How to build trust and relationships with your clients to help turn them into loyal customers
If you want to keep your customers happy, then you need to make sure they are satisfied. This is a simple concept, but it's not always easy to do. You have to listen to their needs and wants, empathise with what they're going through and offer solutions that will help them feel better about their purchase. Here are some tips for ensuring that your customers are happy:
Make the customer feel important.
As a customer, you want to feel like a VIP. You want to be treated with respect and care, and for your needs to be met quickly and efficiently. The best way to accomplish this is by making the customer feel important. This can be done through simple gestures such as using their name or showing empathy during difficult situations.
When interacting with customers, make sure you're attentive--even if they're not talking directly at all times--and always show them that you care about what they have to say by asking questions about themselves or their lives outside of work (but only if it's appropriate). This helps build trust between both parties.
Listen to what the customer wants and needs.
Listening is the most important skill for customer service. Don't interrupt the customer or speak over them. It's not just about hearing and understanding, but also about participating in a two-way process. Listening requires empathy and active participation, which can be difficult for some people to do.
It's important to note that listening does not mean agreeing with everything someone says; rather, it means being able to hear what they're saying objectively (without judgement) and responding appropriately based on their perspective as well as your own knowledge of the situation at hand. Don't make assumptions about what they want, or need; ask questions instead of assuming you know best.
Be available and accessible.
Make yourself available and accessible.
Respond to customers quickly, but not too quickly.
Provide a way to contact you, like a phone number or email address.
Be sure that when you say "I'll be there at 9 AM," it's actually 9 AM and not 8:59 or 10:02!
Make sure you keep in regular contact with the customer on the lead up to the delivery of the service or product. This will help keep your customer reassured and feel valued. Ghosting a customer after the initial sale makes them feel undervalued and can make them begin to question their decision to proceed with you, if they start to feel ignored or lack importance as a paying customer.
Provide solutions, not just answers.
When you are asked a question, don't just answer it. Instead, solve the problem for your customer by providing them with a solution that has been proven to work. This means that when they ask for help finding something on their own or what to do next, be sure to give them advice based on research and experience rather than just telling them what they want to hear (which isn't very helpful). Providing your knowledge and skills shows your expertise in the given area which instantly builds trust between you and the customer.
Know when to say no.
At the same time it's important to Know when to say no. Don't agree to more than you can deliver. Don't agree to something that is not in your area of expertise, or not part of your job description. This will only lead to dissatisfied customers, if you can not deliver the service or product that meets their expectations.
Follow up and follow through.
If you want to increase customer satisfaction, you must continue to follow up with your customers. This includes:
Following up after the sale to ensure they are happy with their purchase and can use it in the way they intended
Following up after a problem has been solved so that you can ensure customer satisfaction (and avoid having them call back later)
Asking if there is anything else that needs to be done for customer satisfaction or even better, getting feedback on how things went and what else could be improved.
Customers are more likely to stay loyal if they feel valued, respected and heard.
Create a feedback form and ask customers to fill it in after they make a purchase or contact your company. This gives you an opportunity to learn more about their experience and improve it in the future. Create and implement a customer satisfaction policy. This should include steps to take when customers are dissatisfied with your products or services. For example, you could offer a refund for any product that’s returned within 30 days of purchase and give them an additional 10% off their next order. Create and implement a customer loyalty program. This can be as simple as offering a discount on future purchases for every purchase made or giving customers points that they can redeem later on or an incentive to refer you to other people.
Customer satisfaction is an important part of running a successful business. It's also something that can be improved with some simple changes to your customer service strategy. By making the customer feel valued, respected and heard, you'll be able to create a relationship that keeps them coming back for more!
Don`t just make customers happy, make happy customers!
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