As anyone in the sales or marketing field knows, customers are the backbone of the industry. Without customers displaying an interest and investment in your products or services, your business simply can’t survive. But you can’t automatically expect people to be interested in your business just because you want them to be. Not only does your product have to be top-notch, but you also have to provide them with one of the most important aspects of a business-customer relationship: an excellent experience.
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Improve Customer Experience
It’s not uncommon to browse review pages for products or services that the customers admit were good, but they still left low ratings. Why? Often because their experience, either in the initial purchase or in following up about a problem later, was less than acceptable. No business wants that! Keeping customers satisfied will contribute to a better online reputation as well as help to boost customer retention. With this in mind, here are a few proven strategies to improve the customer experience.
- Meet your customers where they are
- Show what’s in it for them
- Use strategic marketing methods
- Honor refund requests
1) Meet Your Customers Where They Are
Customers will seek you out at times, but it’s just as important for you to seek them out. This is important both for self-promotion and for availability. Maintain active social media profiles and interact with potential customers regularly. This builds up your reputation as approachable and professional in online interactions.
Additionally, be flexible. Obviously you can’t accommodate every single customer request. But whenever you can, show your clients you’ll go above and beyond to keep them happy and satisfied. This will result in an excellent customer experience and (hopefully) a few good reviews too!
2) Show What’s In It for Them
At a fundamental level, people tend to think of themselves in any given situation. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing–it’s part of our survival instinct. But it does mean that you can’t sell to customers based simply on how awesome your product is. You have to show how your product will solve a problem they have. For example, listing the high-quality ingredients of a cleaning product will be a far less effective advertisement than one that promises your product will reduce cleaning time by half, letting your customers move on with their busy lives. The latter advertisement provides a concrete benefit that the vast majority of people will appreciate.
3) Use Strategic Marketing Methods
Not every customer is after the same benefits from a product. Some may be focused on finding environmentally-friendly products, some want to save time, some want something that works better, and some simply want the least expensive solution. In marketing, you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. After all, while an ad about how effective your product is might draw in some of your audience, plenty of others will be left wondering what it costs or how sustainable the ingredients are. Find out what’s most important to different parts of your customer base and use targeted marketing to reach them. Answer all their questions to encourage a better experience and attitude toward your products.
Pro Tip: Use demographics data from Google and social listening from your social media pages to see who’s looking at your product and what’s most important to them. With this knowledge in mind, you can more effectively tailor your marketing strategy.
4) Honor Refund Requests
Unfortunately, not everyone will be happy with your product. Whether due to a mistake or simple dissatisfaction, customers will occasionally request refunds. Don’t be resistant to offering partial or complete refunds. While some requests will be fraudulent or unreasonable and you don’t need to honor them, most customers asking for refunds simply don’t want your product anymore. In these cases, the best course of action is to refund them without much difficulty. Even departing customers should be treated with respect and professionalism. After all, they may come back in the future! Don’t burn bridges.
Provide a Great Customer Experience
Your business depends on customer loyalty and satisfaction. However, you can’t expect to earn this loyalty without putting in some work. Give your customers an excellent experience doing business with your company and you’ll begin building up your reputation as an excellent partner to work with.
Join the conversation for more tips on improving the customer experience.