Building great customer relationships is essential to any business; your clients are the lifeblood of your company after all. So how do you develop the best systems and practices to achieve this – and make sure your company really succeeds?
Communication
Good communication is essential when you’re running a business – and that means having effective two way conversations. You need to make sure potential customers are fully aware of the benefits of your product or service and that you always listen to what they tell you.
Ensure you employ the best channels to reach your target market and that you use the right language to engage people. And, importantly, in every interaction you have on behalf of your business – be clear, consistent and courteous.
Maximise your online presence
One key way to communicate with customers, and help increase your success, is to maximise the potential of your online offer. In fact, the importance of an effective website and social media presence just cannot be overstated these days.
Consider positive user engagement
In order to achieve this, you need to be mindful of user engagement – the way you measure and improve it and make it work best for you. When a potential customer lands on your site, you want them to read your content, interact with your forms, and click-through to any calls-to-action.
But to really be successful you need to know how to define maximum engagement – both to attract customers and increase revenue. So what does user engagement really mean – and how does it help your business succeed? Put most simply, it’s when visitors to your site appreciate your content enough to stay around, absorb it, and convert that to sales.
Most importantly, when user engagement is high, you’ll find that your audience becomes more loyal. You’ll notice more return visits and higher conversions, because your website simply works.
Use analytics and user engagement testing
There are lots of straightforward tips on how to make your website more user friendly, but first you need to get a clear idea of where you are right now. Using analytics tools on your current site or building a new platform based on user experience (UX) testing can provide you with a great grounding to work from.
Analytics give you valuable insight into how customers use, or would like to use your site, highlight any issues and help you plan appropriately. And, if you’re starting from scratch, or creating a brand new site, a UX testing platform can prove invaluable in that build.
Social media
Social media channels provide you with an immediate, cost free method of communicating directly with your customers. And the ones you decide to use, and how you do that, can make a huge difference to your business’s success.
So why not consider investing some time in learning basic techniques and developing a social media strategy for your company? And then the best advice is to be consistent, remember the importance of using the right voice and always consider your customers core needs. What do they want, when are you most likely to reach them and how can you help?
Think about what we’ve discussed previously about the aims and objectives of good communications. And employ the same techniques and considerations as you would in face to face interactions.
Don’t overestimate how much time you can devote to social media – sites need to be maintained regularly, so plan carefully. A neglected looking site can be more damaging to your business’s reputation than none at all – so focus your energies on what will work best for you.
Exceed expectations
As a base line, you should always say what you mean and do as you say when you run any kind of business. And when you’re dealing with customers, it’s important that you never let them down – so always return that phone call or reply to an email or important Twitter query.
You might be aware of the phrase ‘under promise and over deliver’ and that’s also a key tip to employ wherever you can. So if you think an order will be ready by Thursday, for example, perhaps suggest the next day and you’ll never disappoint, just delight.
Ask for feedback
Getting regular customer feedback is essential to building good relationships and there are many channels you can use to do this. After all, it’s important not to make assumptions about customers’ satisfaction levels – and ensure you meet their requirements.
So it’s a great idea to stay on top of social media comments and queries effectively and provide lots of ways for people to reach you. Offer plenty of opportunities for feedback on your website or in store, perhaps. And take any comments or criticism you receive by phone, email or in person seriously – and always act on them.
Show appreciation
As we said at the start of this post, your customers are the lifeblood of your company – so remember to show how much you appreciate them. Ensure your team provides polite, friendly service, thanks people for their custom, and perhaps look at the potential of loyalty or other reward schemes.
Just one negative experience can turn a customer away from your business, never to return, after all, which is a wasted opportunity. But, conversely, a great experience builds trust, loyalty and develops bonds that benefit everyone, including your business.
In conclusion
We hope this post has given you a good amount of insight into how building great customer relations could be useful for your business. And how different elements, including your online presence, can help you achieve that.
It’s crucial to never take your customers for granted; don’t disappoint – and try to reach out and engage effectively as often as possible. And when it comes to moving your business into the future, your improved reputation and communication skills will help accelerate subsequent success.
At the end of the day, it’s all about taking a holistic approach that suits your customers and company best – based both on your approach and technology.
