CentreO Blog

Repeat customers and referrals is a cost effective way for your business to generate income. So it is a good idea to spend some time improving your customer‘s experience, nurturing and caring about your existing clients, here are 4 tips how:

1. Serve, don’t sell

Start focusing on your potential customer’s needs, wants, goals, challenges and how you can help them with it, rather than solely focusing on generating sales. Customers will see that you care more than their pocket and over time open up. They will begin to exchange more information with you that will not only help your sales, but in turn make themselves a satisfied customer.

2. Ask and Listen

Questioning and listening to their feedback is key to ensuring what your customers want, finding out about your potential clients and creating a relationship. The more you find out about your customers, the easier it is clarify their needs, making them feel valued as you begin to relate and understand them, in hand making it easier to target new customers.

3. Be contactable

Stay regular contact with them and be open ended, think outside the box of direct marketing and newsletters. This means not only replying their emails and phone calls as soon as possible, but also going that extra step. For example, after the purchase send out a thank you, then after a few weeks follow up with a  ‘Hello___ how they are going with the product/service’ etc., making it personalised so that they feel individually valued. This comes back to number 2 and 1, being contactable doesn’t  just mean doing punctual with your replies, but also making the customer feel that they are able to approach you.

4. Exceed expectations

Go the extra mile and make your customers happier to keep them coming back. That is, giving them what they cannot receive elsewhere, knowing simple things such as birthdays, likes and dislikes, for example having their favourite drink ready when you have a meeting with them. Customers are the reason your business runs, always value them and make sure they know they are valued.

So remember to be proactive with your customers, stay up to date with them, be thoughtful and make them feel special. This rapport may be in turn be rewarded with loyalty, repeat sales (even up sales) and referrals.

>Are You In The Customer Service Business?

This activity is extremely easy to organise. It is not only fun, but also very helpful in activating cooperation and thinking outside-the-box.

All you need: spaghetti and marshmallows

How it goes:

Divide your team into several groups.

Ask each group to choose a leader, team name, team slogan and team pose.

Give each group a task: they must create a symbol/mascot for your company, using a pack of spaghetti and marshmallows and then present it to the other groups, explaining the meaning behind their construction.

The team with the most creative construction and presentation wins!

 

 

We are all familiar with team building and while we mostly tend to see it as a fun outing with colleagues or a night at KTV, there is much more to it than that.

Here’s what.

 Improved Communication

Teambuilding activities can breakdown barriers and help people come out of their shell.

By working together on a task that is different from their daily responsibilities, people can develop new ways of working together. It can help let go of built-up tension and develop partnerships and cooperation, as in a competitive environment people will see the benefits of helping out each other very clearly.

 Developed Team Roles

Team building can help employees discover and fit into the roles that are naturally suited for them.

For instance, some may be good at setting objectives and delegating, while others are better at checking the finished work for errors.

Team building allows each member of the team to develop and focus on what they are best at. It also allows the team members to find their niche within the team, so that everyone can best contribute as an individual while still performing together.

Developed Skills

In a busy and deadline-driven working environment it may be hard for employees to develop new skills and equally hard for employers to discover the “hidden” abilities of their team members.

Team-building activities can allow each member of the team a chance to take charge and develop leadership skills, as well as skills in other areas of the business.

 Long-Term Benefits

According to team expert Talan Miller, a strong team can lead to major gains for a small business, like the ability to maximize profitability, meet cross-functional challenges and respond to changes quicker.

It also gives your team a better sense of involvement and belonging, making your team more mission-focused and helping you achieve more with less direction.