Every entrepreneur should appreciate the fact that keeping clients happy is about far more than providing quality products. Quality customer care is an equally crucial matter that can make all the difference to retention rates. A one point reduction in churn can yield a double digit increase in margin.
The most common pitfall in this aspect of the operation, however, revolves around which customers gain your attention. The natural reaction is to dedicate the bulk of our customer service efforts to winning back lost clients and/or addressing the faults that have left some people unsatisfied. Those endeavors can indeed bring very positive outcomes, but it should not be an excuse to ignore the good clients.
Who are your Good Clients?
Good clients can be categorized as those that use your business products and services without causing any disruption or frustration for the company, either financially or emotionally. Typical attributes include making timely payments, rarely have any issues, and generally spreading positive reviews or generating referrals.
Unlike the clients that continuously complain, leave bad reviews, and want something for nothing, these individuals rarely make themselves heard. If anything, though, this should give you an even bigger incentive to listen to their needs.
Moreover, these people will form the bulk of your customer base, which is why keeping them happy is essential and is something your employees must pay attention to too. Check out Jeff Toister’s book, The Service Culture Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Employees Obsessed with Customer Service, for more on this topic.
Why you Need to Pay Extra Attention to Good Clients
All clients deserve to be given the star treatment, yet we often ignore the ones that ask for nothing more, and spend our time with the squeaky wheel. They may be happy now but letting them feel undervalued could soon see them evolve into unhappy clients. Rather than making complaints, though, it’s likely that they’ll simply take their business elsewhere.
Good clients are active users of the brand. Therefore, giving them that extra attention naturally increases the chances of gaining repeat business. In turn, this provides the business with the platform needed for sustained success. Besides, if you keep them happy, those tactics should work elsewhere.
Furthermore, the fact that good customers are already behind your brand enables you to turn them into advocates, as Shaun Smith writes. So, in addition to strengthening the bond, they could become your best selling asset.
How to Keep Good Clients Happy
Making your current clients feel valued can be achieved with some very simple actions. Membership programs and loyalty rewards are fantastic options in businesses that revolve around small, repeat transactions where it’s easy to lose a customer to a competitor. Special timed promotions can increase the positivity as well as encourage a spike in short-term sales for businesses looking to reward and appreciate existing customers. But beyond couponing and rewards programs, there’s an even better strategy – saying thank you.
We just don’t say “thank you” enough. Take the extra time to communicate with your best customers and articulate how much you appreciate their business and loyalty. You can do this through simple personalized emails for starters. However, I have found that a brief handwritten thank you card can have a tremendous impact on customer satisfaction.
For businesses with a little bit larger budget when it comes to customer retention, consider thank you gifts. Not just at the holidays either. Send unprompted thank you gifts and promotional items almost at random to surprise and thank your customers. These actions can often prompt additional sales, positive reviews, referrals and great goodwill.
Customers want to feel appreciated. Something as simple as asking for their opinions and feedback can form a crucial part of providing the type of client care they deserve while also understanding buyer habits. Meanwhile, active participation through social media and other methods encourages them to feel as though they are on the journey with you.
Above all, just remember to spend time with your good customers. It will be well worth the effort in the long run.
