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When you are not getting the results you envisioned for your business, begin by talking with and teaching your team about the importance of customer engagement.  What is customer engagement?  Simply put, it is the connection a business makes with its customers via various communication channels online or offline; understanding how to measure customer service and accurately interpret data derived from metrics for the purpose of delivering amazing customer experiences on a consistent basis.  Higher degrees of customer engagement means a deeper commitment of time given to customers and emotions invested in them.

How do you know if you have successfully engaged your customers?

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Summertime!!!  It’s the favorite season for millions of people.

It seems that people are more cheerful when the weather is warm–the sun is bright and picnics fill the parks with laughter, food and games!  Almost everyone is wearing loud fun colors that seemingly put them in happier moods.  Some people say they are more active during the summer months so they feel less guilty about overindulging their appetites.

I say, get on board with your clients’ happy moods.  Find out more about them and their families.  Ask them if they feel they’re getting the service they deserve at your company.  If they are not, ask them to be specific about what makes them dissatisfied.  Listen with intention…then tell them how you will take steps take to improve the service AND FOLLOW UP WITH THEM within a reasonable timeframe to let them know what you and your team have done to correct the problem(s).

Photo courtesy of Pixaby

I live for teaching and speaking about how to give outstanding, knock-your-socks-off customer service.  I share ideas on how to expand company profit margins, increase employee morale/productivity, how to retain existing customers and get new ones.

For many years, I have spoken about the importance of knowing your customer.  It’s the best way to anticipate their needs, fulfill their wants and to get in front of and solve potential problems.  Some businesses claim they know the secret to winning customers.  They say it’s the quality of their product or service, however, a Walker study shows that by year 2020 (less than 3 years from now), the customer experience will overtake price and product as THE key brand differentiator—and you HAVE to know HOW to deliver that experience and one of the ways is to understand how to manage the digital experience.

Photo provided by Pixaby

A company hired me to consult with their managers who were having difficulty satisfying customers.  The managers told me, “We do the best we can to satisfy clients!  What do they expect us to do, walk on water?”

My response:  No, they want you to rock their world by:

(1) Giving them your UNDIVIDED attention when they are talking to you.

(2) Not being too quick to assess their situation (don’t assume you know what your client is going to say).  Customers want you to be PATIENT with them.  When a client doesn’t know what they don’t know, it may take them longer to convey what they want YOU to know about their situation.

I remember when I began dating as a young woman and being made to feel as though I was the most important person in his life.  It’s a feeling that even now gives me fond memories of warmth and tenderness.

Now, I don’t mean to get mushy, but think of your customers as the one and only reason that you are in business.  Let’s face it, you already spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising to attract them, so why not do more to keep them?

Try this:

A)   Take customer loyalty to a higher level.  Beef up your company’s “Thank You For Your Purchase” webpage.  Add resourceful information on how to get the best use out of the product/service they bought.  Follow up with a call/text/social media contact.  Consider making the “Thank You” page engaging and attractive.

B)   Do you have the right person/team managing your customer loyalty program?  They must possess crucial qualifications to work well with others.  They MUST believe in the value of qualitative and quantitative data analysis and understand how to read and interpret it.