Customers are surrounded by options – even in the confines of their homes and home offices. But they’ll only dump you if you make one of these missteps.
Commit these, and you can lose good customers. Of course, you likely try to avoid it. Yet, it happens.
“Every single day, businesses lose people they’d like to keep. What’s going on?” asks Kate Zabriskie, president of Business Training Works, Inc. “While the root cause could be anything, usually, these defections stem from a few key mistakes.”
Zabriskie shared the mistakes and ways to mitigate them:
Mistake 1: Assuming long-time customers are happy
Many companies – and customer service pros – equate longevity to happiness. Meanwhile, many loyal customers consider their experiences OK or good enough.
And when experiences are just good, they aren’t worth staying for. A competitor can promise – and deliver – more and win the business.
Mitigate: Celebrate customer relationship anniversaries with check-in meetings. Schedule time yearly or every six months to thank customers – via video or in person – to say thanks, ask questions and listen to feedback. For instance, an energy company offers annual energy audits at no cost. A banker reaches out to customers to review financial goals and align accounts. A fireplace installer offers chimney inspections every summer.
