So a customer has just left your store and he/she seems pretty happy with his/her purchase. You’re pretty much guaranteed that the customer will return, right? Well, not necessarily. Did you get the customer’s name? Did you ask if he/she was able to find everything he/she was looking for? Did you offer the customer a pleasant “have a nice day” or “hope to see you again soon”? Do you have the customer’s contact information?
It takes effort to secure repeat business. Never assume that just because someone bought from you once, that he/she will buy from you again. You need to earn loyalty. And one of the best ways to do that is to follow up with your customers. Put in a phone call or send an email to check in and see if your customer is truly happy with his/her purchase. Ask if there is more that you can do. Developing this relationship will help to significantly grow your number of loyal customers.
Following up with customers increases opportunities for repeat business.
Which business is more likely to get a customer to return? One that calls its customers or one that ignores them? The answer is obvious. By following up, you give yourself the opportunity to correct any potential mistakes you have made during your interaction with the customer. The feedback you receive will not only help you to save one relationship, but it will assist you in improving your overall customer service routine.
“When you follow up with customers and ask them about their experiences or you reach out to them for positive and negative reviews, you are telling the customer you care about them,” says John Rampton on Keap.com, “This genuine interest in them will bring them back because it’s rare to find a company that shows this level of interest.”
Following up gives you a competitive edge.
Do all companies contact their customers after they’ve made their purchases? Not likely. By doing so, you’ll immediately outshine your competitors or, at the very least, not get left behind. If other companies are following up with their customers and your company isn’t, you aren’t bound to win the hearts of your target audience’s members.
Following up will repair potentially broken customer relationships.
Without following up with your customers, you have no idea just how happy or displeased each of them are with your company. In some cases, you may find that the customers planned on never returning because of bad experiences. By engaging with them, you’ll give yourself the chance of repairing the relationships. Doing so can potentially earn their loyalty for the long haul.
“If a customer was unhappy—whether they told you or not—and you contact them about their experience, they may reconsider buying from you,” writes Rampton, “Never checking on them would prove to the customer that they were justified in their opinion of your brand not caring. Therefore, they will go where a brand delivers an authentic experience.”
Contact MeloTel to find out how making the switch to our cloud-based Commercial Phone Services can make it even easier for you to follow up with all of your customers! Call us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website!
