Customer loyalty is something all companies want to achieve. People often assume a satisfied customer is a loyal one. The common misconception is that this simply isn't true. Loyalty measures something more than satisfaction – it measures whether someone will stick their neck out to advocate for your business or services.
Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for years, you know that customer loyalty doesn’t usually happen automatically. Sometimes it’s as simple as the location of your company for the customer. Other times there is more leg work involved and you need to provide excellent customer service to get them to come back.
Below are some tips to help you increase the odds of your customers returning.
5 Tips for Building Your Customers’ Loyalty Through Customer Service:
- Provide Excellent Customer Service
Whether it’s in person or over the phone, always keep a positive attitude, ask the customer questions, listen to their problem(s), and offer solutions. - Be Prepared
Arrive on time with the necessary tools/materials you may need to complete the job or let the customer know upfront that you may need more time/another part, etc. - Communicate
Communicate your plan & show transparency: Give your ETA, how long the appointment might take, an estimate of cost, etc. With today’s software tools and add-ons to help you out, you can accomplish these with ease. - Be Respectful
Show respect for the customer, their time, and their home. Basically, just remember to wipe your feet on the welcome mat as you’re walking in and use your manners. - Don’t Forget to Smile
A smile is worth a thousand words. Sometimes it’s not just the first impression that counts, it’s the lasting impression that you’re always accessible and happy to help.
TechnologyAdvice, a company that creates quality connections between buyers and sellers of business technology, designed a nationwide internet survey where 3,800 adults spoke of their recent interactions with service technicians. Almost 50% of the respondents were left indifferent or with a negative opinion of their experience. The way we see it, you’ve got a 50/50 shot of satisfying your customer on every job. If you then want to create customer loyalty, you’ve got to consistently provide service that customers are satisfied with.
In another survey from TechnologyAdvice, they found that satisfied customers expect the following from service companies:
- For field techs to address their need or provide service in a single visit
- Technicians are polite, pleasant, knowledgeable, and respectful
- For them to be early or on time
- To be given an accurate quote on the total cost of the visit during the visit
While most of the above tips may seem to be aimed at technicians, it doesn’t hurt for people in the office to follow some of these as well. Especially if you are the customer service representative answering the phone!
If you need a little extra help or want to learn more about providing the best possible customer service you can, one great resource you may want to check out is Power Selling Pros, a company providing Call Center Training and Certification for companies in the home services industry.
Davisware, Inc. is proud to endorse Brigham Dickinson, founder of Power Selling Pros, for his teachings of creating a “Pattern for Excellence”, which provides a framework anyone can follow for providing phenomenal customer service.
What would you say has worked best for building customer loyalty for your business?
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