3 Key Ways to Build Stronger Customer Relationships

Business, especially online, is driven by customer relationships… Here are 3 Stupid Simple Ways to build stronger relationships with your customers.

Valuable customer relationships don’t just happen overnight or after a single interaction. In fact, many companies have dozens of support agents putting in the extra work to keep these relationships healthy.

Through direct communication, exceptional customer service and a promise to keep data safe, small-business owners can foster stronger relationships with customers; after all, there’s value in having loyal, repeat customers continuing to come through your door.

Here are some ideas on how you can win over your customers.

1. Protect their Crucial Data

When data is compromised, there’s oftentimes a direct impact on consumer trust, loyalty and the overall perceptions of just how serious a company takes security. According to a survey conducted by Gemalto, 31 percent of consumers have at some point been a victim of a data breach.

Meantime, 75 percent of those same consumers said they don’t believe the companies they do business with take data security seriously, while another 64 percent indicated they wouldn’t shop with a brand if their proprietary information was ever compromised or stolen. Of course, both scenarios point to lost customer loyalty.

But business owners can better protect consumer data — after all, there are no certainties in life — with online data backup systems like MozyPro. For example, the cloud-based software allows small-business owners or leaders to seamlessly manage data backups via the cloud, further increasing customer loyalty by providing an invaluable service at an affordable cost.

2. Provide Exceptional Customer Service

Customers value consistency over just about anything else, meaning they expect the checkout process and/or sales interactions with staff to be the same each and every time. To that end, 75 percent of consumers said they expect a level of consistency when engaging with support agents via phone, email, social media or in-person, according to a Salesforce survey.

Of course, not only does providing quality service and support help foster stronger relationships between businesses and consumers, but it can also boost your company’s bottom line, too. According to New Voice Media, an estimated $62 billion is lost by U.S. businesses each year following poor customer experiences.

But at the other end of the spectrum, research also indicates today’s consumers will show their loyalty by paying more for products and services sold by their favorite brands that provide exceptional customer service. Of course, from live chat and social media to traditional phone and email support, there are countless ways to provide top-notch satisfaction.

3. Connect through Email Marketing

Considered a measurable and cost-effective strategy, email marketing is a tried-and-true tactic that small-business owners and leaders can implement to strengthen consumer relationships. No matter your business niche, whether you work as an SEO pro or graphic designer, you need to tailor your email marketing strategy to make it your own.

Indeed, email marketing campaigns offer a simple and effective means to communicate with your customers. And, in many cases, this marketing strategy only costs pennies on the dollar. In fact, emails marketing campaigns bring in $40 for every $1 spent. Now that’s some positive ROI.

Email marketing also plays a vital role in brand awareness. When your company’s emails collect in your customers’ inboxes, you’re ultimately building value by staying top-of-mind with your audience. But most importantly, the next time consumers decide to purchase a specific product or service, there’s a good chance they’ll turn to you first.