Are you taking care of your Customers?

If not, why not? A customer is the heart of your business. They are what you are working so hard for in the first place. Customer service in all aspects is lacking and that is what I want to talk about today.

• Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offerthem something free. Ask them if they would like to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your Web site or when you have a new product to offer. (the easiest way to do this is to have an RSS feed, don't know what that is? I will discuss this in an upcoming article) After every sale, follow-up with the customer to see if they are satisfied with their purchase.
• Create a customer focus group. Invite ten to twenty ofyour most loyal customers to meet with you regularly and get their input as to what you are doing great, what they would like to see more of and yes, even the bad stuff. They will giveyou ideas and input on how to improve your customerservice. To make this special, you could reward them for their time, give them a product or take them to dinner. After all, they are like your personal marketing group and in then end will make your business bettr.
• Make it easy for your customers to navigate your web site, after all, if they can't find what you are offering, how can they purchase from you? Have a "FAQ" page to explain anything that might confuse your customers. Have a Survey page to find out how make your website more customer friendly, again, this is a great tool that can be so inexpensive yet very rewarding.
• Stay on top of your customers complaints quickly and ensure their satisfaction in a timely manner so your good name will be spread in a postive light to all their friends. Answer all e-mail and phone calls within an hour, if possible, you the owner of the business, personally take care of the problem. This will show your customersyou really care about them. Remember the old adage? If you provide good service, a few will hear about it. If you provid BAD service, Everyone will know about it.
• Ensure that it easy for your customers to contact you. Offer as many contact methods as possible. Allow customers to contact you by e-mail, making sure you are scrambling the email so you getting only legitimate emails, and also provide a phone number or a fax number in case someone wants to physically speak to you. It is probably a good idea to also give your office hours and don't forget the time zone...
• Make sure that if you have employees, that they know and use your customer service policies as well. Give your employees bonuses or incentives to practice excellent customer service. Tell employees to be flexible with each individual customer, and give them some leaway in how each customer needs to be dealt with. If you are willing to compensate a customer, give the authority so it can be done on the spot at the discretion of the employee. This way, a customer will be happy immediately without having to wait for your OK on everything.
• Make it a policy to give your customers more than they expect. Send thankyou gifts to lifetime customers, can you imagine even getting a thank you card from someone you purchased from? I know I would be shocked, yet this is a really great practice. E-mail them online greetingcards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses to your customers who make a big or repeat purchase.
• Always be polite to your customers. Use the words "you're welcome, please, and thank you." Be polite to your customers even if they are irate with you, "kill them with kindness" no matter how much it hurts. This is called "live recovery" and in the end, will benefit you. Always apologize to your customers should you make a mistake. If you admit your mistakes quickly and make it up to them in a big way they will remember you.
• Try to figure out a reward program. You have heard of air miles etc? Reward customers a point for every one dollar they spend. Let's say customers can get a free product for 300 points. That means customers will spend $300 dollars on your products and services to get enough points to get the product. Make sure it is a product with a value, that it is desirable. If you need to have a program that keeps track of these type of things, you should have your hosting with "Thirdsphere" There is an inbuilt Affiliate program for rewarding both affiliates and keeping track of customers.
• Build strong relationships with your customers. Invite them to company meetings, luncheons, workshops or seminars. This helps to keep them in the loop and creates a personal bond with them. Special events such as parties or weekend get togethers or just a night out on the town help to make each of your customers feel important. If you are working a direct sales company, think about a customer appreciation night. Plan a fondue or a pampering party. Let your imagination go wild!