How good of a job would you say your business does when it comes to keeping your customers in the loop?
Keeping them in the loop typically revolves around your products and/or services, any issues that you’re having with one or the other and of course letting them know about payment issues etc.
With that being the case, you may at times take for granted how important it is to maintain good customer communications.
For one, you may get so inundated with other tasks at hand that you drop the ball with customer communications. If this happens, some customers may feel like you just treat them as dollar signs and do not really take a genuine interest in them. If that occurs, those current customers could become former ones in quite a hurry.
So, are you ready to review your customer communication initiatives, making sure your customers are in fact in the loop?
Use Various Methods of Communicating
So that you are best able to communicate with customers as much as possible, remember these keys:
- Channels – What type of channels are you using to communicate with customers? While some businesses are able to get by without using what most would consider today’s modern channels of communication (emails, texts, apps, social media etc.), countless companies use those methods just mentioned and others. In today’s digital age, you have to embrace technology, not literally run away from it. As such, review your communication options to make sure you leave everything on the table;
- Efforts – Even if you have countless channels with which to communicate with customers, are you putting the time and effort into properly using them? As an example, what if you are aware of a potential hazard with one of your products and/or services? Do you immediately get that word out to those customers who purchased said product or service? If you do not, you not only run the risk of customers being injured, but also potentially facing a personal injury lawsuit. When the latter happens, it can have a major financial impact on your business. Whether it is an issue involving a recall with heaters at Home Depot or another such major home improvement retailer, vehicles with GM, outdoor lawn care equipment with John Deere, you hopefully get the idea. Make sure you alert current and potential customers about the problem through recalls ASAP, thereby lessening the chances of one or more people being injured.
Truth Certainly Does Matter
- Truth – Although you may be embarrassed and even quite worried about the public relations fallout from dealing with a major recall, be honest with customers. The worst thing a company can do is blatantly lie to its customer base. Not only is it wrong, it gives companies a negative PR image. Just ask some of the businesses over the years that were befallen with a negative public relations image. Many of them simply never recovered to what they were prior to that;
- Feedback – Lastly, always be open to customer feedback. You can do this via polls, emails, texts, social media and more. By getting feedback from your customer base (positive and negative), you give customers a platform, one which many in fact will end up using. That platform leads many customers to believe that you care about them (and you should). While you will receive some negative feedback, don’t just automatically dispute it as rubbish. Learn from that negative feedback, allowing your business to improve itself on a regular basis.
When you truly learn how important customer communication is in your company, you are much more likely to keep customers in the loop, a loop that includes maintaining their business.
Photo credit: Pixabay
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.
