As a small business owner, you know how important your customers are to the success of your business. You may have taken the time to cultivate good relationships with your regulars, which is important. It’s also good to show your appreciation for the rest of your customers too. So what can you do to show them you care?
Listen to Their Needs
No matter how excellent your customer service is, you aren’t going to be able to please everyone every time. That said, if you take the time to listen to the needs of your customers when they tell them to you, that can go a long way towards helping your customers feel like you care about them. Teach your employees to practice active listening when interacting with customers. Active listening techniques can help customers feel validated and can help your employees work with them to find the best solution.
Give Them Choices
While having too many choices can cause problems, not having any choices can sometimes be equally frustrating. You don’t have to let customers make choices at every turn. They may prefer not to in some cases. That said, when it makes sense, give them options that allow them to make choices that increase the convenience for them. For example, you can reduce frustration and improve user experience just by giving customers a choice of how to contact you. Some people prefer phone calls, while others prefer email. Still, others prefer to use social media messaging. Giving them options shows you care about making it easy for them to reach you.
Positive Personalization
Personal touches can be a great way to show you care. You probably collect a lot of customer data in the course of doing business. Remembering special dates such as birthdays and anniversaries shows customers that you’re paying attention to them specifically and value their business. Consider sending them little gifts to go the extra mile. It could be something as simple as a small discount, free swag, or a personalized, handwritten note. Make sure to use their name for these correspondences. The extra personal touch shows you care.
Showing your customers you truly care about them is an important thing for every business to do, but especially for small businesses. By listening to the needs of your customers, giving them choices when it makes sense, and providing positive personalization in your interactions with them, you help them feel valued and important. Considering that they are a huge part of what keeps your business going, showing some appreciation can go a long way.
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