There are many techniques you can try in order to improve your customer retention and keep your customers coming back to you. But, there is one habit that will put you above the rest in our opinion. The one habit that will immediately improve your customer retention is asking for feedback.
Getting into the habit of asking for feedback on a regular basis, will put you in great stead to retain your customers because you can deal with challenges before they become a real issue and start to cause frustration. If you ask your customer for feedback rather than waiting for them to raise a formal complaint, you’re more likely to be able to resolve the issue with little to no damage to the relationship.
It’s easy to assume that because a customer hasn’t spoken up and given their opinion on your product or service, that everything is ok. Because ‘no news is good news’, right? Wrong. Your customer might be experiencing frustrations with your product and they could be on their final straw for all you know. Asking for their feedback and giving them an opportunity to speak up before they have no choice but to complain, could be the difference between losing them as a customer and retaining them.
If a customer isn’t experiencing problems, asking for their feedback nevertheless shows that you value their opinions and really care about what they have to say. A customer that feels valued, is more likely to stay loyal to a brand, therefore you retain them successfully. But it’s important that if you ask for feedback, you then act on it.
Asking for feedback without the intention to do anything with it, is a waste of your customer’s time and it won’t go unnoticed. Of course, you won’t be able to please everyone and act on every piece of feedback you receive, however even if you please just a handful of customers; that’s a handful of customers you are sure to retain.
Never underestimate the power of asking for customer feedback; it gives you incredible insights into how well your product or service is being received and whether it is solving problems or in some cases, creating them. It can help you make great improvements to your offering that your customers actually want to see. If you do this, it won’t only help you with your retention but also your acquisition. If an existing customer tells you that the quality of your product isn’t up to scratch, the chances are, they’re not the only one with this belief. If a customer tells you that they received an outstanding service and your customer care team was the best she’d dealt with in a long time, you can take this on board and it becomes a great selling point for your business. But not only that, you can use these positive comments in your marketing. Publish testimonials on your website, use them on social media and on printed materials and start winning more business as well as retaining existing customers!
