Every thriving business has at least one thing in common: a loyal customer base. Without repeat business from returning customers, it’s next to impossible to operate a successful business. Since attracting new customers costs substantially more than maintaining a relationship with an established customer, that’s powerful incentive to keep existing customers happy.
These tips will help you score high in customer loyalty.
1. Remember that customer service is king. Provide a timely, pleasant, satisfying experience when matching candidates with clients and you’re more than halfway there. Of even greater importance is the accessibility you provide and the attention you lavish—yes, that’s right, lavish—on clients whose experience was not satisfying. Your response to concerns and complaints will either make or break the loyalty potential. Every complaint must include these elements of customer recovery: a sincere apology, attentive listening to the concern or complaint, a concentrated effort to fix the issue, a genuine “thank you” for bringing the situation to your attention.
Effective customer service boils down to a focused, purposeful attention from every facet of the business to meeting and exceeding the customer’s needs coupled with a genuine attitude of willing service.
2. Happy temp employees can’t help but contribute to customer loyalty. Their on-the-job performance will shine a positive, contagious light on your staffing business just as their dissatisfaction will have a negative impact. Competence and integrity from management and owners will garner respect from your employees and create a sense of pride at being part of the team.
3. Don’t skimp when it comes to training employees. Few things are most frustrating to a client than an incompetent, poorly-trained temp employee or a mismatched direct-hire. Polite and considerate, unfortunately, will not make up for an employee who is not up to speed on products, policies, or procedures. Equip every employee to do a first-rate job.
4. It’s not a secret that consumers are all about speed when it comes to interacting with a business’s website. Sluggish website performance is a top reason for seeking out a competitor. But when it comes to person-to-person interactions, customers are looking for “courteous, willing and helpful” not a how-fast-can-we-get-this-done attitude that is difficult to hide. Prove to clients that they are worth your time by not rushing through your interactions with them.
5. Shift into hyper-personal mode. Strive to get to know each client so your interactions can be special and individual. Set the stage for building the trust that will sustain a long-term relationship. The more personal the connection, the greater the potential for word-of-mouth recommendations and future sales.
6. Awareness of the competitor, his staffing reputation, his efforts to retain repeat customers, his strongest feature, his weakest component—you have to be in the know and leverage the information to your advantage. Your best bet is to out-service your competitor.
7. Use brand loyalty to your advantage. The allegiance that knits a particular brand to its most loyal clients is often focused on a shared value or belief—people care in a huge way about what a business stands for. A friend’s millennial-aged children are crazy for Tom’s Shoes. They like the cool styles but what really trips their trigger is Tom’s passionate One for One movement, which gives a pair of shoes to a needy person in the world for each purchase.
The time you invest in maintaining relationships with your satisfied clients will reap benefits for years to come.
ASJ Partners’ services connect companies with their clients in engaging, relationship building ways. Contact us today for assistance in reaching out to your customer base.
