Meeting Customer Expectations
Getting a new customer is only half the battle. Keeping your customers happy so that they will remain a customer for life is the hard part. Customers can switch businesses whenever they want if expectations are not being met, so it is imperative to do everything we can to ensure that we are constantly evolving to meet their wants and needs.
Foxie has compiled a list of ways that will help you navigate the ins and outs of the ever-changing needs of your customers and the strategies on how to address them.
- Communication – This is number one for a reason. Be transparent when describing what your product can and cannot do. Without clear and concise communication, your customers will feel like they are not important or cared about. When speaking with a customer, use language that is easy to understand. You may be an expert on the topic, but they are not.
Make sure you are proactive about providing information regarding timelines, costs, and any potential challenges. Answer customer questions and concerns promptly. Delays in answering questions can be seen as indifference, and you may lose a customer because of it.
- Personalized customer experience – Nobody likes to receive canned responses from a business or speak to someone who is obviously reading from a script and not addressing YOUR needs or questions. A personalized customer experience makes customers feel like they are being heard and cared for. Understand and know your customers and provide a quick solution to their problems.
- Set realistic expectations – It does no good to talk a big game, and then be unable to deliver. Provide accurate timeframes for product delivery, project competition, and issue resolution. A great piece of advice is to “under promise and over deliver.” Your customers will be pleasantly surprised when they receive more than they expected or quicker than promised.
- Make sure your website is easy to navigate – I look at websites and I ask myself, “Would my grandmother be able to use this site without getting frustrated and giving up?” I check to see if the website pages are quick to load. Does it include visuals such as photos and easy-to-load videos? Is your checkout process quick and easy? If your website is difficult to use, your customers will find one that isn’t. You don’t want that.
- Establish an omnichannel presence – Your business should be wherever your customers want you to be. Customers don’t want to have to go to your company website whenever they have a question. Brands need to establish themselves on every channel their customers are already in. Social media is huge, as is SMS, and of course, you still have email. It is vital to be consistent with an identifiable brand tone and vision.
When customers know what to expect and experience consistency in their dealing with your business, they are much more likely to remain loyal and be a customer for life.
Foxie has developed FoxieEngage to help communication between your employees and your customers much more efficiently by communicating with them the way they want to communicate with you.
Be engaged with your customers...call me at 866-BE-ENGAGED (866-233-6424), text START to FOXIE (36943), or if you prefer, just shoot me an email at hjames@foxie.com. We will talk with you about your online presence and your communication needs.
