Focus on factors other than price

You might offer the lowest price to entice customers in, but it won’t be long before a rival company undercuts you to steal them away.

What you want to offer customers is value. This is a combination of price, customer service, product and relationships, and getting it right rewards you richly with customer loyalty.

Try to spend at least as much time increasing value as you do lowering prices.

Reward customer loyalty

Introduce a loyalty program to encourage and reward your customers’ repeat business. Consider a reward card enabling customers to add points whenever they use your services or buy your product. Give free service or product for accrued points, or an enticing gift. This can be tailored to suit your individual business.

Get 1300, 1800 or Smart Numbers

1300 numbers (local call) or 1800 numbers (free call) make it easier for customers to get in touch with you – and there’s no need to invest in new equipment. Or choose a smart number with memorable word or number sequence.

When all those new customers call, make sure you’re ready!

A guaranteed way to get your customer’s goat is to let your phone ring off the hook, have a garbled or non-existent voicemail message, answer their call with a vague or indifferent response, or take messages which instantly get lost or passed to the wrong person.

eVoice offers a smart business phone package to answer calls 24/7, send Voice-to-Email, and make flexible use of Call Routing, Call Distribution and Call Overflow.

Get regular feedback

Know what your customers are saying about you. Use methods such as feedback forms via your website, email and social media to find out, and listen carefully.

Value your customers’ complaints

It’s not much good asking for feedback if you don’t make constructive use of the complaints you’re bound to receive.

Get skilled in apologising. When something goes wrong, say sorry. It’s a simple thing to do and customers value it. Don’t let complaints fester – deal with problems immediately and keep customers in the loop. Consider giving a courtesy product or service as part of your apology.

Customer complaints are actually a positive thing for business. It gives you a chance to put things right. If customers don’t complain, you’ll just lose them without knowing why.

Be good to your employees

A happy business is often a profitable one. Your staff satisfaction will pass on to customers and translate into increased traffic or sales.

Find ways to show your employees how important they are, and how much you value them. Their loyalty is just as significant as customer loyalty to the health of your business.

So there you go. There are plenty of ways to hone that customer service – get your customers smiling today!