Keep Your Customers Coming Back
So you have satisfied customers. So what. "What do you mean, so
what! We work very hard to achieve customer satisfaction - we're
very proud of it."
Yes, no dispute that customer satisfaction is critical in the
twenty first century, your company won't survive without it -
it's what customers now expect. That's not what we're talking
about. We're talking about customer loyalty.
"What's the difference?" you say. Plenty. Customer satisfaction
is sending a happy customer OUT of your business; customer
loyalty is bringing a happy customer BACK to your business. They
are very different events.
We've all read the research that shows 96% of customers with a
problem will never complain (if they complained you'd have a
chance to fix the problem and retain the customer), and the
stories of customer focused organisations that enjoy explosive
growth by giving you a discount if the phone rings more than
five times. All good stuff, and valid then.
This is today. Today's satisfied customer is tomorrow's
competitor's satisfied customer. Unless you know how to keep
them.
We made some assumptions about our customers in the service
frenzy of the 80's and 90's. Those assumptions are:
The level of service we decided to give our customers is what
they actually wanted
The level of service we're giving will create customer
satisfaction
High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business
Let's look at these three areas. Who says the level of service
that your organisation gives its customers is what they actually
want? Has anyone ever asked them? That may sound a little too
obvious, and it's surprising how many companies never bother to
ask their customers what they expect. Has your company ever
formally asked its customers? By using the services of a market
research company to survey them you will learn things you could
never learn by asking them personally. Market researchers are
impartial, and are seen to be so. The answers can be eye opening.
The second issue - the level of service we're giving will create
customer satisfaction. Who says? The customer? They're the only
ones who matter. Ask them.
Then the third myth. High levels of customer satisfaction
generates repeat business.
Unless a customer is given very good reasons to return to do
business with you again, all the customer satisfaction in the
world won't bring them back.
So how do you keep your customers coming back? Assuming your
products and services are good value for money, here's the key.
MAKE YOUR CUSTOMER FEEL SPECIAL. Make them feel they are the
most important customer you've got. Yes, every one of them -
individually.
Do the unexpected. As customers, we get blas