Overview: You found your target audience, you got their attention, and then you started the first steps of a business/customer relationship with them. But the work’s not over! You still have to delight them so they stick with you. Read on to learn more!

In recent weeks, we’ve been exploring how business owners can acquire new customers by first attracting them (thus capturing their attention), then by engaging with them (thus taking the first steps toward those transactions.

Today, we’re looking at how you can solidify that relationship by delighting your customers and making sure they’ll come back for more. Here are some of our best suggestions on how to pull this off.

Give Them a Little More Than They Expect 

When you’re thinking about ways to delight your customers, try putting yourself in their shoes. Let’s start with this: Have you ever had an experience with a business where they impressed you by going above and beyond what you expected? If so, you certainly walked away from that experience with good feelings about that business.

Maybe it was a donut shop that threw in two extra Boston kremes on top of the twelve donuts you paid for. Maybe it was an auto shop that completed the oil change you paid for, then filled your tires for free. Maybe it was a real estate agent who kept calling to check in and see how you were enjoying your new house, months after your business relationship formally concluded.

It doesn’t have to be anything huge. But when you give your customers a little bit extra, you’re sure to be “top of mind” for them the next time they need products or services you provide — or the next time a friend of theirs asks for a recommendation.

Make It Personal 

This is most applicable to businesses where a client hires you directly — event photography, equipment rentals, website design — but it’s a good thing for all business owners to keep in mind.

When you approach your ongoing customer relationships with a personal touch, your customers will appreciate it and think well of you and your business. In a recent blog post, we recommended using CRM (customer relationship management) software to maintain detailed information on your customers. You can use those same CRM tools, and the customer data they provide, to personalize interactions and communications.

The basics are important: Address customers by name, make sure you know what kind of business they’re in and what their needs are as you begin every conversation with them. But take things a step further by keeping track of their preferences, and making customized recommendations based on their past purchases and favorite products or services.

>> Related Reading: Build and Maintain Customer Relationships

Offer Incentives for Loyalty 

How do you keep your customers coming back? Make it worth their while! Even when they’ve had a good experience, customers might consider shopping around for their next similar purchase in the interest of possibly saving a few bucks. Here are some things you can do to keep them coming back:

• Provide discount codes to return customers to encourage them to keep coming back

• Offer them a free gift once they’ve purchased a specified number of products — you know, like the classic Subway “free sandwich” loyalty program!

• Send a newsletter to previous customers so they’re the first to know about sales, specials, and new products

>> Related Reading: 5 Ways to Reward Loyal Customers

Address Problems Quickly 

Nobody’s perfect, and the vast majority of your customers will understand that unexpected hiccups will occur from time to time. Shipments get delayed, products go out of stock, and websites go down.

But what really matters is how you respond when you have a problem. When your customer reports a problem with a product or service, make an effort to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Sometimes it might take a while… or at least, it might take longer to resolve than your customer might hope. So if you can’t fix it right away, provide your customer with regular updates so they know you’re working on it and you appreciate their patience.

You don’t have to throw your vendors under the bus or go into excruciating detail — just give them a basic summary. And consider offering a small discount on the next order as a sign of good faith. All this goes a long way toward keeping them on your side!

>> Related Reading: How to Respond to an Order Complaint

Speaking of which…

Communication All the Way

Even when everything is on track, it never hurts to keep your customers informed about their projects or orders. They’ll be happy to know about any significant developments, and to know that progress is being made.

You can also tailor your communication style to each client or customer. Some customers might be able to handle more technical terminology, while others will find it more helpful if you summarize things in a very basic way. Try to get a sense of your customer’s sensibility early on, and use that knowledge to optimize the communication style you use with them. 

After-Sales Support 

Customer delight doesn’t end when the product or finished order reaches the customer’s hands. When you provide excellent after-sales service, your audience will continue their positive impressions of you.

This might include maintaining a hassle-free return policy, offering genuinely valuable warranties, or suggestions on similar products or services. It could probably also include several possibilities that we haven’t even thought about yet! How are YOU offering excellent after-sales support? 

Good Products and Services 

Yes, this should go without saying. But it’s surprising how many businesses forget it. A sure-fire way to delight your customers is to provide them with high-quality products and top-notch services.

If you make frozen custard, make it the best frozen custard your customers have ever had. If you’re a recording engineer, give your clients the most impressive-sounding recordings they’ve ever heard. And if you run a hotel, give them the nicest lodging experience they can remember. 

This extends to customer service as well. You can ensure every interaction with your company is positive by training your staff to be friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful, and verifying that they all understand your brand voice.

In Conclusion 

By applying a personal touch to your customer interactions, offering consistently high-quality products and services, and responding quickly to customer service questions, you can delight your customers — and watch as they create new customers by recommending you to others!

We hope this blog post has delighted you! At MyUnlimitedWP, we do our best to delight our customers, so we’ll be delighted if you’re delighted by the informative content here and on our social media outlets.

Also, if you’re a client of ours, we hope you’re delighted by the high-quality website support we provide. And if you’re not yet a client of ours, we’d be thrilled to have the opportunity to delight you! Drop us a line today to learn more about our delightful, subscription-based support for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify websites!