Big fashion brands continue to ignore the pleas of their customers for sustainable business practices. When the oceans are choked with plastic clothing, the culture of fast fashion needs to go. Since the big brands haven’t been listening, Canadian entrepreneurs have taken matters into their own hands and made it big.
This new generation of thrift clothing retailers has been skyrocketing in popularity. At their core, they are simply resellers of used clothing. But the key to their success can be summed up in a single adjective: customer-centric.
The customer-centric approach has always been the most successful one. Yet it is not as simple as throwing around some coupons, or saying please and thank you. Customer-centric meaning is all about action, not words.
In this guide, we will provide you with five ways you can make your customer experience unforgettable.
1. A Customer-Centric Company Rewards Brand Loyalty
Too often, companies take their customers for granted. They assume that a customer conversion is all that matters. Once they’re in the door, companies often make no effort to keep them there.
For the big corporations, such as Canada’s mobile providers, they can afford to. Major providers have practically no competition. They charge unreasonable prices and get away with it.
When people complain and threaten to switch, these companies remind them not to get hit by the door on the way out. And yet they entice new customers with excellent deals. For existing customers, though, they offer price hikes.
Needless to say, this is an anti-consumer approach. This business framework may function for telecom providers, but it won’t work for your B2B business. Your competition will be all too happy to lap up whatever customers you drive away.
Give Customers Incentives to Stay
For starters, begin with a customer-centric sales process. Invite your B2B customers in the same way you might into your home. Make them feel comfortable and secure giving you their business.
But don’t neglect customers who are already on your spreadsheets. Create incentive programs to keep them in your ranks.
This can include discounts for customers that remain loyal. You may provide them with specific perks that you don’t give to new customers. Word of how you treat existing customers will get around and create a positive feedback loop.
2. It Gathers Feedback and Takes It Seriously
Think of the last time a company sent you a survey via email. There was likely a chance to give that company some heart-to-heart honest feedback. Chances are, you probably forgot about that survey entirely because the company never changed a thing.
People have become jaded with suggestion forms and customer feedback surveys. They know that the company that sends them out probably never reads them. It doesn’t inspire much confidence if you do the same.
Instead, break out of the mould and be the company that does take feedback seriously. Make an active effort to put recommendations into practice. You can even reach out to customers directly via phone calls to gather further information.
3. It’s Responsive and Accessible
Now think of the last time a company left you on the hook with a customer service support issue. They likely told you to give them several business days for them to investigate and respond. In many cases, that likely felt like an eternity waiting for them to finally take care of things.
On the contrary, people notice when companies are snappy with customer service. Think of those times when the response to your support ticket was immediate. More importantly, when said response solved the problem and didn’t require you to call back again.
People notice when a company is quick to handle customer issues. Diagnosing and solving issues in record time requires more resources, time, and manpower. But it will be one of the primary reasons customers recommend you to their business associates.
4. It Pays Attention to the Small Things
People notice when you take care of the small details. Giving someone a bouquet of flowers is one thing. Adding a customized card with a handwritten message, though, is the part they’ll remember forever.
The thing is, the small things often take the most effort. They say that businesses often leave out the final 10% because it requires 90% of the effort. However, putting in that effort is what builds those unbreakable, long-term customer relationships.
This is because the small things often go beyond the script. These are the itty-bitty details that don’t come standard with your typical service package. The fact you took care of these minute details shows that you paid attention, and went above and beyond.
5. It Has an Excellent Company Culture
Everything on this list focuses on how you can make your customers happy. But what about your employees? After all, this is the vehicle through which you engage with customers.
It’s easy to forget about employee satisfaction when ensuring customer satisfaction. If your employees don’t believe in and embody your brand’s goals, your customers won’t feel that they care. Instead, they will get a stale, cookie-cutter interaction that evokes the sensation of a heartless, numbers-oriented company.
Being customer-centric begins with the people who make it happen. Build a robust, thrilling company culture that makes people want to rush to the office. You can’t buy that sort of enthusiasm with money, and your customers will notice it.
Build Your Brand with Accumulate
A customer-centric company is the sort that gets a lot of fanfare from word-of-mouth. These are companies that have some of the most loyal customer bases and don’t have to try as hard for new customers.
If you build your business with a customer-centric approach, your customers will notice. Most important of all, your company name will be the first thing they say when their friends ask for recommendations.
Accumulate helps businesses like yours build better B2B relations. Contact us today to sign up for a demo, then witness for yourself Accumulate in action.
