Your business will not last if you are not effective in retaining customers. In addition to using solid customer retention programs, you need to establish an overarching company spirit of retaining customers.
Deliver What You Promise
The most basic customer expectation is that you provide the product or service that was purchased. The first step in retaining customers is built on this foundation. When all goes well with the exchange of goods, your duties shift to the next step. Unfortunately, if there are problems in this phase, you don’t get to proceed anywhere until the problem is resolved.
How do you deliver what you promise?
Set yourself up for a good outcome by under-promising and over-delivering. This gives you a buffer in case you have any trouble and will pleasantly surpise the customer in your favor when you are early or provide more than they were expecting.
Give customers their money’s worth and deliver the value they are expecting. When you break the norms of what is expected on your part, your customers will be unhappy.
Support the Customer
Your job is not done when the customer completes the purchase. Make sure you support the customer and help them get started with your product or service.
When your customers are successful with using your product, they will be more likely to purchase again. If a customer runs into problems in this stage, and you help them through the issues, the tides turn in your favor.
Ask for More
You’ll never get a repeat purchase unless you ask for it. Successfully retaining customers requires that you give them the opportunity to purchase from you again. Build the repurchase prompt into your product. Give customers a call when it is time to repurchase. Remind customers of the benefits they have received.
Retaining Customers Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
If you keep the mindset of the three steps outlined above, you will excel at retaining customers.