Customer Service Tips to Encourage Repeat and Referral Business By Leslie Truex Updated October 12, 2015 Many years ago, I...
Customer Service Tips to Encourage Repeat and Referral Business
By Leslie
Truex
Updated
October 12, 2015
Many
years ago, I had MCI for my long distance carrier. These were the
days before unlimited long-distance. During that time, my business
required a lot of long distance calling, for which I was paying
about $0.25 cents a minute. It was adding up to be a huge expense.
When I saw an MCI commercial offering a lower long-distance rate, I
called to ask for the lower rate. MCI told me I couldn’t have it.
The
rate was only for new customers.
Offering
incentives is a great way to attract new customers, but what about
the people who’ve already bought? For some reasons, many
businesses take for granted and even neglect their current
customers. I actually cancelled my account, and later MCI called and
offered me the lower rate. But if I wasn’t important enough to
take care of as a customer, I wasn’t going back. Perhaps that’s
why MCI is no longer around.
Your
current customers and clients are your very best source of repeat
and referral
business.
First, they’ve already bought from you which means they’re
primed to buy from you again. Second, if they like what you offer,
they’ll tell others. When it comes to business, it’s easier and
cheaper to keep a customer/client than it is to get a new one. As a
result, customer service should be an important part of your
marketing and business plan. Here are some areas to consider.
Initial
Impression
The
saying, you have one chance to make a good first impression is true.
How do people first learn about your business and what sort of
impression does it provide? Your website, business card and other
marketing tools should be professional looking. If it looks slapped
together or done in the cheap, people might question the quality of
your work.
When
you’re out and about in the world, do you look like you just
rolled out of bed or are you neat and tidy. Personally, I like
working in my pajamas, but when I leave my house, I try to look
presentable. That doesn’t necessarily mean fancy. I might wear
jeans, but I’m not messy or unkempt.
Ease
of Doing Business with You
Once
people get past their initial impression and are ready to take the
next step, how easy is it for them? Is your website organized so
they can find what they need? Is your contact information clearly
displayed? Do you offer a variety of payment options? Is delivery or
follow up timely? Leaving email or phone messages unanswered for
days will result in people doing business elsewhere. So make it easy
for your customers and clients to get the information they need and
order.
Responsiveness
How
quickly do you respond to questions or complaints? You’ve worked
hard to generate a lead or a sale, don’t lose them by ignoring
them or treating them badly. While the customer isn’t always
right, they always deserve to be treated with professionalism.
Some
customers are difficult, others are downright mean, and maybe you
don’t want to salvage the relationship. But bad news travels fast,
and that one negative client can spread their opinion, ruining your
reputation quickly.
Killing with kindness is an effective way to prevent unhappy
customers from bad-mouthing you. In many cases, being polite and
helpful leads to the customer apologizing for being rude to you.
Regardless of how the customer treats you, always be professional
and do your best to help respond to their questions or concerns.
Rewards
People
like to be appreciated and rewarded. Consider how many reward cards
you have or coupons you get from retailers for being a loyal
customer. Show your clients and customers you appreciate them by
treating them well. Offer a reward program,
coupons or
a discount as a thank you for their continued patronage. Not only
will this keep
them coming back,
but it increases the likelihood they’ll tell others about your
business.
Most
businesses don’t think about customer service until it’s too
late. But having a plan for providing quality customer support and
service is crucial to home business success.
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