Building Customer Loyalty

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To fully benefit from customer loyalty each business owner should understand who the most valuable customers are, how to achieve a high standard of customer care and how to turn the most valuable customers into the most loyal customers.

Here are some ideas we’ve put together from various sources:

• List your top 10 key accounts and give these customers your best service.
• Ensure customer-facing employees have access to all the information they need and give them the power to make certain decisions.
• Find out what, when and how your customers buy. Use this information to improve the service you offer.
• Develop a brand around your company, products and/or services. If a customer can relate to your brand they will feel good about it, and keep coming back.
• Make sure employees have good basic communication skills. Poor spelling and grammar will ruin credibility.
• Involve your employees by asking them for ideas.
• Think of ways to make life easier for your customers, for example, free parking.
• Exceed your customers’ expectations and always keep your promises.
• Keep customers informed about any problems and make it easy for them to contact you.
• Use your website to give your customers the information they want.
• Use contact management software if you have a lot of high-value customer accounts, and make sure your employees know how to fully use the software.
• Personalising all communication can make a customer feel special and show that you’re friendly and efficient.
• Ask new customers why they chose your company and ask existing customers what you could do better.
• Get feedback after you’ve completed your service or delivered your products and act on the feedback you receive.
• Contact customers who have stopped buying from you and find out the reason why.
• Use website analysis software to monitor the popular pages of your website.
• Plan your communications to your customers and ensure the right type of communication goes to each.
• Keep in regular contact with your customers, either by telephone, letter or email newsletter. Send Christmas wishes and Birthday wishes for the personal touch.
• Entertaining single customers can be done over lunch, on the golf course or via an after-work drink.
• Entertaining large groups of people can be done at an annual event.
• Make it easier for your top customers to buy from you. Think about giving them first option to buy discounted stock clearances or perhaps waive minimum orders etc.
• Introduce loyalty schemes. Offer discounts when the customer reaches a specific target, or offer discounts off their next purchase.

Now you have a starting point, why not put it into motion?

These are just a few ideas to keep your customers coming back. They are by far not the only methods to think about, but they are a great starting point and the majority just need a bit of time and input from all members of staff to get them going.

Go on, have a go, you never know what it might lead to!