Is it possible to have a “Customer for Life” these days? We’d like to think so and it is a great goal. However with competitors ready to capitalize on the first sign of a slip in your product or service level, it seems difficult to achieve. The growth of Social Media has also given customers the ability to quickly cast public opinion changing the perception of your company over night. Consider these three objectives you can do to proactively protect your reputation and retain your customers for life.
First, focus on the quality of your products and services. Sounds simple enough, but in the heat of the battle, quality can be overlooked. Identify your vulnerabilities whether it’s purchasing raw materials or an employee who feels they make no impact on your customers. Making quality a habit for everyone in the company needs to be an on-going project with resources dedicated to overall improvement. Remind employees of your company’s quality policy as well as the importance of ensuring excellence is in every part of the business.
Second, provide products and services with value. Make product line reviews and updates a regular process. Offer what your customers need and want. If not sure, survey your most loyal customers. This will not only provide you with important information but show you value them. Watch for trends in your industry such as colors, styles and technology and work these into your planning. Be sure your company is keeping up as product development methods change to ensure you can balance the lowest price with the best value.
Thirdly, be consistent in offering quality and value. The Six Sigma methodology teaches that “variation is everywhere and it degrades consistent good performance”. Your job is to find and minimize it. For example, say your customer service department has a goal to answer a phone within 30 seconds. If customers sometimes wait 15 seconds while other times wait 2 minutes, you are not necessarily providing “good” customer service. What you do not want said of your company is that “I never know what kind of service I will receive”. Consistency is key to bringing your customer back because they know what to expect.
Retaining customers for life is not an easy task but attainable. It will help to think like a customer and identify what controllable event would turn you to the competition. Then set a plan in place to mitigate that risk.
Ted Saul is a business coach that assists with Business Plans and Project Management. He holds a master certificate in project management and has earned his MBA from Regis University. Ted can be reached on LinkedIn, TedS787 on Twitter or emailing Ted@tsaul.com.
