countless amount of time and money trying to obtain new customers, all while neglecting to build a relationship with their current customer base. In the end, using customer service to develop a great relationship with current customers who are already happy with your product or service is one of the smartest moves a business can make.
Loyal customers are beneficial to a business for many reasons:
- They are reliable
- The will promote your business to their, co-workers, friends and others
- They are happy to follow you on social media
- They are educated about the products and services your business offers
How to Use Customer Service to Build Customer Loyalty?There are many tactics that a small business can use to build customer loyalty. For example:
Talk with your customers. Find out what they need and want. If your customers purchased a product or service from you, and they were happy with what you provided them, ask them if you can help them with anything else. They might not be aware that you offer other items that they are seeking. If they had a positive experience with your business in the past, chances are they'd like to continue purchasing from you in the future.
Make sure your customers are happy. This can be accomplished with a follow up phone call, an e-mail or a text from a customer service representative at your company. When your customers believe that you care about the integrity of the product or service you provide, it leaves them with a positive impression of your business.
Respond to your customers' inquiries quickly and efficiently. This includes responding to social media comments, phone calls and e-mails in a timely manner. Customers do not like to feel as if they are being ignored. They want access to information quickly and easily. If you make your customers feel as if they are important, it will be easy to create a loyal relationship with them.
It's important to remember that it's easier and more cost-efficient to focus on building a loyal customer base than to constantly search for brand new customers that have never before tried your product or service. Building customer loyalty can be accomplished by developing a top-notch client retention program that is based on a highly effective customer service strategy.
