Customer Retention (Series Article 5)

As a small business, you have a real advantage in that most cases the owner of the business is directly communicating with the customers. If it’s not the owner, he is still close in a chain of command to the actual client contact. The more opportunity you have for personal touch with a client, face to face time or a thankful phone call, the better. In our society, we are working to cut out as much time as possible in order to be more productive. This is necessary in some areas but cutting off the appreciation to clients for their business is going to greatly inhibit your ability to retain customers.

You may ask, why should we be so concerned about retaining customers after completion of the business or transaction? Satisfied customers are your best resource in that they speak highly of the product. Some will be referrals to your product or service. Others will simply speak well of you and your company. In either case, any opportunity to have a contact that is appreciative of your product or service is a free sales representative. They are a face for your company and will speak above and beyond your own personal sales pitch.

If you are a service based company, there is nothing better than a written thank you card. Email responses are never going to be received in the same manner or appreciated in the same way. The time put into writing a short thank you card and mailing it speaks volumes over your verbal thank yous. Anyone that has given you valuable advice and you want to say thank you above just a verbal thank you shows them that you appreciate them. Most people aren’t necessarily looking for pay but everyone appreciates recognition. These people will be more likely to help you in the future if they realize that you do really appreciate their help.

Secondly, people tend to expect more in regard to technical support than they used to. Or, maybe it’s that they are getting tired of automated phone services. Either way, quickly taking care of their concerns in regard to technical support or customer service is important. Also, having a “live” person to communicate with is a major plus. One company that does this extremely well is Apple. I can call anytime and have a highly competent person not only assist me but give me great advice. This is invaluable. Try to offer this. The more automated steps you have for customers to go through, the more likely it is for them to get confused and frustrated. Make it as simple as possible.

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