Want More Loyal Customers? Use Customer Service

Is Your Marketing Plan Missing This?

A great business is built on it’s ability to generate loyal customers and you don’t even have to have a back end product. Creating a marketing plan which focuses on customer service as one of it’s primary drivers is one of the smartest things a company owner can do. Referral and word of mouth alone can completely create your client base.

I know this to be the case as when I have marketed for companies in the past we saw a great deal of profits out of referral based clients. In fact when someone had been referred to us it was almost always due to a client’s customer service experience.

How do you create a loyal customer? It’s a simple answer which is hard to practice. You need to use the principles which you use in every aspect of life which build loyalty and loyalty is not given it is earned. There is a fortune made and lost in the customer service business so in order to get loyalty you need to give loyalty to your customers.

A satisfied client is not a big deal, but a loyal one will preach about your company. A satisfied client has no reason to return again or refer anyone to you, but a loyal one will actively promote your company. A satisfactory result is not what you want because it says you are doing the bare minimum to please the customer, but a loyal client will feel that you treated them so well that they almost owe you.

There are a specific ingredients to great customer service and the more of these you have the higher your level of client influence and loyalty will grow. Here are your ingredients to add to your company customer relationship management strategy:

• Friendliness
• Empathy
• Helpfulness
• Responsiveness
• Memorable

The friendlier you come across to your client and your prospects the more likely they are to use your service and the more likely they are to use it again. The friendlier you are to your clients the higher your customer satisfaction and more likely they are to recommend your company. This may not apply as much to some online businesses as it would to an off line business, but the site visitors perception of friendliness is all that matters.

This would indicate then that the images and pictures you use on your site should say: “Hi we are friendly”. Include pictures of you smiling rather than a deadpan look or anything which relates comfort and warmth. If you actually have to interact by phone with people then friendly goes to a whole new level.

<Tip>: Your prospect’s Perception of you is all that matters and not YOUR perception of you … go ahead and get feed back from people you know to see if your web site conveys “friendly”.

If your business model includes a help desk or technical support then friendliness and customer services are crucial.

Empathy is the most important thing you need to channel an upset or disturbed person towards you. When people are distressed or upset about something they need it is always best to defuse them on the phone by saying “That’s terrible … I understand why you must feel that way”. When you are trying to sell a product or get a conversion on your site; let people know you understand their problem and sympathize with it.

Empathy is one of the human needs we all have … we just want to feel like someone cares about us. When your clients feel you care they will let down their guard and listen to your offer. When they feel you care they will return again and recommend people to you.

Customer “service” should really be called client “help”, because that is what you want to be trying to do for them. A person comes to a website looking for help and answers. When someone feels you are trying to address their issue to help them they will be much more likely to open their wallet to you.

Responsiveness is also pivotal in keeping clients and gaining new ones. If a client has a question about something they purchased, try and respond in a timely manner as this will also show empathy. If a client or prospect has a complaint, try and be responsive to all. Client retention and alleviating worry are your job as a marketer.

Try and make your business memorable to the visitor in some way and in a positive versus negative way. Offer something which makes them feel special and valued. One example would be a free consultation session if they are willing to answer a couple qualifying questions. Another example would be offering something free and unique just for visiting or as a bonus for buying.

Anything you can do to distinguish your business as being unique, interesting or more of any good feeling will make it more memorable to clients and prospects.

Customer Service Can Make Sense

Author: Scott Holden – TrafficEraBlog