5 Ways to Increase Customer Loyalty

Every business owner knows how  important it is to build trust and customer loyalty. The reason behind this is that without customer loyalty, you won’t be able to succeed in your business. It is so hard to earn the trust of your customers but you can’t do without it. And what’s more is that it can be so easy to break their trust. And when it comes to dealing with customers, it’s even harder to get a new customer’s trust than to keep your existing customers. This is why it is important that you know how you can get your customers to trust you.

Here are a few tips that you can use:

Tip #1: Create an experience he will never forget

One of the surest ways you can gain a new customer’s trust is by creating an experience where you were able to go above and beyond. You have to remember that your business should not be just about you making a profit. It’s also about selling an experience that your customer encounters. Whenever you encounter a customer, you have to make him feel good. There are many ways you can do this:

• Offer free coffee in your store
• Offer free Wi-Fi if you have a cafe

You can also see to it that you over deliver whenever you meet with a customer. Aside from just meeting his needs, you have to go beyond it by adding some surprises or bonuses. Remember to focus on building integrity by being honest, keeping your word, be reliable, and provide consistently good service. These things can lead to customer trust and loyalty. Doing these things will let your customers walk away pleased with the experience they had with your business. They’ll be sure to share it with their friends and come back for more.

Tip #2: Value customer service

Customer service is something you should be concentrating on as a business owner. You have to make sure that your customers are pleased with the kind of service they received from your company.  One way you can show them this is by making things right, especially when you did something wrong. This is the best way you can build customer loyalty since you know how to resolve complaints made by your customers. When you handle complaints professionally, you get to show them that you value their business and want to make things right. You not only get to fix the problem, you also get to regain their trust. They will give you another chance since you have showed them that you can handle things properly.

Tip #3: Appreciate your customers

Nowadays, people tend to forget to say ‘Thank you’. Because of this, a little kindness sometimes proves to be something much more than just a word. But apart from just saying thank you to your customers, you should show them that you care about them. This can be done by giving rewards for no particular reason.

Another way you can achieve brand loyalty is by building a relationship with your clients more than just a business person. This doesn’t mean that you will automatically be their best friend, it just shows that you can care about them enough to know when their birthday is or when they are getting married, for example. You can also send your customers a personal letter to thank them for the business they have done with you over the past few years. Not too many business owners do this today so you know that your action is deeply appreciated.

Tip #4: Get to know what they want

A great way you can build relationships with your customers is to know what they want. Take time out to truly get to know your customers individually so that you know how to expand their interest in your business. You can send out surveys asking customers what it is they love about your company as well as what you need to improve on. Once you have gathered their responses, you should take time to act on it so they can see results from the survey they answered.

In return, you can give your customers a free gift by simply filling up the customer satisfaction survey that you have sent out. Or better yet, for every survey response, you’ll be donating to a charity or cause you support.

Tip #5: Don’t stop improving yourself

Your business is an extension of yourself. You should let your customers get to know who you are and see how you deal with your company as well as your employees. You should be able to engage existing customers in conversation as well as entertain new ones. Instead of hiring someone to build a relationship with your customers, you should be the one to do it. Otherwise, they will end up trusting that individual more than you. Always strive to improve how you handle your business and customer relations so you can build trust and loyalty.

Remember– customer loyalty works both ways. If you want to have a loyal customer base, you also have to be loyal to them. Stick with your long-term customers and make sure they are always happy and you’ll see just how loyal they will be to your brand.