For the long-term success of a company, customer relationships must be built, shaped and maintained. It is no secret that long-term customers buy more and thus indirectly but significantly participate in the success of a company. Customer loyalty pays off in the end, but requires a lot of time and work.
The clientele is the be-all and end-all of success. More customers means more turnover. So it’s in your best interests to form and maintain customer relationships. The more they trust you, the more likely they are to return to your company. This is how you can stand out from the competition and strengthen customer loyalty. Not only do you want to attract new customers, but you also want them to return to you.
Your accounting programme Atlanto wants to help you build strong and long-term relationships with your clients. We have compiled the five most important tips for this. But remember: Even potential buyers who do not yet belong to your clientele have a relationship with you. So as you read this article, think about how you could apply these tips to future clients and customers.
1. Apply Customer Loyalty Programme
With a customer loyalty programme, you have the opportunity to win the loyalty of your customers. By using such programmes and special offers, you can increase loyalty to your business and encourage one-time customers to shop with you again.
Finally, a second purchase shows trust on the customer’s part. Such trust should be used and strengthened. So once you have won your customers over to your loyalty programme, you should show your appreciation by, for example, sending them special offers or personalised reminders. After all, the goal is to make your clients feel valued through such special treatment.
2. Ask for Feedback
An effective way to improve customer relationships is to get feedback from your customers. Actively ask for their opinion about your products or services, customer service and the general appearance of your company. There are various strategies for this: Email, surveys on social media or face-to-face interviews. At the same time, you leave the impression that the opinion of your clients is important to you and that you are doing everything you can to continuously improve.
Customers should be given the opportunity to rate your product (or service) and your customer service after they have made a purchase. This way you strengthen the relationship and encourage people to buy again.
Do not forget former clients and customers either. Try to find out why they have moved away from your company. Was it the quality? The website? Customer service? The sooner you look for and act on such feedback, the sooner you can win back customers and even keep others from leaving your company.
3. Deal with Complaints in the Right Way
If your customers are dissatisfied with the service you offer, all measures to retain customers are useless. It is therefore extremely important that you evaluate any complaints or remarks from a neutral point of view and make improvements if necessary. Dissatisfied customers become loyal regular customers and clients when complaints are noticed, and their needs are addressed in a personal conversation. You should also respond to criticism on social media as quickly as possible, thus hopefully preventing comments that damage your image.
You are only human. Unfortunately, mistakes in your business will happen. But that need not be a reason for despair. Be honest about such mistakes and stay in contact with your clients. Ths way, your clientele’s trust is maintained and even strengthened.
4. Customer Loyalty Through Social Media and Emails
As you can see from the previous points, it is important to stay in touch with your clients. Use social media and email marketing to interact with your customers and stay in their memories. After all, you do not want your customers to forget you. Include steps in your company’s customer journey that make it easy for potential buyers to subscribe to your social media or sign up for newsletter lists. Also, encourage them to tag or mention you on social media to attract new clients from their community.
As these channels are often the first point of contact, they should be designed in a simple and modern way. Your customers should enjoy your social media posts and your website, but at the same time they should be able to access important information about your products or purchase opportunities as quickly and easily as possible.
Marketing strategies such as social media and newsletters can also be almost entirely automated. This keeps you in touch with your customers, even when everyday life keeps you busy.
5. Use A CRM System to Improve Customer Relationships
Yes, there are many things to consider when it comes to customer relations. The more the company grows, the more you have to invest in maintaining customer relationships. For this purpose, so-called Customer Relationship Management Systems, or CRM, have been developed. Such software allows you to store and manage important information about your clients. You will be reminded of important appointments and dates and have the option to send out automated emails. This way you can analyse the buying behaviour of your customers and use the results to strengthen customer loyalty.
A good example of such a system is the Atlanto Contact Manager. Customer care can be greatly simplified and improved with this CRM. It allows you to store and manage all relevant data about your clientele. You can also record important information from previous conversations, save special dates and events, for example birthdays, and analyse their buying behaviour in more detail to be able to respond to their future personal wishes.
Continue to improve the management skills with the help of our blog or consider collaborating with IFJ to start your company off well.
