Measuring the success of your company can be done in many ways, but mainly, it all comes back to how happy your customers are. Are you providing the tools, support and service they came to you for in the first place?
A tangible way to gauge a company’s success is revealed by how good that company is at solving its customers’ problems. Meeting customers’ expectations will help establish a strong foundation when it comes to building customer relationships and loyalty.
Here are five customer success tips you need to maintain and grow relationships with your consumers:
1. Strengthen customer connections
Companies that have employed customer success managers have ingrained in them that developing customer connections is a marathon, not a sprint. During the process of onboarding and training new employees, customer success managers are responsible for coaching their new team members on the company values and mentality that is to be imparted upon customers. They need to understand how to cultivate existing relationships so no former connections are lost, and learn how to foster new relationships and what it takes to build loyalty.
2. Set clear expectations
Be careful with how you go “above and beyond” for your customers, as this will set the standard. Of course you want to treat them with the best service possible, but you also have to set boundaries. Don’t give your customers the impression that they will always get a certain discount or perk. You have to think about what’s best for your business and what it’s going to take to ensure stability. Don’t overserve a customer if it’s going to have an adverse effect on the company’s bottom line. Undoubtedly, you want to do what’s best for your customers to ensure their satisfaction from your product or service, but that also doesn’t mean you should be the victim of burnout. If your customer requests something after hours or demands a rush on something, assess the situation to determine whether or not it’s necessary or if it can wait.
There’s nothing wrong with meeting your clients halfway on something to develop a mutual understanding that your business relationship is based on boundaries. Don’t set a precedent by answering emails after hours, because once you stop doing that when your customers are trying to get a hold of you, they will be put off by the fact that you didn’t respond, unbeknownst to them that you changed your hours and didn’t tell them. Be consistent from the start, if you establish a certain turnaround time with correspondence, try to keep it habitual so that your customers know what to expect.
3. Stay positive
Having a friendly, positive attitude is contagious. Being happy when your customers approach you not only reflects well on the company, but also on you, as you gain more trust from your customers. There will be times when customers are angry or frustrated because something has gone wrong with the product or service. In this situation, it’s your job to remedy the problem as best as you can. Staying calm in a stressful situation will also help the customer feel calm knowing they’re being assisted in one way or another.
Staying positive goes a long way and you will see the lasting effects your energy will have on customers. Representing your company and brand in the most positive way will help customers get excited about your product or service and motivate them to stick around.
4. Be straightforward with customers
When communicating with your customers, whether it’s over the phone, via email, or in person, be direct. You can still do it in a friendly way, but customers will appreciate it when you get to the point when explaining how a product or service works. Don’t bury the lead either–if there’s a caveat connected to your service, be upfront about it. If there are hidden fees, be transparent about them. Short, concise, honest communication is what most customers expect. They don’t want to spend a lot of time going back and forth, they want instant gratification. If there’s a possible way to avoid a delay or low inventory on a product, great, if not, reach out and let customers know what is going on. They will be refreshed by the sincerity.
5. Show appreciation for your customers
Maintaining strong relationships with your customers is a two-way street. Loyal customers deserve appreciation in the way of a discount, free shipping, a birthday gift, an offer to make them a gold-star member if they tell more people about your product, etc. There are so many ways you can show how much you value your loyal patrons. After all, where would you be without them?
Your business’ success is only as robust as your customers make it. You remember what it was like when you were first starting and now look where your customers have taken you. Give back by being supportive and letting them know that you wouldn’t be where you are today without them.
