Everyone knows that customer service is important. But do you know just how important? Studies have shown 86 percent of buyers will pay more for a great customer experience. They’ll also stick with you—one study indicates that businesses with a strong customer service program have a 92 percent customer retention rate. If you’re looking for ways to offer best-in-class customer service, we’ve got five fun tips and some small business giveaways that will help show your customers how much you care.
Get on a first name basis
Find ways to use customer and employee names in every interaction, whether it’s in-person, over the phone or online. This can be especially important in email, where clients are much more likely to open emails from “Sandy at Business Name” than those from “Business Name.”
Create a loyalty program
A loyalty program can have a surprising effect on your bottom line, with 58 percent of consumers choosing to shop at least once per month at stores with loyalty programs they’ve joined. Design a loyalty program that best fits your business model. That might mean a customer earns points toward purchases, or maybe you’ll offer once-a-year discounts on customer anniversaries. You can also give them a business thank-you gift, like a keychain bottle opener or a KOOZIE® , when they hit customer milestones.
Empower your employees
Letting your employees make decisions about how best to serve customers can turn a tough interaction into customer satisfaction. Giving employees the power to keep the store open an extra 15 minutes to help serve a customer—or letting an associate fix any customer problem that costs less than $100 without seeking authorization—can create an exceptional experience for your customers.
Find ways to personalize their experience
Use the data from your customer interactions to find out what they need and what they love. Do they have a favourite service? Offer them a discount. Did they just walk out of your store with a new product? Email them a link to a video that shows how to use it. You can even offer them a small business gift like a stress reliever with your phone number in case they need help using your product.
Surprise your customers with a gift
Finally, there’s no better way to say thank you to a customer than by showing it. Make them smile with a business thank-you gift, like a stylus pen or a reusable silicone straw and case, and a handwritten note to go with their purchase (or for no reason at all).
Bring them back for more
With these five tips and small business gifts, you can make customers feel like they are special, which will make your small business more memorable. That will bring people through your door again and again.