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Customer Service Information |
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Five Ways To Wow Your Client
Running a business is about providing goods and services to human beings. Their experience with you can make the difference between a good day, a terrible day, a nothing-special day, and a "WOW" day for them! Wouldn't you like to be the reason a client's day changes from boring to "WOW?" The benefits of this approach are good for everyone involved. Your client will be satisfied with your service and will therefore come back to you for repeat business. By making a great impression and exceeding expectations, you have a better chance of establishing a long-term relationship with this client, and increasing your sales. Also, you'll be strategizing your unique positioning in the marketplace by making your business stand out from the rest. If you take the time to do something unusual and special, the client will think of you again next time. There are many ways you can "WOW" your client, but here are five of them: 1. Remember Diary Dates Use your database to make note of each client's birthday, wedding anniversary, their children's birthdays, religious celebrations and any other important dates in their life. Send a reduced-rate offer or gift voucher (to use next time they need your service) and a card to them on that day. This gesture shows your interest in a long-term relationship, not just a quick sale. 2. Offer Unique Free Extras Think of something uncommon that is not offered in your industry. Give this to your clients for free. It should be something fun and something that makes them talk about you all over town. For example, if you're a dentist, you may offer a $300 voucher to your clients on the third anniversary of the day they became your client. This should entitle the client to a free dental service or dental product (up to the value of $300) from you. The client should be able to spend the voucher however they wish. 3. Turn Complaints Around Your clients won't always be happy, but you can save their patronage by resolving their problem quickly and to their benefit. For example, if you own a restaurant and a guest is unhappy with their food, offer a free meal before they even asks. If you take care of the situation quickly and effectively, they'll be back again. 4. Reward Referrals In A Big Way Most small business owners simply send a thank you card to the client that sends them a referral. That's okay if you want to be like every other business. To set your business apart from the "thank you card givers," you can include a gift with the card. Concert tickets are fine, but a gift that enhances the client's way of life will probably be more appreciated. For example, if your client is an attorney, you may get them a free pass to an educational seminar. Rewarding your clients for a referral will ensure that they repeat the gesture in future. 5. Go The Extra Mile By this, I'm referring to spontaneous acts of kindness. Demonstrate that you're willing to extend yourself beyond typical boundaries of time and resources to meet the needs of your clients. Does your client have a request you don't normally accommodate, but that is easily doable and not time-consuming? Say you'd be happy to do that for them, and pool your abilities and resources to get that service for the client. For example, say you own a single-outlet fashion shop, and a customer asks whether you have a certain garment in red. Let's assume you never stock that particular garment in red. There are two "WOW" things you can do here. Your customer will certainly appreciate it if you either put in a special order to get the red color in for her, or you direct her to another fashion shop to buy it there. This is a small gesture but you'll be surprised how many fashion shop reps would say: "Sorry we don't stock it, is there anything else I can help you with?" When you pay attention to your clients and demonstrate that you care about their experience with you as much as the bottom line, they will remember you and return. If you treat your clients as faceless numbers and don't convey your appreciation for their patronage, nothing stops them from trying somewhere else! Countless businesses are waiting to step in your shoes, so make sure you do your best to exceed client expectations. If you add the "WOW Factor" to what you offer your clients, they'll do business with you repeatedly. They'll become your raving fans, and will talk about you to their family and friends. Making a strong impression that you care about your client's satisfaction will encourage referrals and make your profits soar. Copyright Š 2005 by Habiba Abubakar and Emprez. All rights reserved. Note: You are welcome to republish this article as long as you do so in its entirety and the "about the author" bit at the end is included fully and unaltered. Habiba Abubakar, a.k.a. The Profit Diva, specializes in helping small business owners who are struggling to increase their client base and are tired of earning mediocre profits. Her FREE business-building newsletter covers proven, low-cost, and immediately usable marketing strategies. Sign up for your FREE copy at http://www.profitdiva.com
MORE RESOURCES: AI Chatbots Are Ready to Talk to Customers. Sort of. The Wall Street Journal Pricing, AI, DPA, Customer Service Tools; Bill Emerson Interview; Training This Week; STRATMOR CD Workshop Mortgage News Daily Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in âBest Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Yahoo Finance Qme secures $3M funding to streamline customer service across Africa Techpoint Africa Building Competitive Advantage in Customer Care Through AI The Business of Fashion 311 Customer Service Center City and County of San Francisco FTC Finalizes Order with H&R Block Requiring Them to Pay $7 Million and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service Practices for 2025 and 2026 Tax Seasons Federal Trade Commission News Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in âBest Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Business Wire Ikea expands integration with assembly services platform Chain Store Age JEA is inviting bids for 19-story downtown tower that used to be its headquarters The Florida Times-Union American Lamprecht Enhances Visibility for Air and Ocean Shipments Using Descartes Solution Supply Chain Dive Women in Fintech: A Conversation About Loyalty Ecosystems in Financial Services with Becky Hill Finovate Neterra Enhances Its Customer Service Monitoring System Total Telecom Gladly Named a Leader in Constellation ShortList⢠for Digital Customer Service and Support PR Newswire QueueKioskâ˘: Saving Thousands of Active-Duty Man Hours & Improving Customer Service at the MPF Office Kiosk Marketplace Finally, hard data on a real-world AI business use case: Itâs huge for customer service Sherwood News Liverpool reinvents customer service through digital platform ComputerWeekly.com CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom Firm to expand customer service in Yorkshire with new service centre Golf Business News Textron Aviation to Open New Service Facility at Essendon Fields Airport, Expanding Capabilities in Australia Pittsburg Morning Sun Help Department of Taxation and Finance Six Game-Changing AI Customer Service and CX Strategies Hospitality Net Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) New York State Department of Health Cigna's customer-centric strategy could ripple across the sector Modern Healthcare Major AI Success Story: Giftify Achieves 40% Faster Customer Response Times with Enterprise AI StockTitan How banks can build consumer confidence with stellar customer service Insights by Samsung Contact Us About Your Bill myclearwater.com Customer Service Center apps.tampagov.net 311 - Birminghamâs Customer Service Center City of Birmingham (.gov) Palm Coast Utility Department Celebrated for Enhanced Customer Service City of Palm Coast 70% of customer service to rely on AI by 2028: Gartner Outsource Accelerator DESCO's meeting held to enhance customer service and power reliability The Business Standard Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University 3 Ways To Quickly Make $50 GOBankingRates Deltaâs annual profit-sharing day spotlights âpeople firstâ strategy The Atlanta Journal Constitution Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside (.gov) Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside (.gov) Which companies have the best customer service? Amazon, Shein, Costco among top-rated brands USA TODAY Con Edison Proposes Investments to Meet Growing Demand for Clean Energy, Enhance Customer Support T&D World Contact Reverb Support Reverb Charter Names Robyn Tolva Senior Vice President, Customer Service Reliability | Charter Charter Communications America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2025 Sprout Social Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice AI for Customer Service Market worth $47.82 Billion by 2030 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets⢠PR Newswire Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist Permitsâcustomer services King County Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications Federal Communications Commission Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf President Biden Announces New Customer Service Actions, Targets Subscriptions and âDoom Loopsâ CX Today 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Launch of New Districtwide Customer Service Platform The School District of Philadelphia Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University Summer EBT | Department of Human Services Governor Tom Wolf Video Quick Take: Intercomâs Brian Donahue on How AI Agents Can Be Your First Tier of Customer Service Support HBR.org Daily |
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