By Erin Chun, Data Analyst, Polaris Marketing Research

It’s common for dissatisfied customers to bad-mouth your company, while the satisfied ones usually don’t say as much. According to Lee Resource Inc., the average “wronged customer” will tell anywhere from 8 to 16 people about their bad experience. This number becomes amplified when customers turn to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets to vent their frustrations. But then, there’s the loyal customer who will give glowing reviews and will recommend you to their friends and family. How do we get more of these types of customers? Here are some tips to getting more loyal customers:

1. Give what the customer expects and more importantly, over-deliver. The meaning of “giving 110%” is literal here, especially when it comes to services. Remember that it’s your job to anticipate and meet your customers’ needs and expectations. Delivering more than what your customer expects is a great way to get them coming back to you.
2. Make customer satisfaction a core competency in your company. There’s a common saying that it will take 10 new customers to make up for 1 lost customer. Poor service is the top reason why companies lose business. However, you can minimize this by helping your employees understand that even the smallest things count, and that even a minor mistake may drive your customer to the nearest competitor.
3. Engage with them and encourage feedback. This is also a great way to build and solidify relationships with your customers. Don’t rely on your customers to tell you if something’s wrong. Ask them how you’re doing and perhaps give them an incentive to do a satisfaction survey. If there’s an issue at hand, reach out to them and resolve it quickly to show them that their time and opinions are valuable to you. Keep in mind that the customers’ complaints can be opportunities for your business.
4. Keep in contact with your current and past customers. These days, there are a myriad of ways to keep in contact with your customers—and it’s important that you do so. Whether you use phone calls, newsletters, email, social media, or any combination of these, it’s another great way to engage with your customers.
5. Be loyal to your customers. Loyalty is a two way street—be loyal to your customers, even if you think that they might not reciprocate. Think of your customers as your friends and treat them how you would want to be treated. And whatever you do, don’t back-pedal on your words, especially just to gain new customers!
   

It doesn’t take a marketing research expert to implement these principles. Start the New Year off with a bang and see how much of a difference this will make in your relationship with your customers. For more tips and advice, feel free to contact us today!

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Erin Chun is a data analyst in the analytics department of Polaris Marketing Research Inc., where she is responsible for handling a myriad of data manipulation tasks involved in survey research. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Georgia State University.