Customer relationships are one of the most important things your company can cultivate. It's an investment that often yields many rewards, even more than expected. For example, when a company has a good relationship with its target audience, they, in turn, may recommend it to friends and acquaintances, engaging in the famous "word-of-mouth" marketing.
It's important to remember that a business isn't built on products and services, but on people. A piece of clothing doesn't go to a store to buy a pair of shoes. The purchasing decision is made by people , so make your business customer-centric .
To understand this topic better, you need to understand the importance of customer relationships for your company. Let's talk a little more about this now.
Trust is the foundation of any relationship
It's rare for anyone to build and maintain a relationship with someone they don't trust. It could be romantic, family, or friendship. Without trust, there's no real relationship. This also applies to relationships between companies and customers .
Earning your customer's trust takes time and dedication. service ; ongoing care is required. For example, after a purchase is made, find out what they think of your product or service, whether they're experiencing any difficulties, and so on.
This way, the customer will feel that your company truly cares about them and that you care about their experience . Therefore, building a good relationship must be done in different ways every day.
Tips to improve your customer relationship
Now that you understand the importance of maintaining a good relationship with your customer, see below some tips to help you with this essential task for your business.
Create empathy
It's important to empathize with customers so you can put yourself in their shoes . Feeling their pain allows you to identify the root of their problem and offer the best solution—one that leaves them extremely satisfied .
Building empathy can be a difficult task for some people, but it can be easily overcome with the following tips. Here's what you can do to achieve success in this area:
- Strive to recognize your customers' emotions, as empathy is about sharing the same feelings as the other person;
- Stop and listen to them and try to interpret the events, extracting as much information as possible from the client without being invasive;
- Try to be in a good mood and make your customer smile, after all, that's half the battle;
- Ask relevant questions to help your client make the best decision.
In addition to all these points, you can also tell a story, something that relates to the product or service you're offering the customer at that moment. This is a way to show them that you have similar problems and that you understand what they're going through.
Be proactive
A person can be considered proactive when they create an opportunity; when they strive and give their all to make something happen. This person doesn't wait for others to tell them to do something; they do it on their own, have many ideas on the subject, and tend to think collectively.
One way to apply proactivity to improve your customer relationships is to not wait for them to come to you. Remember: You're the one who needs the customer, not the other way around!
So, try to schedule a day and time in your calendar to contact your customers and hear what they have to say about your product, and what you can do to make their lives easier .
This is also a way to get your customer's attention, showing them that you care about them and their needs.
Solve problems quickly
Time has become the most valuable commodity in recent times, and if you can offer it to your customers, your relationship with them will certainly be one of the best.
Think about how busy your customer is and how many commitments they have during the week. If you can solve their problem quickly, they'll have more of this valuable item to spend more time with family, traveling with friends, taking care of their health, and more.
The main idea here is to always strive to reduce customer effort . One metric that can effectively assess this is the Customer Effort Score (CES) . customer must put into resolving an issue with your company.
Deliver results
Did you know that it's five times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to improve your relationships with existing ones? Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is often quite high, and of course, your goal should always be to reduce this cost. In this case, it's a good idea to focus on Customer Success .
This is a professional whose main goal is to deliver customer success . It's a way to build customer loyalty and understand that your success is much greater than their satisfaction with your company . In short, a successful customer remains loyal to your company because it delivers results.
Invest in exclusive promotions
Companies often focus too much on acquiring new customers and end up neglecting existing ones, which can lead to them leaving for the competition.
So, create exclusive promotions for your customers, preferably using something they really need. For example, if you're a frozen food company, find out what type of food your customers order most and offer a special price.
Conclusion
Never forget that the customer is always right; after all, they're the ones who keep your business running. By following these steps and improving your relationships , your chances of satisfied customers are extremely high . This makes customers more likely to buy from you again, recommend you to acquaintances , and, best of all, speak highly of you.
So, treat your customer as unique because they truly are. Even though they may buy the same product as everyone else, their needs may be different, and you need to be aware of that.
We're constantly interacting with people across different channels, and more than ever, we're interacting with them almost 100% of the time. The importance of establishing a relationship with a customer goes beyond results. Keep in mind that by nurturing relationships in a healthy way, over time, and consistently, we can create true bonds with customers and produce more effective business.
