How You Can Build Long Lasting Customer Relationships Here are three ways you can create a customer experience that will develop fans of your business for life.
By Entrepreneur Store Edited by Jason Fell
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Any business owner knows: while winning customers might be the short game, earning their long-term loyalty is the key to a thriving enterprise. The sales and marketing efforts you make to earn new customers costs anywhere between five to 25 times more than retention does — so if you're able to keep the clients you initially gain and make them keep coming back, that helps you reduce the amount of money you spend on acquisition over time.
The key is customer experience: as technology gets increasingly sophisticated, companies actually need to work harder and find unique ways to leverage tools, gadgets, and strategies to meet customer's needs. Companies that fail to do so lose customers and business: in fact, 89 percent of customers will switch businesses after a bad experience with a brand.
It's simply not enough anymore for companies to produce a great product or complete a reliable service. Beyond just transactional experience, companies look for an emotional experience or a unique memory — making customer experience the differentiator for successful businesses of the future.
Here are three ways you can create a customer experience that will develop fans of your business for life:
1. Demonstrate authentic concern.
From automated responses to voice-recorded messages to chatting with AI, many of the tools companies use to shave off time and address customers needs actually end up alienating users. Instead, use data gathered from questionnaires or previously recorded information specific to the customer to customize your responses and the ways you communicate with them. This type of personalization makes customers feel seen and heard — and the result is trust and connection, which is invaluable.
2. Actively listen to customers.
Sure, it's important to respond quickly to customers — but that doesn't always mean you need to do all the talking. Instead, express regret if they're experiencing an issue — and allow the customer to tell you what problems they're experiencing, so you can better amend the situation. That way, you're taking a proactive, open approach that's sure to linger in their minds in a positive way.
3. Streamline the experience.
Good customer experience doesn't necessarily need to be complex. Take a careful look at your business processes and see what you can cut out to more directly address client's needs.
If you're looking for more guidance, check out this Turn Customers Into Fans In the First 100 Days with Joey Coleman course — it helps you take advantage of the massively important first few weeks of the customer relationship, helping you exceed customer expectations for both future and current customers.
Usually, this course is $99, but you can get it here for $14.99.
