Valentine’s Day is celebrated all over the world. This is the day to show how much you love and appreciate your partner. But how exactly do you show your customers how much you appreciate them? And why should you even bother?
The core of our courses is based on our unique CX Framework that allows you to create strong bonds with your customers. We said it many times before and we will say it again: Customer Experience is all about the emotions and feelings your customers have about your organisation. Naturally, creating a strong bond and showing your appreciation for them is very important.
This article will explain in detail why you need to show your customers that you appreciate them choosing your business over your competitors and dive into how you can do that. If you would like to learn more you can enrol in our Professional Diploma in CX today.
Why show your customers you appreciate them?
Well, firstly put yourself in your customer’s shoes. How would a brand that recognises your worth as a customer and one that thanks you for choosing them, make you feel? More than likely, it would make you feel very good. One of the reasons for this is that treating customers with care and attention makes them feel valued.
Benefits of customer appreciation:
- Increased Retention
- Increased Customer Lifetime Value
- Valuable Feedback Source
- Provides More Selling Opportunities
- Improves the Mental Health of your Employees and Customers
How do you show your customers you appreciate them?
The best way to show your customers you appreciate them is to follow our CX Framework. When you design your CX Strategy based on the six emotional drivers in our CX Framework you will build a strategy that at its core will build a strong bond with your customers. This in turn will give you all the benefits from above, on top of increased shareholder value and profits.
Our CX Framework is made up of 6 emotional drivers.
I Trust You – This is the most important driver in the framework. It’s all about building trust in everything you do with your customers. Trust is the foundation of every relationship and without it, your customers will not use your services or buy products. All the other drivers in the framework will help you build trust.
You Know Me – This driver is the most impactful. Personalisation is key as the majority of customers are treated as just a number in the system. This driver is about treating every one of your customers as an individual and understanding their needs. It’s about using the data that you gather and the technological systems you have in place to your and your customers’ advantage – creating an experience that is tailored to their specific needs and desires.
You Make It Easy – This driver is all about the omnichannel experience that will allow your customers to do business with you in an easy and frictionless way. Putting options in place for your customers to contact you using whatever way they prefer, whether that is through a chat or the telephone will make their life easier. The fewer barriers they have to go through to do business with you, the more likely they are to become your customers.
You Get Me – This driver focuses on the emotional intelligence of your business and the empathy you can have for your customers. By consistently putting yourself in your customer’s shoes you can deliver an experience that will make them feel well understood and taken care of.
You Deliver On Your Promise – Pretty self-explanatory, this driver is about keeping your word. If you say you will call the next day, you should call the next day. It’s also about managing customers’ expectations. Customers are usually more understanding if you are upfront about the situation. Overpromising will never end well, as the chances of underdelivering are too high. You shouldn’t underpromise either. This factor is about being honest and transparent. However, whenever you have the opportunity to overdeliver you should.
You Fix Things – Lastly, in this driver lies the biggest opportunity. When things go wrong the majority of the customers will walk away without telling you why. Whenever a customer complains you have a major opportunity to rebuild the trust and the relationship to a better state than it was before.
If you would like to learn more about how you can utilise our CX Framework in your CX Strategy, enrol in our Professional Diploma in CX today.
Following our framework will bring great results and show your customers at every touch point in the customer journey that you appreciate them.
However, here are a few additional steps you can take to make your customers feel loved.
Contact Your Customers Regularly
Stay in touch – don’t spam. It’s very common that after the purchase you never hear from a business again. Why don’t you reach out to your customers a few weeks after their purchase to see how they like their product or service? It’s a great way to build the relationship, get feedback and be proactive in case something is not exactly how they expected.
By staying in touch with your customers, you always stay on top of their minds. In case they are looking for another product or service that you provide, you will be their first choice. Customer loyalty is not just a single purchase, it’s about their continuous commitment to choose your business’s services and products as the solution to their problems.
If you include an extra promo code or a saving opportunity when reaching out, you will increase the likelihood of increased purchases and further your customer satisfaction.
Surprise and Delight
One of the strategies we teach in our Professional Diploma is the Surprise and Delight Strategy. It focuses on surprising your customers with something they may have not expected and to provide a very happy memorable experience for them, which will increase the chance of them telling everyone about how great your business is.
This is where you should utilise your data sources to the maximum potential. If you notice that you have a frequent flyer that flies for business you can upgrade them to business or 1st class to fill an empty seat. If there was an empty seat anyway this would not cost the airline anything but the potential of a delighted customer recommending the airline to their family and friends could bring thousands of additional customers.
Remember: Not every surprise will be liked by every single one of your customers, this is why this strategy relies heavily on gathering accurate information and using it carefully.
The best part of this is that it doesn’t have to be a big grand gesture, it can be as simple as adding a handwritten note to the order. The main goal is to give the customer a story to tell to others in which your business is shown in a very positive light.
Show Your Customers You Share Their Values
Giving discounts and free products is great but not all customers care about that. Many customers care more that the company is giving back to the world and is aligned with their values. Providing the customers with an option to choose a more sustainable option, or one that supports charitable causes can greatly impact how they portray your business.
64% of customers asserted that they try to buy products from brands that act responsibly, even if it costs more. By making it easy for customers to do this you are putting yourself way ahead of the competition.
Showing your customers that you care about them even by saying a simple “thank you”, can really make an impact on your bottom line. After all, we humans like to feel loved – and not just on Valentine’s Day!
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Learn how to create a successful CX Strategy today by enrolling in our Professional Diploma in CX Course.
