How to Impress your Customers and Improve your Business

Great customer service can be a major differentiator between you and your competitors, not only will it increase retention rates and repeat business it will also help you bring in new customers because they have heard what a great service you offer. Act on customer feedback and you have a sure fire way to improve your business, so here are 5 tips to utilise and improve the customer experience:

1. Feedback– always ask customers for feedback (positive and negative) you should have a form on your website that makes this easy and put links in your newsletters and communications asking for feedback. Don’t just sit back and expect it to come to you, get proactive, always ask people what they think of your service when you speak to them. Negative feedback usually comes back to us more readily but you will be surprised how many customers will have great things to say about you but just haven’t told you yet!
2. Surveys- When was the last time you surveyed your customers and asked them how they rate the different elements of your service? It’s simple to do and websites like ‘Survey Monkey’ offer you the tools to make it easy. Customers won’t only provide insights into how you can improve they may even come up with a few real gems to take the business forward and spot opportunities you may have missed.
3. Respond to customer comments– with social media bringing ‘word of mouth’ online you now have the opportunity to spread the word about how great your service is. Of course this is also the place where people will shout about poor service they have received. Your online reputation is very important so you should respond to customer’s comments online in a positive and professional manner and attempt to resolve any issues they have raised by contacting the individuals directly. This is your second chance to resolve any issues and show them you really do care.
4. The extra mile – what are you going to do today to go the extra mile for your customers and make them feel special? It doesn’t take much to make you stand out. Send them a hand written birthday card, write a quick thank you letter, run special events for long standing customers, offer exclusive incentives, just get on the phone and see what else you can do for them! It doesn’t need to be an executive box at Man United but simple thoughtful things will make the world of difference.
5. Raving fans– once your customer service experience is up to scratch you will start to build a core group of loyal fans that rave about your business to others. Identify these people and use them in your marketing and encourage/incentivise them to bring you new customers through their contacts. These customers will be incredibly important for the growth of your business so make sure everyone in your business knows exactly who they are (circulate internally a list of your top customers) and go out of your way to make sure they are ecstatic with the service they receive.