Is Your Small Business Doing Enough To Make Customers Feel Valued?

Keeping customers happy is vital for businesses. If you run a small business, and you’re keen to improve client retention rates and attract new customers to boost sales, here are some steps you can take to ensure your customers feel valued and appreciated. 

Monitoring performance and taking feedback on board

If your order numbers are increasing and your books look healthy, it’s natural to assume that your customers are happy, but have you actually taken the time to get in touch and ask for feedback? Monitoring performance continually is critical for businesses, and it’s also incredibly beneficial to learn from reviews and feedback and to take suggestions and complaints on board. Use data analysis and research tools to evaluate your performance, engage with customers and ask questions about the service you provide and look for ways to add value and enhance the experience. If you’re familiar with the history of lean management, you’ll recognize the importance of offering your customers value for money, upselling the quality of the products and services you offer and going the extra mile to make every client feel like a VIP. Use customer comments and data to identify areas for improvement and make changes that will set your business apart. 

Personalization

Nobody wants to feel like they’re undervalued or that they don’t matter. As a customer, there’s nothing more endearing than a small business that goes above and beyond to make you happy. From the simplest touches like a warm greeting when you walk through the door to a personalized email to wish you happy birthday, personalization is a great way to make customers feel special. Adding a personal touch strengthens relationships between businesses and clients, and it can also have a positive impact on sales and brand image. Emails with personalized subject lines, for example, have a higher opening rate than standardized messages. 

Targeted offers and loyalty rewards

When we’re looking for products or services, we want to find the best deals. As a business owner, it’s wise to consider what your customers are looking for and to make the process of sourcing the best offers as simple and stress-free as possible. Offer your clients access to targeted promotions, offer suggestions and recommendations based on previous purchases or searches and reward loyalty. Attracting attention is not always about slashing prices and staging the sale of the century. Most consumers are interested in value. People may be willing to pay more for a better quality product, free delivery or a gift wrapping service, for example, and they will be more likely to buy from companies that put customer service first. 

Staying in touch

Now, more than ever, it’s critical for businesses to stay in touch with customers. We are living in strange times at the moment, and it’s natural for consumers to be worried. Use social media, email marketing and your website to reach out, to engage with customers and to check how they’re doing. Provide information and updates about how you’re responding to the pandemic and outline the measures you’re taking to protect your customers and keep everyone safe. 

Making sure customers feel valued should be a priority for every small business owner. If you’re looking to receive rave reviews from every shopper or client, take these tips on board to ensure your customers feel like VIPs.