10 Top Tips For Keeping Your Customers Happy

There are many research papers that say that it costs more to find a new customer than it does to retain one. All it takes is a small negative impact for a customer to perceive the quality of your service to be substandard and for loyalty to fly out the window.

So how do you maintain customer retention for your service-based business?

1. Call your clients regularly

Communication is absolutely the number one reason why you would potentially lose a customer. Without communication what do you have? A fabulous idea/service but nobody to share it with. Does your customer know about this fabulous idea/service if you don’t call them? Of course not!

Schedule periodical calls with your customers to share updates about how things are going and to ask how happy they are with your services. If they don’t give you a 10 out of 10, instead of asking why not a 10; ask them what it would take for them to give you a 10. Ask what it is about your service it is that they particularly appreciate.

2. Create valuable content

Sharing new market insights, even your own opinion on a matter. Share opportunities that your clients may not even be aware of yet. Generating valuable contents shows that you are on top of your game and you know how to improve brand awareness. Clients will also be likely to share your content or RECOMMEND your services to their connections.

3. Become an authority in your field

Do you know who your competitors are? Do you know how YOUR service is like theirs? What sets you apart from your competitor? You should always strive to be the best service in your market. If people see you leading the band, they are much more likely to stick with you. They will have confidence in you because the consensus confirms that they already have one of the best providers.

4. Reply to emails PROMPTLY

How long does it take you to respond to their emails? Do you even respond? You should strive to respond at LEAST within 24 hours. Even if it is with just an “I have received your email and will respond more fully by close of business” – or some such response. Quick response times show that if something important comes up you are always on top of your inbox.

5. Be decisive

Clients hire you because you know what you are doing. You cannot afford to be uncertain about what might be best for them. Your confidence must show, and it must show CLEARLY! How often do you use the word “if” in your interactions with your clients? Every conversation? This hardly shows that you are confident in your own abilities. Do you anticipate questions that could lead to you having to research something for a client? Have you already done it? How often do you ask your client to be patient with you while you go and research? It doesn’t instil much confidence even reading it here, does it?

6. Value the client’s point of view

Just as you are an expert in YOUR field, so your customer is an expert in his field. Listen to ideas and inputs from them. They have worked with their customers much longer than what you have been with them. Your efforts will be more efficient if you would just take the time to listen to them. Your service may be to the end-user, listen to their needs & personalise your service to their liking. Word of mouth advertisement goes a long way in building your business.

7. Add personal touches

Adding a personal touch to a relationship is “old school”, but how often do you appreciate this “old school” touch? A handwritten Christmas card or an email about a work anniversary, what about a birthday, not only their own but a significant other! It shows you care and enforces your position as the top of mind choice for your customer.

8. Be realistic

It is ALWAYS better to under promise and over delivers. On average, unhappy customers share their experience with 20 people or more while satisfied customers share their experience with about 4 people. One way to avoid the negative is to set realistic expectations from the get-go and ONLY take on clients that are happy with that.

9. Identify opportunities

If you have to wait for a customer to tell you how else you can improve your performance, you must KNOW that you have lost his support. Come up with ideas and new strategies to proactively tell your clients how they can get more out of their budgets. This will show your customers that you care about making their investment in your company grow continuously.

10. Be clear and transparent

I cannot emphasize this enough! You must state very clearly to your customer what you can do, how you deliver your services and what they can expect from you. Customer loyalty also increases based on how you handle a mistake. As much as 70% of unhappy customers transform into loyal customers if the mistake has been fixed and this fix exceeds their expectations.

Customer retention is an essential part of a service business model. It is easier to upsell, and is more profitable, to an existing customer than to constantly acquire new customers while having a high turnover.

So, with everything said and done, what is there in this list that grabs your attention where you may be lacking with your customer service?

Is there something in here that you have identified that I, as a virtual assistant, might be able to assist you with? Maybe I've even missed something that you have found to have worked for you. Please share it, this list can definitely be a work in progress as well.