In times of crisis, people crave personal connection.
Your customers will look to you to cover all the business bases: How will they get your products? Will there be any interruptions in your services?... It's important that you answer their questions and instill a sense of confidence and calm in them.
When customers know that you "get" them and are thinking about their priorities, then you will create synergy with them.
Fostering customer loyalty from a distance.
A smile, a handshake, a shared joke: these are the small personal promises we make to each other every day. But public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic require us to maintain physical distance. So we want to show you how you can help strengthen the love customers have for your brand, even from a distance:
Maintain open and authentic communication.
Provides excellent customer service.
Offer a loyalty or rewards program.
Create engaging social media campaigns.
Offers coupons and discounts.
Let's take a look at five ways to increase customer loyalty by letting your customers know they can count on you.
1. Maintain open and authentic communication.
In times like these, it’s not good to sugarcoat reality: your customers need el salvador business email list to know the truth about what’s going on and how this situation will affect the relationship they have with your business . Here are some tips:
Keep the lines of communication open and respond promptly. If that means you need to hire a virtual assistant to answer the phone, consider it.
Use your 'voice' to communicate updates on how you are managing your business during the COVID-19 crisis. If possible, make a separate page on your website dedicated to the processes you will be following during this time period.
Make the dedicated updates page, as well as your contact information, front and center on your homepage to provide quick and easy lines of communication. Use the link to that webpage in all your communications.
Encourage feedback from your customers to discover what you can do to help them. Implement processes to meet those needs as they evolve.
By the way, you won't always have the answers to everything, so it's best to say so when you do. Make sure to direct your clients to reliable sources when you receive questions related to health topics.
Related: How to make it easier to communicate with your customers during social distancing
2. Provides excellent customer service.
Customer service is important in any season. But during this time, it's not easy to physically interact with your customers, so you'll need to get creative. These points can help you:
If you know your market well, you can anticipate any problems that may arise due to the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in. Be proactive and provide solutions to your customers to respond to pressure points.
Introducing home delivery into your services or replacing physical meetings with virtual sessions are two examples of creative adaptation.
Use personalized emails or phone calls to discuss orders and get feedback.
Include a tip sheet or gift with every order, along with a personal note to reassure your customers that you are firmly on their side.
If you have supply chain or staffing issues, be transparent and let your customers know they may experience delays. Do this before they ask or know there is a problem.
Remember that the smallest details can make a big difference when customers are feeling vulnerable.
3. Offer a loyalty or rewards program.
Loyalty programs could be successful right now because they help you achieve something you really need: strengthening the bond between your company and your customers.
Loyalty programs are easy to set up online, either through third-party apps or with WordPress and WooCommerce extensions that handle all the details for you.
Offer benefits or rewards based on the products purchased or the amount your customers spent on the purchase.
If the reward is no longer available, you can manually reward your customers with points or discounts that can be applied to future purchases.
Learn more about starting a rewards program in this GoDaddy article: Is a customer rewards program right for your retail business?
4. Create engaging social media campaigns.
If you can't greet your customers in person, do it on social media. People have a lot of time on their hands, so you can bet they'll be waiting for you there.
