The key to long-term business success is the ability to establish and maintain good relationships with customers. A good relationship makes customers want to continue to transact with your company, they will even give recommendations to others. However, customers will be disappointed and end the relationship if you only put the interests of the company first. Read this article if you want to learn how to build and maintain good customer relationships.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Building Relationships with Customers
Step 1. Get to know the customer personally
Customers usually prefer to do business with people they already know and can interact with well. So you need to get to know the customer personally.
- When meeting a customer, take the time to chat to ask a few things about the company, for example: what products or services he needs, if there is any input he would like to convey, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the business you manage. Try to memorize the names of customers, family members, and other personal aspects because it will be very useful later on.
- Take detailed notes on customer feedback so you can better understand what the customer is experiencing.
- Hold special events as a face-to-face opportunity and get to know customers personally. Ask them to ask questions and make suggestions so that you understand their specific wants and needs.
Step 2. Store customer data by building a database consisting of phone numbers, home addresses, and email addresses
You can provide better response and service if you keep complete and detailed customer data.
A good customer database consists of phone numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. In addition, you must have data on customer preferences, purchasing behavior, order history, and a customer satisfaction index that reflects the company's performance in meeting customer needs
Step 3. Learn about customer preferences and needs by analyzing data obtained through surveys, polls and questionnaires
This information is very useful as feedback on the company's performance to find out what customers want and aspects that need to be improved.
- Customers who feel cared for and heard are more likely to interact with you and your company, for example through surveys, polls and questionnaires. This method makes customers choose your company to conduct business transactions.
- Another aspect that plays an important role in establishing and maintaining customer relationships is employee satisfaction. Try to find out the level of employee satisfaction and ask them to make suggestions for improvement to management. Take advantage of these suggestions as feedback to improve customer satisfaction.
Step 4. Do customer research
To find out more about customer needs and improve the quality of the relationship between customers and the company, evaluate the implementation of procedures and company performance. In addition, you need to gather information through market research to find out detailed things about customers.
- Gather as much information as possible by asking what customers need and want. Also ask how much they are satisfied with so you can improve relationships and improve the overall quality of service.
- Study a specific market share by analyzing generally accepted market research results to determine market conditions and obtain information that you can use to improve the quality of business relationships with market shares in specific demographics.
- Use business analytics programs and computers to gather information so you can communicate with customers more effectively.
Part 2 of 3: Communicating with Customers
Step 1. Communicate with customers
Communicating is one of the most important aspects of building relationships with customers. Therefore, you must prepare and utilize as many means of communication as possible.
- Find ways to keep customers remembering you after the first meeting. Immediately after meeting the customer, contact the customer by sending an email, newsletter, or other medium.
- Don't focus solely on the product or service you want to market by contacting customers when you need them to do business. Submit information if the company will hold activities or improve the quality of products/services. Sending out the latest news regularly is one way of establishing communication between you and your customers that is not solely for business purposes.
- Involve customers in business activities. One way to establish good relationships with customers is to make customers feel involved in the development and progress of the company. Try to have two-way communication with customers.
Step 2. Send out a monthly newsletter
Sending a bulletin is a way to inform products/services, plan activities, and as a promotional medium. Newsletters can be published in print or sent by e-mail.
Step 3. Create social media accounts
Today, social media plays an important role in communicating with customers. Prepare to interact with customers through various social media outside of working hours.
Create a Facebook, Twitter, or other social media account to provide information to customers. Send a “Friend Request” to your customers so they can access your company account and know your business profile
Step 4. Host special events, parties and contests and invite customers
Take advantage of these activities as an opportunity to meet face-to-face with customers, invite them to be actively involved in business activities, and show appreciation for their loyalty to the company.
Step 5. Ask for feedback from customers
In addition to asking customers to provide suggestions for new features or products to make them more interesting, provide opportunities for customers to submit criticisms of the company's products and services. In addition to increasing customer loyalty, you can get important information about customer needs and satisfaction levels.
- Let customers know that you need honest constructive feedback and will take their suggestions into account to improve company performance.
- When customers provide suggestions or criticism, show that you understand what they are saying by listening carefully and providing feedback.
Part 3 of 3: Maintaining Good Relationships with Customers
Step 1. Be honest with customers
Remember that customer trust is just as important as the quality of the product or service you offer. Therefore, long-term relationships with customers must be based on honesty and integrity.
- Keep the commitment. Don't make promises you can't keep as this will damage the customer relationship.
- If you have a problem, tell the customer about it honestly. You should immediately notify customers if a problem occurs, for example when you can't meet a deadline, have trouble finding a particular product, or haven't been able to provide the service you need.
Step 2. Prioritize transparency in transactions
In running a business, transparency means responding to customer requests and complaints by providing a satisfactory response. If you need to seek information before answering a question or responding to a customer request, be honest and make a commitment you can afford. This gives customers the impression that you value their opinion and always put the customer first.
Create a website so that customers can find out the status of their orders, monitor the progress of work, or get important information about the products or services they need
Step 3. Acknowledge any errors, problems, or delays
Customers usually know whether you are telling the truth or not providing relevant information. Long-term relationships with customers require transparency and mutual trust.
Step 4. Say thank you to the customer
Appreciating the cooperation and loyalty of customers is a way of maintaining good relations with them. In order to be able to expand your business, you not only need new customers, but you have to reward loyal customers.
To create customer loyalty, set up a rewards program for repeat customers, i.e. people who have invested a lot of time and money in your business. Rewards can be in the form of giving cards to collect points, gift cards in the form of cards, and special offers
Step 5. Build a relationship of mutual respect
Interacting with customers on a personal basis is the best way to build relationships and foster loyalty. The customer's personal experience when conducting business transactions and the convenience of communicating with you are needed to establish a long-term relationship.
- Talk to customers directly. The difficulty of contacting someone and the time-consuming service of the telephone operator tends to be an unpleasant experience for the customer.
- Customers value more wholehearted personal service. So don't rely on external resources to manage your business presentation on social media or as customer service personnel.
Tips
- Don't be negative with customers. Try to understand what he is saying, even if it is based on erroneous assumptions or inaccurate information. Say the important things that customers say and ask if you understand the explanation correctly. Decide what date and time you will provide the answer so the customer feels heard and can expect a real solution.
- Good relationships with customers make problems easier to solve, for example when they are not satisfied with the service you provide, orders are delivered late, or requests are not served well. Smooth communication will strengthen business relationships so that it is easier for you to find the root of the problem and provide the best solution for both parties.
- When communicating, greet customers by name as they wish. Get in the habit of greeting customers with respect, for example using the greeting of father or mother and their surname. Use the first name with the customer's permission.
