Service Untitled

Great products and great service add up to a successful business, and keeping your customers coming back and spending their money in your organization continues to be more competitive. Innovative ways to keep your business in the forefront and fresh ideas to remind customers how much they are appreciated can turn ordinary into extraordinary or the mundane into marvelous.

Most of us know how important it is to write thank-you notes to our customers for doing business with us, but why not give our clients and customers a bit more? Stay in touch with clients and thank them for paying their bill on time, or text them to thank them for referring a client to you. Occasionally send your customers a small trinket honoring your appreciation of your clients; it doesn’t have to be expensive. How thrilled was I the first time a maid left me a chocolate on my pillow at a classy hotel? That piece of candy didn’t cost much, but I’ll never forget how I smiled and to this day have never forgotten that particular hotel.

Almost everyone will tell you the month they were born, although some people might be reluctant to give you the year; identity threat is just too prevalent. Still a birthday card, a letter or a small gift honoring the occasion, gives you another opportunity to connect personally with someone. Even if you decide to send a holiday greeting, why not tie a small candy cane, a bell with a ribbon, or even a sealed piece of festive candy?

Customers and clients always like to be recognized. Some stores and businesses have a “brag” wall where photographs and testimonials are displayed in a prominent area. When my son, as a teenager, had his braces removed at the local orthodontist, the doctor paid for a professional photographic portrait of the students and displayed everyone’s perfect smiles for the world to see. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

I like to educate customers using newsletters and reports. The real estate market is constantly changing; there is always so much to know. When a few years ago, if you were essentially a breathing adult with a job, you could qualify for a mortgage. Today, there are few if any “no doc” loans, and in order to qualify for a mortgage, the rules are forever changing. Why not keep your customers and clients informed of all changes – depending on your type of business, and rarely do things ever stay the same.

Never forget to ask your customers about your customer service. What do they think about your business? While you may think that everything is perfect and going along smoothly, if your customers disagree, then it is time you improved. Customers don’t have to be very forgiving; another opportunity from your competition promising your old customer the moon is right around the corner.

photo credit: lindsay.dee.bunny