30 Tips to Increase Customer Retention
Intro
Customer retention can be a difficult thing to achieve. It requires constant, tireless work to maintain the loyalty of your customer base.
This article will discuss some of the top 30 tips for increasing customer retention + customer retention strategies to help you keep your customers coming back!
-Tip #1 Utilize the power of CRM. CRM stands for customer relationship management. A CRM is a system that allows you to manage all of your customers in one place and keep track of their interactions (customer engagement) with your business. The power lies within the data, which can be analyzed over time to pinpoint exactly what it takes to turn a customer into an advocate who will return again and again!
With a proper CRM system, you can track current customers, test and track customer acquisition paths, track customer loyalty within CRM or customer lifetime for your business. Moreover, with major CRM systems, you can create and track cases to track unhappy customers or negative customer interactions. With this kind of data, you can perform business intelligence operations to find common grounds on why your customers are dissatisfied. When you proactively address common issues, you can see an increase in customer satisfaction. Happy customers = profitable customers.
There are various CRM providers out there but, we recommend using Salesforce.com/Microsoft Dynamics 365 because they offer huge flexibility and enterprise-ready features.
RELATED: 10 CRM Implementation Steps for Company Success
-Tip #2 Allow customers access to social media accounts of your business. This will give them a sneak peek into what's happening behind the scenes, and show them that they're more than just another number on your list. This could be part of your email marketing.
-Tip #3 Provide customer service training for staff members who regularly interact with customers like managers or sales associates. Customer satisfaction largely depends on how much face time those employees have with clients throughout the day, so it’s important to implement policies and ensure compliance from all team members regarding treating every customer as though he/she was a VIP client! You want your current customer base to feel like VIPs!
-Tip #4 Let your customers know that they are appreciated. A customer who feels like they matter to you is more likely to come back and purchase again, as well as refer their friends! E.g. have customer loyalty programs or have a customer service team follow your customer for a recent purchase.
-Tip #5 Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Many businesses fail at understanding how their customer sees things from a different angle than themselves. The best marketers understand the customer journey and the customer experience that comes with it.
RELATED: 5 Best CRM for Startups
-Tip #6 Invest in customer service. Customer service is the single most important aspect of customer retention, and this does not just mean answering phone calls! It means having a team dedicated to providing excellent customer care through emails and chats as well.
-Tip #7 Use social media wisely. Social media gives you an opportunity for one-on-one communication with your customers that can be tailored specifically to their needs. Don't use it exclusively, though - remember that sometimes people need more than 140 characters or less time than 30 seconds to communicate!
-Tip: 8 Give back to your community by volunteering at local events or supporting charities related to causes close to heart for both staff and customers alike. This will increase goodwill among your consumer base while teaching them.
-Tip #9 Offer more than just products. You want people coming back because they love your company, not just because you have something they need at the right price point or quality level. That means offering amenities like loyalty programs and product offerings, expert advice on related topics such as home improvement projects or health tips, live chat service options—whatever might resonate best with your target market!
-Tip #10: Provide regular customer feedback. This can be through surveys, phone calls, or any other sort of communication you devise to keep in touch with your customers on a more personal level. Gathering information from them and then acting upon it will help make your business much stronger for the future!
RELATED: 5 Best CRM Tools for Business Development
-Tip #11: Offer discounts to returning customers who are loyal enough to buy again within a certain time frame (e.g., after they have bought their last item). They're interested in what you offer, so this is an excellent way to get them back into the store/website!
-Tip #12: Have clear return policies. This will help to reduce customer frustration and potentially get them to come back again, especially if you have a generous return policy!
-Tip #13: Consider joining an affiliate program. In this way, you can offer free or discounted products in exchange for customers' email addresses - then send them discounts on your website as well!
-Tip #14: Offer promotions via social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. These are great platforms that allow business owners the chance to advertise special offers with ease, meaning more potential money coming their way all from one platform!
-Tip #15: Always consider customer feedback when designing new products/services for your company. If there's something they desire, make sure that it is met upon quickly so the demand won't keep going down.
RELATED: 13 Tips to Improve Customer Service
-Tip #16: Keep customer data organized and up to date on your website or another database so that you are making the most of it! This will help you with future campaigns and make your customer retention rate higher than ever before!"
-Tip #17: Organize customer data so that you are using it to its fullest potential! This will help with future campaigns and increase retention rates.
-Tip #18: Join a program like Merchant Success Club and get access to marketing materials, newsletters, tools and tips for your company in one location. It's all there waiting for you at the touch of a button!
-Tip #19: Offer customer referral programs that will reward the new customers with discounts or cash towards their next purchase! This is great for both rewards as well as retention rates."
-Tip #20: Survey your most loyal customers (those who have made an effort to buy from you) about why they love shopping at your store! You might find answers to problems you never knew existed!"
RELATED: 6 Outstanding Ways to Use Salesforce to Boost Customer Retention
-Tip #21: Offer an incentive for your customers to refer their friends, family and colleagues. This will increase not only customer retention rates but also referrals."
-Tip #22: Be in touch with the social media world! Customers are spending more time on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest that they're eager to share about what's going on in their lives. What better place than these platforms would be a great space where you can advertise your products and offer specials?"
-Tip #23: Make it easy by providing new or expectant mothers with access to maternity clothes at affordable prices!"
-Tip #24: Have rewards programs or discounts available based on birthday month/year."
-Tip #25: Ensure all employees have a customer service mindset."
RELATED: What is a Churn Rate?
-Tip #26: Implement a loyalty program and encourage repeat customers to use your products regularly.
-Tip #27: Offer up free shipping on orders over $100!"
-Tip #28: "The best marketing does not look like marketing." - Seth Godin, The Icarus Deception.
-Tip #29: "Don't forget about your most loyal customers who are willing to recommend you." - Jay Baer, Convince & Convert."
-Tip #30: "Be sure to have a call back option for customer service."