Only 28% of consumers are loyal to their providers and brands. Now more than ever, companies are struggling to retain customers and have them returning time after time. With customer experience being the big ticket word, companies forget that part of the customer experience is engaging the customer and making them feel important. Brand loyalty is a difficult thing to come by. However, if done properly, it can retain customers and send your sales skyrocketing.
The first step in creating personal engagement is to devise a plan, a strategy if you will. Your strategy should lead to an attainable goal that will please customers. Understand that all of your actions with your customers develop a relationship with a customer. Therefore, if customers have had a bad experience with you, they will never forget it. That is not to say that it can’t be fixed, but that’s a topic for another time. Develop a strategy to please customers, whether giving them coupons for spending a certain amount, updating your website with a chat feature, or even developing social media sites.
Ultimately, your goal is to focus on the customer experience. If your customers are not happy, your sales will drop. First, analyze the problem. This means actually listening to the customer’s complaints. By showing the act of listening, it demonstrates that you are willing to work with the customers. Take their comments into consideration. Yes, some people are going to be upset. Deal with it, give them what they want, and move on. A bad review online these days is detrimental to your brand name. The top 3 customer frustrations are failure to quickly resolve an issue, lengthy hold times, and interacting with representatives who cannot provide a solution (Accenture). Fix the problem, and improve your customer’s experience.
After you check your strategy and customer experience goals, focus on loyalty rewards. Customers love free stuff. Offer a chance to win free products and services with sweepstakes or a drawing offer. Or if you want to guarantee a prize, how about a coupon to get them back in the store to purchase again? How about thinking of prepaid credit cards? There are hundreds of ways to create offers that will build loyal customers. Giving your customers offers adds to the customer relationship because then you resonate in their minds from your gift.
Advocacy is the final goal. Advocacy is when the customer is talking about your brand in a positive light and spreading the news to their friends and families. Advocates are the loyal customers that deserve more investment. As customers stay with you year after year, be willing to spend more on their offers because they have been there for you and your company. Loyalty is priceless.
By creating a positive customer experience, a strategy, and loyalty reward offers, you will personally engage your customers and create advocacy. This isn’t simply putting more investment into customers, it’s developing a whole new business model for future generations. Focus on honesty and loyalty, and the customers will see the difference.
For more information, please go to www.alldigitalrewards.com
