Managing customer relationships is a key part of building a successful business. You may have a stellar product or service to sell to your customers, but they won’t come back if you don’t have a strong relationship with them.
“The importance of customer relations cannot be understated. Your customers are the sole determiners of your success as a company,” mentions Natalia Morozova, Partner at Cohen, Tucker & Ades Immigration Law Firm.
Your customers are the single most important predictor of your business’s longevity. If you want to invest in your business, you need to invest in your customers. Keep reading for some tips on how to develop better customer relationships.
What Are Customer Relations?
Customer relations are how your company engages and interacts with customers with respect to improving the customer’s experience. This can involve developing long-term solutions and fixing short-term issues as they relate to the customer experience.
“You have to anticipate the needs of your customers if you want to build good relationships with them. Find solutions to any issues before your customers have to ask for them,” advises Saad Alam, CEO and Co-Founder of Hone Health.
While customer relations can affect all areas of your business, your customer service department is going to be the most closely associated with the process. This means that all client-facing positions need to be on the same page when it comes to improving the relationships you have with your customers.
Why Is Customer Relationship Management Important?
Managing your customer relations is integral in ensuring the success of your business. It not only helps you build a bond with your customers, but it can also ensure that they keep coming back. It also increases the likelihood that current customers will recommend your brand to their friends and family.
“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves,” said Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple.
If you want to create a stronger association between your company and its customers, you need to be quick and efficient in resolving any issues that arise. If you are able to do this, you’ll be able to build trusting relationships.
How Can Good Customer Relationships Benefit You?
We know customer relations are of great benefit to the consumer, but how can they benefit you? Strong customer relations can lead to better customer retention, loyalty, and satisfaction. In turn, this leads to increased sales and a larger customer base.
“The more you engage with customers, the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing,” suggests John Russell, former Vice President of Harley-Davidson Europe.
If you can invest in your customer relationships, your business will have better longevity. If you have a poor relationship with your customer base, don’t be surprised when you start losing money.
There are plenty of ways you can better invest in your customer relationships. However, it’s important to ensure that all parts of your organization are on board with your strategy. All it takes is one bad experience for someone to decide to never spend money at your business again.
“Repeat customers make up a significant part of a company’s revenue. If you can’t bring repeat customers back, you need to take a look at what’s driving them away in the first place,” advises Victor Mathieux, Co-Founder and CEO of Miracle Brand.
There are a few key areas that your company should focus on when investing in consumer relations. Here are the top six areas to focus on when you want to build a trusting relationship with your customers:
1. Put Customers First
This may seem obvious, but you need to start by putting your customers first. It can be all too easy to put profits over people. While this may lead to short-term success, that success won’t last forever. Your customers should always be your main focus.
“People over profit, always. Without the people buying your product or service, there is no profit,” explains Sara Alshamsi, Founder and CEO of Big Heart Toys.
If you are looking to become more customer-centric, start anticipating your customer’s needs ahead of time. If you foresee any issues arising with a sale or product, fix them before the product gets to the buyer.
2. Improve Accessibility
Customers have near-unrealistic expectations when it comes to having access to you and your team. If they have to wait more than one business day for an answer to an inquiry, their minor issue could turn into a major source of dissatisfaction with your brand.
“If a customer has an issue, it needs to be resolved in a timely manner. Keep in mind that what may seem timely to you can feel like an eternity to a customer,” says Asker A Ahmed, Director of iProcess Global Research.
Try to make yourself as accessible as possible to your customers. This could involve implementing a 24-hour support team or an AI-run chat system
3. Automate Customer Service Operations
Speaking of implementing an AI-run chat system, the automation of customer service operations is a great way to improve customer relations. Not everyone can afford to have a 24-hour support team. Also, some companies get too many inquiries for human employees to manage.
“It is so easy to improve your customer relationships in the age of automation. Take advantage of what technology has to offer in this area,” suggests George Fraguio, Vice President of Bridge Lending at Vaster Capital.
If you want to build better relationships with your customers, it’s time to streamline your operations. Many businesses have been successful at automating their customer service operations, so it’s time you do, too.
4. Track Customer Satisfaction
Determining customer satisfaction shouldn’t be guesswork. Track and measure your customer satisfaction levels with the expectation that they don’t just stay consistent but improve over time.
“It’s hard to determine the path to success if you aren’t monitoring what works and what doesn’t. Track your progress to ensure you are staying on track to meet your goals,” says George Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Stellar Sleep.
You can track customer satisfaction by asking customers for feedback on their purchasing experience. You’ll also want to ask for feedback on their customer service experience if they interacted with a representative.
5. Engage in Customer Appreciation
One of the best ways to improve customer relations is to show your appreciation for them. You don’t have to do a grand gesture or anything too crazy. The small actions you take to appreciate your customers stand out, too.
“Never forget who is responsible for your success. As a business, it’s your customers,” mentions Maggie Brown, Founder and CEO of Recess Pickleball.
A handwritten thank you note or a gift with purchase will often do the trick. You can also send a discount code out with your orders as a thank-you for making an initial purchase. The possibilities are endless, so get creative to show your customers you care.
6. Train Customer-Facing Employees
The way your employees interact with customers is the defining factor in the type of relationships you’ll have. Therefore, all employees in customer-facing positions should be knowledgeable in their roles and in your company’s policies. Make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to customer interactions.
“Investing in your employees is akin to investing in your customers. If you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your customers,” says Jessica Nosike, Director of Marketing at Black Girl Vitamins, a company that specializes in Black Women’s vitamins.
Investing in employee training is a great way to help your staff get on board with improving customer relations. Training sessions should be regular and continual to ensure that your employees have consistent knowledge of your policies and procedures.
Investing in Your Customers
To meet the demand for better customer experiences, you need to focus on developing strong relationships with your customers. Put your customers first and ensure that your staff is doing the same.
“Investing in your customers is not an expense; it’s a strategic commitment that pays itself off,” says Ryan Rottman, Co-Founder and CEO of OSDB.
If you are struggling to build trusting relationships with your customers, try some of these methods today. Just remember to put people before profit.
