There is no denying it. Customer service is horrible. The pandemic certainly had something to do with and we honestly think that friendliness has gone by the wayside. No longer is the “customer always right.” In fact, the customer is rarely listened to or treated with any kind of respect. Truly if your business is struggling and your employees are not bending over backward to help those customers who are loyal and come back to you, you’re better off without them — the employee, not the customer.
When is the last time you walked out of a store and thought, “wow that was a great experience”? I don’t know the last time I had that. In fact, if I have to get so excited that I finally had a great experience, that shows the decline of our society and the way in which we treat people.
Customers aside — this is an example of how poorly we treat humans. Bottom line.
Customers are the lifeblood of your business and didn’t you truly see that as being true when the pandemic shut down so many businesses? Yes, I understand that it’s hard to find employees and that it’s hard to keep them and the employees you do find don’t want to be there so what can you do?
Do Your Customers Feel Appreciated?
As the business owner, it’s up to you to step up and make your customers feel appreciated because without them you won’t have a business. How can you show appreciation and put a smile on their faces? We have some tips.
- Provide introductory offers. Businesses that offer introductory pricing or a first-time-purchase coupon are more likely to earn your loyalty. What can you offer a new customer?
- Are there loss leader products or services you could offer at a discount or for free to reward the loyalty of a long-term or repeat customer?
- Do you have free samples you could provide? If you’re a bakery, that’s easy. If you’re a service provider, offer a free pool cleaning or dog nail clipping, as a couple of examples.
- Build a community and work with beta testers for your goods or services. VIP communities are easy to build and can garner great word-of-mouth referrals.
- Stay in touch. If someone buys your product or hires you, stay in touch. Let them know what the onboarding process is and what the next steps are. Don’t leave them in the dark.
- Say THANK YOU! Two simple words that carry a lot of weight. What do you to do show your customers that you appreciate them?
What can you do to appreciate your customers? Also, what can you do to reward and thank employees who give good customer service?