We all get asked to take surveys sent out by a company whose products or services we have used. Sometimes on a pretty regular basis. You’re probably familiar with these kinds of surveys. Sometimes they pop up on the company’s website, sometimes they show up in your inbox. Many times now as a text message.
I recently received a survey from Chewy. The pet supply company. One of the questions in the survey asked about the likelihood of me referring Chewy’s products to others. On a scale of 1 to 10, I selected a 10. It takes a lot for me to give a company a 10 but with Chewy it was an easy decision. That translates to a solid “HELL YES!” Based on my experiences with them, I have no hesitation in doing so.
You see the Chewy Company has done a lot to not only keep me and my wife as a customer, but they’ve continued to deliver an experience I actively share with others. Particularly during my speaking engagements and with my coaching clients. I enjoy their products and their customer service is stellar. Any issue we ever had was quickly resolved with zero headache. But what I love most about Chewy is their personal attention, solving problems and compassion towards our two cats.
We regularly receive cards in the mail with handwritten messages personalized with our cats’ names, birthdays, holiday greetings and thank you notes for purchasing their products and pet toys. They even send “Get Well” cards or follow up notes checking in on how our cats are feeling or like the new food that is better for their health. They treat my two cats like family. It’s really quite remarkable. I certainly don’t get that attention from the big box stores in my community. Even, when mix ups do occur, like ordering the wrong food, or our cats not liking the food we just purchased, Chewy always handles it professionally and hassle free. Many times, they don’t even want the food returned. They just tell us to give it to a pet in need.
As long as the Chewy Company continues to operate on the high standard they’ve set with me, they’ll continue to get our business, 5-star reviews and I’ll probably continue to function as a walking, talking advertisement for them.
Unleash the Power of Retention
My experience with the Chewy Company is just one of the many examples of retention and the drive for referrals I see on a day-to-day basis. As a Global Thought Leader on Customer Loyalty, Trainer, Speaker and Business Coach. I’ve seen and helped many of my clients implement countless examples of wowing their customers to obtain retention and get lots of referrals. I see the results that my clients get with the work they do for their customers by creating unique and memorable customer experiences as part of their overall marketing strategies.
I regularly stress the importance of the customer experience to build loyalty, customer retention and referrals. It’s upwards of seven times more expensive to get a brand new customer in your door than it is to cater to customers you already have.
When you build meaningful relationships with your customers, you’re much more likely to retain those customers.
You might call the customer experience an “Investment In A Customer Tax” — a tax that’s simply unavoidable when you want to invest in keeping and acquiring new customers. That doesn’t mean bringing in new customers isn’t important, but focusing more effort to retain current customers will give you a better return on investment for your marketing dollar.
There’s also no big secret to how you retain customers. It all comes down to the relationship you cultivate with every single person who comes to you for your products or services. Every time you engage with a customer you have a unique opportunity to build a relationship and make a difference. This is where listening really comes in handy. When you listen to what a customer has to say, you can turn around and use that information to absolutely wow them.
I teach my coaching clients to reach out to their customers at least once a month. During those calls and conversations, they learn about what’s been going on lately with their business or employees, and occasionally brainstorm about how to improve the customer experience. For my coaching clients, it’s time to for them to listen. If you hear a client has a birthday, anniversary, or another special day coming up, or family life event, you can take note of that. But more importantly, DO something about it.
What that looks like can vary. You can send along a gift, a card, a cake — maybe both — or something equally cool. Why do you do it? Well, for one, you have to genuinely care about your customers and maintain relationships. Secondly, sending out a gift or a gesture in recognition of a special event in the life of a client also helps build a bond between you and the client. You might call it the bond of retention. When you go out of your way to show that you care about your customers or patients, you’re going to keep them. And do you know what else is going to happen? They’re going to tell their family, friends, and coworkers about you.
When you build a meaningful relationship with your customers, you’re much more likely to retain those customers. Over the course of that relationship, your customers are going to spread the word of what you’ve done for them, providing you new business. When you want to bring in new customers, you can use referrals to your advantage — but, as a lot of business owners ask me, “How can I consistently get referrals?” Building an amazing relationship with your customers is a great place to start. These relationships may transform into one, two, or more referrals from a single pre-existing customer. Now that would be Magical! Need help? Contact John today!
John Formica is America’s and Australia’s Customer Experience Coach, team culture experience expert, keynote speaker, and Top 10 Global Thought Leader and Influencer on Customer Loyalty. For information on customer experience programs, leadership training, team culture, business growth, how to find and hire great people and tailored training programs just for you or to book John to speak at your next event, contact 704-965-4090 or visit our website at JohnFormica.com.