4 Things You Should be Doing to Improve Customer Retention

This is a guest post by Jessica Watson, a business trends, marketing, and travel writer based in the UK. Jessica works with Regal Airport Cars providing specialized airport transfers across all the UK.

The success of your business is dependent on the satisfaction of your customers.

This truth reigns particularly high in eCommerce where a similar, exact, or comparable product is just one click away. So why is it that businesses often neglect to cover the basic components of ensuring a positive customer experience?It is without question that your top priority should be ensuring your customers are well taken care of. This article highlights the essential bases your business should have covered to ensure a happy customer and improve customer retention.

‍1. Happy Employees

‍Your biggest asset and biggest investment is not your product… it’s your employees.  An exceptional product with poor customer care will only get you so far. However, a “good” product with exceptional customer care promotes long-term success. Employee happiness is one of the easiest ways to retain customers.Satisfied employees are directly proportional to satisfied customers. A happy employee is more motivated to ensure a happy customer and may help increase sales. Always keep a pulse on the current state of employee satisfaction. Employees that are well taken care of will take care of your customers.

‍2. Customer Feedback

‍How can you better understand what makes a happy customer? Ask them! Enhance customer's experience by getting input directly from them, instead of making assumptions. Today’s connected digital spaces make it easier than ever to receive feedback from customers.Establish a direct connection with customers via social media and continually interact with them to learn about their expectations and wants. The more you engage with your customers, the better you can cater to their preferences. Listening to feedback is one of the easiest ways to retain customers.

‍3. Analyze Your Mistakes

‍One of the best ways to retain customers is to create a routine process for analyzing areas of improvement. Track customer inquiries and analyze them on monthly or quarterly basis. Find trends and determine improvements that can be made to reduce occurrence of specific issues.You may find there is an issue with the product itself, the delivery, or the support received on the customer’s end. Oftentimes, the fix can be as simple as updating product descriptions, communicating delivery info, or providing additional staff training.

‍4. 24/7 Accessibility

‍In today’s era of instant gratification, your customers expect 24/7 accessibility to connect with you. While it may not always be possible for support staff to be on call all hours of the day, having multiple channels for communication helps your customers feel that they are being heard at any time of the day. Being easy to reach is one of the easiest ways to retain customers.Channels of communication to consider:

       
• Phone
       
• Email
       
• Chat
       
• Direct Message (social media)

You can set up automatic responders for inquiries received outside your hours of operation. While the automatic responder may not resolve their inquiry, a reassurance their inquiry has been received and will be responded to soon can be comforting.

‍Conclusion

‍Customer care is the most critical element in the success of your eCommerce business. Promote a positive customer experience through proper training and support of your employees, continuous customer feedback and improvements, and increased accessibility. Ensuring a positive customer experience, alongside a great product is the only way to improve customer retention and attain long-term success in the competitive eCommerce space. And if you want to learn more about how to improve customer retention, contact Rakuten SL about starting a fulfillment partnership!