How to Make Your Customers Feel Special and Improve Customer Service?

Loyal customers who keep on coming back to use your products are the core of your business. They usually also help promote your brand through word of mouth, bringing in even more customers and increasing your revenue.

Therefore your business should do whatever it takes to make your customers feel special. And the best way to do that is by providing high-quality services.

However, because the ultimate goal of a business is to close a sale, it is easy to forget what factors help you gain customer loyalty. Many companies miss opportunities to grow their business further because they neglect the importance of long-term relationships with their customers.

This article will look at several ways to improve customers’ trust and loyalty to your business.

1. Improve Your Website

Start your business improvements by looking at the foundation of your online presence – your website. Whether it is a social media campaign, search engine optimization, or online advertisement, any interaction with these marketing methods will redirect your audience to your website.

That is why your website should be able to handle demands from your customers. When you have a robust website, it will be capable of more advanced functions that will further improve users’ experience.

There are several ways to improve your website in terms of performance and appearance. Performance-wise, consider changing your website host to get a better server and more bandwidth. High-quality hosting means faster-loading pages and less downtime for your website.

Pay attention to your website’s overall design and layout too. If you notice that navigating through your website is not as seamless as you want it to be, change the website theme or site map. Optimize your multimedia content and get rid of unnecessary widgets for a quicker page load time.

2. Provide Multi-Channel Support

Along their customer journey, there is a chance that your client might have a question or face a problem. A good business should be able to provide support as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Multi-channel customer support is essential because your customers might prefer different ways of getting in touch. If your customer service is easily accessible in multiple ways, it will be more convenient and easy for your users.

Several essential channels to have for your customer support:

• Live chat
• Phone
• Social media
• Face-to-face support

Easy-to-access and helpful customer support can significantly improve your brand reputation. Reliable customer support is also one of the foundations for building customer loyalty.

3. Manage Customer Expectations

Many factors affect customer satisfaction during the users’ interaction with your business. Some of these factors are external and outside your control. However, most of your service elements are within your control and can be improved. Those factors are the ones you should focus on.

One of the factors you can manage is your customers’ expectations, which can be done by properly communicating with your customers.

The most straightforward way to identify the needs and preferences of your customers is by asking them to fill out a feedback form. Ask open-ended questions that allow customers to give more detailed answers. Also, encourage them to share their expectations when interacting with your business.

Another way to manage customer expectations is by giving full disclosure regarding any necessary terms before purchase. Explain all important information thoroughly and honestly to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Another tip is to use the “under-promise and over-deliver” technique. Customers often feel disappointed when a business over-promises and then fails to deliver. Doing the complete opposite is much better for the reputation of your business.

For example, if you think you can deliver an order within three days, tell your customer that you will need five days. This way, you will have more room for unexpected errors, and your customer will be more impressed when you manage to deliver earlier than expected.

4. Personalize Communications

Customers tend to feel special when you personalize your communication with them. A personalized message sent to your customer will feel more welcoming and further increase the trust.

Around 96% of marketers believe that personalized communication can help a business advance its relationship with its customers.

There are two tips you can use to make your messages more personal.

First, try to address your customers by their names to show that you care about this interaction. Then, use a friendly and less formal tone to help you establish more personal communication.

Doing so will make your messages feel more conversational, no matter if it’s an email marketing campaign or a reply on a live chat.

5. Reward Loyal Customers

Loyal customers play a significant role, not only as a constant source of income but also as an additional marketing channel for your brand. Loyal customers can act as your unofficial brand ambassadors who promote your products to their peers based on their own positive experiences.

By rewarding these loyal customers, you maintain your relationship with them and make them excited to be involved with your brand.

Rewards for long-term customers can come in various forms, including special discounts, free products, or gift cards. Choose the best rewards depending on what works best for your type of business.

6. Respond on Social Media

Since most businesses use social media platforms to reach a wider audience, many customers also use them to contact their customer service.

Aside from the convenience of this method, most people contact a business through social media because they expect a faster response.

Customers expect a response as fast as 30-60 minutes after the initial complaint was expressed on social media. If you fail to respond within the expected time, more often than not, your customers will assume that your brand has terrible customer service.

An excellent way to ensure your response on social media is timely is to assign a dedicated person who focuses on handling social media only. That way, they can concentrate on all things social media, leaving you free to concentrate on other aspects of running your business.

7. Maintain After Sales Services

A completed purchase doesn’t mean it’s the end of the customer journey. Once the customer completes the transaction, there are still chances that they will need your help regarding the product.

Be ready to answer questions regarding the purchased product and provide services such as returns, exchanges, and refunds.

To strengthen the customer’s confidence in purchasing your products, it is also a good idea to use policies such as a 30-day money-back guarantee.

8. Track Your Customer Satisfaction

Reacting to feedback from your customers is one of the best ways for your business to grow and improve continuously. Your business should always try to ensure that every customer is satisfied with your products and services by keeping track of their complaints and suggestions.

When it comes to feedback, businesses need to be proactive and ask for it whenever possible. It can help you improve your business and because doing so can leave a good impression on your customers.

Businesses that show great care to their customers’ opinions will look more reliable and trustworthy. Make sure to respond to any complaints and opinions as well to successfully shape your products and services according to your customer’s needs and preferences.

Conclusion

Loyal customers are the drivers of business growth. They purchase your products, recommend them to their peers, and come back to your website regularly.

This article has learned about eight ways to improve your customer service and make your customers feel special. Be sure to:

• Improve your website
• Provide multi-channel support
• Manage customer expectations
• Personalize communications
• Reward loyal customers
• Respond to customers on social media
• Maintain after-sales service
• Track your customer satisfaction

These factors are essential to gaining your customers’ trust and turning them into loyal customers. Hopefully, after reading this article, you can start improving your business effectively too.