Published on May 27th, 2018 | by Sunit Nandi

5 Perfect Ways to Make Your Customers Feel Valued

If there is one thing that a business should value is its customers. “King” and “God” are two popular metaphors used for customers.

Nowadays dedicated customer service desks have the responsibility to address the issues their customers bring up. This is mainly because smart businesses want their customers to be happy with their service, as unhappy and unsatisfied customers never return. They instead spread negative word about you, which one way or another has adverse effects on your brand image.

Did you know that only 4% of unhappy customers will register a complaint with you? Rest, i.e. 96% of your unsatisfied customers, will never come back to you.

Customers are important. Your business is because of them; if they wouldn’t trade with you, it will be difficult for your business to sustain and survive in the market.

“There are 60 to 70% chances that your existing customers will return and buy from you; however the chances of selling to a new customer are only 5 to 20%”, says a Marketing Metric data.

A 2011 American Express survey reveals that 59% of Americans would try a new brand or service just to seek better customer experience.

Any forward-looking business willing to sail up into the market will never overlook the importance of happy customers. How you behave with your consumers and puzzle out their queries and issues exhibit how serious you are about your business. It has far-reaching effect on your existence and image.

If you are an emerging business trying to set-up or revamp your customer service strategies, here are some of the best practices that will help you make your customers happy and make them feel valued:

1. Be happy to help

Whenever you get a complaint from a customer, proactively tell them that they are valued customer. In the following, I list the steps that you need to take to address their issue:

Respond: immediately to an unhappy customer
Listen: to their problem (it is allow you to understand the matter)
Say thanks: for bringing the matter to you
Review: their problem and account carefully
Ask: if there is any other issue they are facing or have faced with your service
Provide: solution to their problem ASAP
Send: them some goodies or gifts with personalized labels, or a greeting with an apology

Make sure that your customer service doesn’t hang up for more than a week. Delaying pushes things in opposite direction; you know, you might have lost your customer already.

2. Know your customers

I understand you meet dozens of customers (or may be more than that) every day and it is hard to remember everyone’s name. But, it really builds an impression when you remember your customers’ name, or when you ask them about their experience with your XYZ product or service which they purchased a few weeks back.

Or else, you can ask them about their kid’s performance at studies or sports. You can give them a compliment about their phone, hairstyle, or anything that will help you remember them by their face. Talk about national politics or local issue. Or simply, ask how’s it going, sir/ma’am?

These basic talks are a great way to develop a bonding with your customers. Gradually you will know their name and many more things about them.

3. Offer a “for you only” service/price

People like it a lot when you offer a product or service that, you say, you have handpicked just for them.

Imagine a salesperson at a garment store tells you:

“Hey, this jacket will look fab on you. For others, its price is $150, but for you, it is just $135.”

“With this service, you get a free gift with a customized label displaying your message or name. Isn’t it awesome?”

Wouldn’t these secret offers influence anyone’s buying decision? Of course, they would!

4. Share tips for using your products

As a business, you should help your customers make informed decisions by offering them the right information about your product. Explain all dos and don’ts and precautionary guidelines to your customers, so incidents like product damage and customer getting serious injuries can be circumvented.

All the specifics and specials about your product or service should be clarified in plain words. It shows that you care for your customers and it definitely makes an individual feel valued.

5. Celebrate their special occasions

This is an underused practice that I think is one of the bests for making a customer feel special. You don’t just have to remember your customers’ names but also their special occasions such as their birthdays, anniversaries, or the date when they became your customer.

Obviously, remembering everything while focusing on your core business strategies would be difficult for you. Maintaining customer database will help you remember many such things about your customers.

Alternatively, you can introduce a custom-built customer management system in your process, which will keep you notified about your customers’ precious events. And you can make your customers feel valued by sending a greeting or a surprise gift. On the anniversary of your business relationship, you can send them a special voucher or coupon code offering special discount on purchase.

Bottom Line

In an age, when finding new customers is an uphill task, retaining your existing ones seems to be the biggest advance. Investing in customer service efforts, taking care of your existing customers, and keep them happy and contented are some of the best practices that will make your customers feel valued. And a valued customer is who brings you recurring business and gives you new customers through word-of-mouth publicity.

Tags: business, customers, feel, marketing, perfect, valued, ways

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.