If you sell a product or service, your business will live and die by the amount of custom you receive. This in mind, you have to make sure you treat your consumers with as much respect and dignity as possible, to keep them happy.
But just how is it done? Excellent question – see below for the answer! The following post will detail a couple of simple ways you can swiftly improve customer satisfaction. Don’t sleep on it!
Under-promise so you can over-deliver
I once ordered a computer off Amazon, and the delivery estimate was 5 or 6 days. That was fine, of course; I wanted the package to arrive safely, rather than speedily and damaged.
It came as quite the shock to me then, when the very next day, it turned up on my doorstep. It got me thinking about the delivery policy that’s run by Amazon, and how they implement it.
I’m certain that they promise to deliver in 5 days knowing full well they can deliver in 1. That way, they look awesome – they just beat the delivery estimate by 4 whole days!? It gets customers gushing, and Amazon looks better as a result. Adopting a similar strategy in all areas of your business may be a good call.
Improve certain processes
It’s a no-brainer, really. If you improve your business, your customers will be happier because you’ll be better! Earning a lean Six Sigma certification is a good way to coach yourself in this area – and your staff, too.
It’s all about analyzing your company from top to bottom, using statistics to gain insights. By taking a more methodical approach, you can iron out any kinks that may exist in certain processes.
Some examples of operations you could improve include the transaction process. You could implement contactless payments, so customers can pay and leave quickly. This will shorten queues, and save people’s time. It’s more secure than cash too, and is easier to process.
Ask for feedback
This sounds rather easy, but asking for feedback from your customers instantly tells you where you need to improve. You could run an online survey or have a customer suggestions box – either way, stay informed!
There are several benefits to this – the main one being that your customers will be honest. It’s difficult to take an unbiased look at your company yourself; an outside opinion is required. Most customers won’t really be bothered if they offend, and they’ll get to the heart of any needed improvements.
This allows you to increase satisfaction by working on suggestions made by the customers themselves! It doesn’t get any easier than that, folks.
Reward returning, and new, customers
Remember those stamp cards you’d get at the car wash, or coffee shop? Everything you went for a scrub or drink, you’d get a stamp – ten stamps got you a free one. It was a great system that made customers feel like they were getting more out of their purchase.
And this is one simple way that you can reward your loyal customers. Making customers feel like they belong to your company, and that you value them, is key. You have to make them feel special, and if you do, they’ll keep coming back.
You could also offer them discounts every tenth time they return, for example. Besides returning customers, rewarding newbies is a good idea, too. You could run a series of introductory offers to entice new clients, improving their satisfaction in the process.
