The numbers are in, and it looks like customer service is set to be the number one concern for consumers this year. It’s no surprise if you think about it; companies everywhere have been mistreating customers for decades, and consumers are sick of it. Loyalty is more important to sales than ever, and gaining loyalty starts with good customer service. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but at its core, loyalty is nothing more than an appreciation and dedication to a brand that makes its customers feel valued.
Keeping customers happy and loyal isn’t difficult if you follow these five simple tips. Keep reading to learn more about driving sales and loyalty this year.
1. Customer Service, Of Course!
Why do so many businesses forget about customer service? While the answer to that question might take another article entirely to answer, we can answer this one: what can you do to improve your customer service this year? Make no mistake here; improving your customer service is one of the best ways to earn the loyalty and love of your customers, and once you’ve earned that, your sales will increase.
Happy and loyal customers are ten times more likely to recommend your brand and products to friends and family, and word of mouth is still one of the best ways to get referrals. So, what can be done to make customer service a priority? Follow these tips:
- Always listen to customer concerns and comments and take them seriously.
- Make your checkout process simple and stress-free for the customer.
- Train employees to focus on serving the customer to the best of their abilities.
- Pay attention to your social media pages!
- Never leave negative feedback unaddressed.
- Create only the highest-quality products and services. Customers will notice a drop in quality every time.
2. Get Yourself a POS System
If you don’t use POS software to manage your inventory, customer database, and sales, it’s time to take a serious leap into the modern era. Many business owners get stuck on the idea that the old way of doing things is better, but take it from us; a POS system can literally revolutionize your entire business.
POS systems are loaded with all kinds of tools and features, from inventory management to sales tracking and report generation, to customer profiles and even marketing tools. They’re essentially your all-in-one business management tool. If you bought software to manage each of those things individually, you’d be spending a fortune. A POS system does it all for one fixed cost. What’s better than that?
3. Get Your Button Social Media!
This one is for all of those small businesses who are reluctant to get on social media. You must have some kind of social media presence in the modern market. There’s simply no other way around it! Your customers are on social media, and that’s a fact. Nearly one-quarter of the world population is using social media of some kind, so if you’re not, you’re behind the times.
Social media not only offers a convenient way to connect with customers, but it also gives you some pretty amazing marketing tools to work with. Oh, and did we mention that joining most social media sites is free?
4. Consistency
As time wears on, some businesses find themselves losing their consistent commitment to quality and service. We get it; sometimes, it’s exhausting running a business, but one of the most important qualities a business can have is consistency. Customers will want to know that every time they purchase a product or service, they’re getting the same level of quality and customer service. If you serve the customer every time they visit your store or website, they’re more likely to maintain that loyalty to your brand.
5. Fix Your Website!
Is your website outdated, constantly crashing, or just aesthetically unpleasant? It’s time for an upgrade! In today’s digital world, a company without a website is standing on one leg. Your website not only acts as a landing page for new and potential customers, but it’s also your hub for connecting all of your social media pages, services, and products in one place.
Customers expect your website to be aesthetically pleasing and functional, so a site that crashes frequently or is littered with distracting or ugly graphics simply won’t do. Many businesses try to go the DIY route when it comes to their site, using sites like Wix to build their own website.
The problem is that those sites don’t have the eye for detail that a website developer might have, so you run into a problem where you can only customize your site so much before the tool’s limitations block you.
Loyalty Makes the Brand
The most successful brands got that way because they earned the loyalty of their paying customers. Earning your customers’ loyalty should definitely be one of your sales goals, and it means boosting sales and increasing your brand’s reputation, which only leads to good things in the future. We hope these five tips have helped; what advice would you give businesses to increase their customer loyalty?