In times of crisis, retaining old customers is as important as getting new customers. Retaining and building customer loyalty is a priority for companies in times of crisis. Now, more than ever, businesses need to maintain a stable consumer base and not lose profit margins.
These days customers are also getting better informed, demanding, and interacting in search of the best offer. And, in times of crisis, people’s needs change, and it is vitally important to understand their motivations. It is not only about offering the best products, but it is also necessary that the marketer or salesperson is friendly and genuinely cares about the customer’s needs and satisfies them correctly.
Therefore, the first rule that the entrepreneur or the business owner must follow to retain their customers is to know them well. And, luckily, we live in the digital age, where there are thousands of ways to maintain contact and interaction with customers. So, here we will tell you about some specific actions that you can take in terms of loyalty and thus stay close to your customers to make a difference.
Let’s get started.
Run strategic campaigns and create a sense of belonging
Creating an emotional bond with customers is the key to maintain the long-term relationship with clients and increase the chances that consumers will recommend our brands in their circles of belonging.
Be creative in your proposals, keep social networks active, and motivate your audience to participate and interact. Loyal (and happy) customers consume more. But did you know that 40% of online purchases come from repeat customers? So, create a sense of belonging to the community by providing benefits, exclusive services, and personalized attention. Promote strategies to be part of the most uncertain moments in your clients’ lives.
Be honest and transparent with your clients
In both negotiations and maintaining your relationship with your client, maintaining a reputation for honesty and integrity is very important. For a long-term relationship with your clients, trust is more important than the quality of your product or service. Always fulfill your commitments and remember that “Under Promising – Over Delivery” will always be better than vice versa.
Being open and knowing how to communicate the difficulties that arise, as well as recognizing your mistakes, problems, and failures that may occur will directly contribute to the trust of the relationship.
Show agility
Amid the crisis, it is essential that consumers must trust their company’s ability to continue operating normally and maintain the quality of products and services. Therefore, show through small actions that your company maintains the excellence of services!
A simple and tangible way to demonstrate that you can act, even during the crisis, is to increase the agility of services. After all, everyone is happy when their needs are met quickly. Ensuring prompt service is simple and improves your company’s image with the customer, providing you with higher levels of satisfaction. And, of course, a satisfied customer tends to purchase your services and products again.
Don’t leave the customer without a solution
One of the main reasons for the loss of customers is the lack of problem-solving and poor service. Have a serious and committed posture. Correct your faults and problems, and resolve them. Having the security of bringing solutions to customers in times of crisis contributes to the credibility and image of your company.
Even if the problem is not solved in a practical and quick way, give the customer initial alternatives to the solution. Demonstrate interest and knowledge about what is happening and seek to resolve the problem as soon as possible.
Be active on social media
Social networks these days are more helpful for the companies as it brings closer to customers. They have changed the way we interact today. It is essential to invest in presence on these channels, with creative and thoughtful communication – even if the feedback is negative. In this case, there is an opportunity to be proactive, reverse the situation, and still retain customer loyalty.
The opportunity here is not to push your company’s message to a passive audience but to interact with them and aim to develop a deeper relationship. That is why, for each social network, relevant content must be generated targeted at the target audience.
Conclusion
A crisis isn’t the time to shut up, but neither is it the time to flood emails with paragraphs of information. Take the time to strategize and get to know your customer well. Be proactive in helping them find solutions to their problem and respond to their phone calls and emails immediately.
There are a lot of things that are absolutely under your control. It’s up to you to make sure that you take care of your customers, letting them know that they are valuable and that you are going to help them overcome their difficulties from your side.