Is Customer Appreciation
Alive and Well at Your Company?
Every one of us buys products and services from a variety of salespeople
and companies on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. How many times in
the last three to six months have you received some form of appreciation from
those companies for the business you have given them? Even just a simple thank
you note? My guess would be that for most, you have not received any form of
appreciation.
In this high-tech and fast-paced business world,
showing appreciation to customers
is a dying practice. Yet most of us want to
feel like the companies we choose to do business with value our business.
So
how much is a
customer worth to your company over the next one to three years?
If a customer were spending $100/month, that would equate to $3600 in revenue
over the next three years. Ask yourself this question:
How much have you invested in the last 12 months to let your
customers
know that you value their business and their loyalty?
Here are a couple of ideas to help you demonstrate to your loyal and
long-term customers how important they really are to your business.
Thank you notes
-
a hand written note is a simple and cost effective
way to demonstrate appreciation. A hand written note
communicates the message that you
care about your customers. Invest 10
minutes a day to write a few notes of appreciation to those loyal customers.
It’s one of the smallest investments you can make in a customer.
Follow-up calls
- Call your customers! Our veterinarian personally
calls us after every visit to make certain that our dog is doing okay. This
phone call tells me how much our veterinarian cares not only about our dog but
also about our business.
Invest the time to talk with customers. Ask them:
What they think of the
quality of service
your company provides
How to improve the quality of service
your company provides
If there are other
products or services they need that you
could be providing
One hour a week to call and listen to what your customers have to say will
make a difference in your business as well as with your customers!
Appreciation programs
- create a “Christmas
in
July”
campaign to recognize loyal customers. Stand out from the rest of the crowd -
you are one of many during the holiday season; but you will
be the only one in July.
Hire a company that specializes in gifting to help create and deliver a
unique and memorable gift that will leave a lasting impression. You will be
amazed at how inexpensively you can demonstrate your appreciation.
Create a Customer Appreciation Award
- develop a trophy or plaque that is
delivered to your high-volume customers to acknowledge their loyalty and
value. How many companies have sent you an award as a loyal customer? Consider
displaying them in your lobby or front entrance area. You will be amazed at
how much attention they draw from your customers.
Teach the value of Customer Appreciation
-
communicate the dollar value of
a customer to every person in your company.
Most people do not realize what it costs to
acquire and maintain a customer. If the people that work for your company do
not understand the value of a customer, you are at tremendous risk! Reward and
recognize them for the role they play in communicating appreciation to every
customer.
Five Important Words
-
thank you for your business!
Most customers would probably agree that they don’t hear those words often
enough. But if spoken insincerely, your customer will immediately sense it and
you will have exactly the opposite affect. Train your staff to look the
customer in the eye and to say “thank you” with sincerity.
If you sell your product or service by phone, it is even more important to
take the extra few seconds to say “thank you.” And don’t be fooled that just
because you are on the telephone, people will not be able to detect
insincerity!
If you are in a competitive situation, showing appreciation to loyal
customers is crucial to ensuring longevity in a world where, with the click of
a mouse button, they can be purchasing the same product or service from
numerous competitors.
Demonstrating customer appreciation is an important part of your customer
service.
Take one of these
ideas and put into action! Measure the
results and see for yourself! It’s the small things that you do that tell your
customers that you care about them and their business.
It will set you apart from the
crowd!
MEASURE-X
6227 North 15th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014
888-644-5499
www.measure-x.com
The Customer Service Training Experts!
