We hear it over and over in every single industry: Go the extra mile for your customers. No matter how many times it’s repeated or how cliché it becomes, it is still one of the most important policies to have when it comes to customer service. If you’ve been in business for a while, you probably have a few ideas for going the extra mile already, but it’s always good to add some new things to your list to freshen up your business. Here are a few ideas for how to go the extra mile for your customers and show how much you care about their business.
- Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up. This is a little thing, but it’s one of the aspects of customer service that really makes a huge difference. Whether your communication is dealing with a crisis or a simple request from a customer, always, always return phone calls and emails promptly and thoroughly. If a request or question is unclear, follow up with a quick message or phone call to get more clarification. It’s especially important to follow up with customers that you haven’t heard back from in a while to make sure they received your last communication and are able to get a hold of you if needed. It’s much better to over follow up and reach out often, rather than not follow up at all and risk wasting time or creating a negative opinion of your customer service.
- Promotional Gifts. Even if it’s something small like a mug, mouse pad, or Frisbee, providing promotional products to customers – particularly regulars – can really show how much you care. A promotional gift can be anything with your logo and contact information on it, so this is one place where you can really think outside the box to wow customers and go the extra mile. Promotional products are easy to customize and purchase, so don’t just get pens with your logo on them, get creative!
- Create Easy Feedback Channels. Creating easy ways for your customers to provide feedback is a great way to find out what you’re doing right, and how you can improve your business. It also shows customers that you care about their opinion and want to hear from them. This can be a number of things from allowing comments and reviews directly on your website to creating social media posts asking for feedback, or simply asking for feedback at the bottom of your emails or stationary. This method also allows you to assess your customer base and get an idea of new and regular customers, as well as those who have left. You can send inquiries to past customers to ask for additional feedback and find out why they left in the first place.
- Under Promise and Over Deliver. It’s always good business practice to make sure you’re not making promises you can’t deliver on. Even if it means promising less than you will try to provide, this will help you develop a positive reputation with customers of being reliable by always following through on your promises. With that in mind, don’t just do the bare minimum. Over-deliver on everything you possibly can. Your promises are there in case you absolutely can’t go above and beyond, but exceeding timelines and expectations will impress customers and keep them satisfied with your work.
- Greet every customer who walks through the door. This is method is specifically for businesses with a brick and mortar location. Greet customer within 30 seconds of them walking in the door. A simple “hello” and “I’ll be right with you” is just fine if you’re busy with another task, but make sure to provide friendly interaction right away to acknowledge they’re there, make them comfortable, and make a great first impression. An extension of greeting customers is inviting them back when they’re leaving your business. Saying something like “See you next time!” is a great way to welcome customers back and expressing that you appreciate their business.
Assess your business and look at the things you’re already doing to go the extra mile for customers. Is it getting the positive feedback you’re hoping for? Is it keeping customers happy and coming back? If not, maybe it’s time to change things up a little bit and try some new methods to help your business move up faster!