(Akiit.com) Small businesses don’t just rely on their customers; they lean on them so much, that if one of the customers was to jump ship, this would be felt in many parts of the company. It’s been said a million times before, the customer is always right, but also, the customer is always an important cog that we shouldn’t underestimate. We need to find ways to improve the relationships with our customers, because this is how our small businesses will improve. But what are the best ways to do this?
Connect With Them
Technology is the most useful tool any small business can have now, because we learn invaluable lessons in how we communicate with our customer base. How you communicate with them overall is
integral to your brand, and while marketing is one of the simple ways to keep the communication going with a customer, such as email marketing, there are technological tools we can use on our side to ensure that we are keeping everything tickety-boo. CRM, or Customer Relationship Management systems, are one of the more common items that businesses use to keep the back office functions going. You can find out more about this at bpmonline.com/crm/solutions but it’s important not to over-rely on these systems to keep communicating with customers online. In addition to this, you need to find ways to create a two-way conversation.
Communicate With Them
Creating a two-way conversation with customers is quite difficult in many respects, not just because we rely too much on online communication, but getting the customer to speak to us when they are so busy can mean a momentous challenge. But, let’s be clear, communication is one of the best ways to build a relationship with your customers. Promoting the company, and getting across your values and ethos is most beneficial when communicating with customers, because you can embody the most human and personable aspects of the business when you are communicating with the customer one to one.
Ask Them What They Really Think
Every customer has an opinion about your business, and you need to know what they really think. Customer feedback is one of the most vital components any business can leverage to ensure that the customer is not just giving an opinion on the business, but they’re explaining why they feel the business is good or bad. There are certain ways to ask for beneficial customer feedback, you can get some information on kayako.com/blog, but the act of getting beneficial customer feedback is one of the best ways to find out what is missing. You want to keep customers, but you also want to entice new ones. This is why the impact of honest and detailed feedback is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The relationships we have with our customers translate into better products, more sales, and it exponentially improves our business. Yet, some businesses look at their customer as purely a way to earn money. Never take them for granted, because they will leave you just as soon as they’ve experienced something below average, either in relation to customer service, or you’re not being as competitive as your nearest rival. This is why we need technology to communicate with them, but also we need to harness an honest and symbiotic relationship with them.
Staff Writer; Sherry Hall