While online shopping and curbside pickup have made shopping more convenient, they lack an important element: personal connection. That’s why customer relationships are more important today than they ever have been. Maybe you've heard of customer relations, or, more likely, you've been on the other end of them as the customer.
You know what it feels like to be treated as a valued customer compared to what it feels like to be just another number. A positive customer interaction leads to a greater sense of trust in a company and a greater likelihood that you'll be a returning customer. So, how can you improve customer relations and achieve customer loyalty?
If you're on a mission to improve customer experience, and in turn, increase trust over time, you'll need to know the steps required to achieve successful customer relationships. This article will give you plenty of ideas for how to nurture positive relationships with your clients which will convert them into your most loyal customers.
See how Clientbook is helping retailers cultivate relationships with their customers
What is customer relations?
Customer relations refers to the overall efforts of your retail store to establish and nurture positive relationships with customers. This effort should extend to all employees at your store, especially those on the sales floor, as they have the most interactions with customers.
Strong customer relationships are developed through giving support with short-term issues as well as helping to create long-term solutions that will lead to customer satisfaction.
Customer service vs. customer relations
Customer service and customer relations may seem like the same thing, but there are some important differences that distinguish the two.
Customer service is a valuable resource provided by your company to guarantee customer success and support. It's often a reactive type of support where customers are calling or emailing into the customer service team as their first point of contact with the company. This includes things like solving customer problems and responding to complaints. Companies are beginning to offer more proactive customer service than they used to, but many function only in response to customer needs and customer action.
On the other hand, customer relations is proactive communication which includes both supporting customer needs and actively reaching out to consumers in their buyer’s journey. This looks like creating long-term relationships with customers through providing info about products, giving exclusive offers, and offering discounts.
Why are effective customer relations important to your business?
The ultimate goal of customer relations is to improve the customer experience. It’s a proactive practice to improve your relationship with customers, which will then improve customer retention rates and lead to loyal customers. Your attention to customer relations will cultivate strong relationships and keep customers happy.
Examples of positive customer relations
Communication
In any good relationship, communication is the key to success and longevity. It's not surprising that this is also the case when creating strong customer relations. Customers want to be involved and informed throughout the process of the customer journey. This communication can happen on social media platforms, email, text, or in person. Keep the relationship fed through communication!
Personalization
Personalized experiences are important for making meaningful relationships. Not only is personalization a great marketing strategy, it's a way for you to really improve connections with customers. Customer segmentation allows you to use customer data to create personalized experiences like customized email subject lines, personalized product recommendations, personalized offers and discounts, and more specific advertising based on customer expectations. Personalized customer experiences are key to building trust in your company. Go the extra mile for your clients!
Automation
A major part of retaining customers is through automated processes. Internal and external automation helps you serve and communicate with your customers in an effective and personal way consistently. Customer service automation will make your business more efficient and your customer experience more streamlined.
Active listening
Being heard is an important part of the customer experience. Active listening is a skill that all employees should adopt and hone. Active listening to customer feedback requires validating, reassuring, and seeking to understand your customer when there is an issue or customer complaints. Being aware of these issues and then working to fix them is a great way to develop a beneficial relationship and emotional connection with your customers.
How Clientbook contributes to positive customer relationships
If you're ready to take your customer satisfaction to the next level, Clientbook can help.
Clientbook is an app and web platform made specifically for retail companies to build long-lasting relationships with their customers through a customer relationship management system (CRM).
With Clientbook, sales associates can develop and nurture strong customer relationships with clients through chat features, customized wish lists, and personalized offers. Clientbook provides a way to develop, build, and nurture customers in real time through effective and consistent communication.
Conclusion
Your current customers should stay forever customers. People want to feel emotional connection, even when they're a client. Personalized efforts to genuinely connect with your customer base will improve customer retention and help you grow your business.
Clientbook facilitates seamless long-term relationships with customers and makes the process enjoyable for everyone. Book a demo today to see how your customer relations can benefit from Clientbook.
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