Customers need to be reminded that you appreciate their business…or they may get swept up by the competition!
Research shows that a 10% increase in customer retention levels result in a 30% increase in the value of a company. — Bain & Co.
Client Retention is here to make following up with your customers easy!
After your cards arrive, some customers may even call to say how nice it was to hear from you! If you want to build genuine relationships, sending a card in the mail is a very cost effective way to reach out to customers, colleagues, employees and networking connections.
Two concepts that are increasingly gaining attention from businesses were discussed by American Printer, a resource for professionals interested in business trends, technical innovations, and strategies for raising productivity and profitability. These two concepts are LTV (Life Time Value) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Continue reading “Customized Corporate “Thank You” Cards Can Help Retain Clients”
The importance of a client retention program in a business cannot be stressed enough by experts. Show clients you care! As every business owner knows, it is much easier to sell your product or service to an existing client than to a new one. Additionally, a study made by Bain and Co. showed that a 5% gain in customer retention can increase a business’ profit by as much as 75%.
Customer loyalty, however, is never guaranteed, not even among the most satisfied clientele. You have to constantly work on it through a client retention program that should include constant engagement; and constant engagement means making your clients and customers feel they are always on top of your priority list. Discounts, freebies, and other perks help create this impression. Well-crafted business greeting cards, however, provide that personal touch that show clients you can, and make them feel he or she is important to you.
Continue reading “Personalized Business Greeting Cards: Best Way to Show Clients You Care”
Even in this day and age of social media and e-cards, nothing can equal the warm fuzzies brought on by the sight of personalized greeting cards in the mailbox.
As such, the effort from business owners to send their customers a “Happy Holidays” card can go a long way. Experts.allbusiness.com writer Drew Hendricks offers a few reminders on this gesture, including:
Continue reading “Personalized Greeting Cards for Customers: The Essentials”
We’ve outlined some very important customer service tips that are basic, but valuable in achieving good customer relations and creating that needed customer experience.
Picture this . . .
You enter a room and it is filled with every customer you currently have in your entire customer base. Those are the only people in this room, and the room is jam-packed (yeah!). Now for the reality check and a shocking statistic.
At some point in time, approximately 75% of your satisfied customers will leave that room and go to the competition. Scary thought, isn’t it? Can you afford to lose that many customers? Sure it happens over a period of time, but I don’t know of any company that could sustain that kind of a hit.
Why put your company through that rigorous churn?
When your customers move on, here’s what you need to ask yourself . . .
- How much revenue are you going to lose?
- How much will it cost to get them back?
- How much time will it take to get them back?
- What is the game plan to win them back?
- Who is going to work this game plan?
- Why did they leave in the first place since our products and services are competitive?
Here’s the hard core fact:
Building customer loyalty and a business relationship is paramount if your want to retain each and every customer you have. Remember, you need these customers because they are your revenue builders, they provide repeat business and they give you referrals. Don’t lose any of them. Period.
10 Killer Customer Service Tips You Didn’t Learn in Training
- Use your customer’s name at least 3 times in a conversation. Keep it natural sounding.
- Take ownership of your customers’ problems – even if you are not the cause of them.
- Go the extra mile for your customers instead of looking for shortcuts.
- A minute on the telephone seems like forever. When you are looking up information for customers, keep talking to them. It’s an excellent time to build relationships.
- Follow up with every customer who was upset or had a difficult problem.
- Take responsibility and fix a customer’s problem – OWN IT. Avoid the, “It’s not my job” attitude.
- Any time you blame someone else for poor service, YOUR credibility goes down.
- When said with sincerity, “I’m Sorry” can diffuse about 95% of most customer’s anger.
- Terminate calls courteously and let your customer hang up first.
- Keep note cards in your desk. A hand-written note is more powerful and memorable than anything typed.
Bottom Line: Question: How do you keep your customers? Answer: By showing you care. It’s that simple.
Back in the day, it was customary (mandatory too, according to Mom!) and considered good manners to send a thank you card when you received a gift, even if you personally said thank you at the time you received it. Going the extra mile of writing a thank you card and mailing it just seemed to solidify your appreciation and show off those impeccable manners. And one more thing, don’t forget what a good feeling you had when you dropped that card in the mailbox!
Happy to say, nothing has changed, not even in the business world. But somehow, some way, our manners have slipped . . . a lot. Maybe we’re just a little too busy or maybe we just don’t see the value? Whatever the reason and there are many, we need to get back to basics. Why? Because that’s what our customers want.
Think about this, how do you feel when you receive thank you cards in the mail? Remember that “feel good” feeling knowing someone cared enough to send you a card? If you have never received a thank you card in the mail, I guarantee it will undoubtedly capture your attention and make your day when you do receive one!
Let’s turn that around where you send a thank you card to your customers. Imagine their reaction. Another guarantee . . . a smile, a feeling of importance and excitedly pleased to be acknowledged. This is how you start building customer loyalty.
Building customer loyalty is key to your reputation and your survival as a business.
And yes, it can start with something as basic as sending thank you cards to your customers. After all, your existing customers are your biggest cheerleaders, your sales force, your repeat customers, your referral source and your revenue builders, so why wouldn’t you treat them with gratitude and appreciation?
Think about what you stand to lose when a customer moves on. Look for ways to keep a customer from jumping to the other side.
The Bottom Line: Customer follow up is mandatory. How do you keep your customers and turn them into loyal customers? By showing you care with a fun or light-hearted thank you cards 3-4 times a year!
Are you truthful or do you just want to leave and not look back? Most often we say nothing for several reasons.
- We don’t want to complain
- No one is going to listen
- We feel nothing will change anyway
After all, you won’t be going back so what does it matter? It does matter. Actually, you are doing the restaurant a severe injustice by not talking about your negative experience to the manager.
Do not be satisfied when you hear the word, “fine” because 65-85% of satisfied customers actually switch to the competition. It means the quality of service you are providing is either average or below average and your customers are on the fence. In other words, they are not loyal and will go elsewhere in a heartbeat. Satisfied customers are neutral and ready to bail. That is as clear as we can be.
Superior Customer Service should always be your goal!
Here’s what could happen to that restaurant:
Read More About Why FINE Is a Dangerous Word
Cell phones and smart phones are here to stay and we love them!
The convenience of making or receiving a call at any time, any place (well, almost), far outweighs the negatives about cell phones and smart phones.
So how can a cell phone possibly be troublesome in the workplace? What exactly is the growing concern?
Perhaps this inexcusable scenario may sound familiar to you: Continue reading “Is Cell Phone Abuse Creeping into Your Workplace?”
Ever notice all the music around you?
It’s played in grocery stores, restaurants, elevators, doctors’ offices, nail salons, car dealerships, gas stations (yes, while you are pumping gas), business offices and even the parking lots!
Is music in the workplace appropriate? You bet it is.
Does music boost employee morale? Yes to that one too.
Music plays a positive role in most of our lives personally and professionally.
Music acts as an important component in building a customer service culture in the workplace. Continue reading “Turn The Beat Around: Music In The Workplace”
The job interview process can be a bit like hopping on the merry-go-round at the park. Businesses ask, “do you have experience?” And of course, our thoughts were “how do we get experience if no one will hire us?” Can’t they see we are trainable and happy people?
If you are looking to fill any position within your organization, you owe it to yourself, your existing employees and most importantly to your customers, to hire happy people.