More than 50% (an increase of 5% over 2012) of consumers in the U.S. switched service providers in 2013. Clearly, customers switching is a problem. But the problem isn’t confined to just the U.S. It affects companies globally as well. Worldwide, 66% percent of consumers switched companies in 2013—an increase of 4% over last year. If consumer switching isn’t a problem at your company, you’re in luck. But that doesn’t mean it can’t become one. All it takes is one bad experience for a customer to bolt. So how can you prevent customers from switching? CustomerThink recently posted an article on how to provide rich, high-valued customer experiences that exceed customer expectations. A summary of that article is below:
High-Valued Customer Experiences
The best way to keep consumers from switching to one of your competitors is to provide high-valued customer experiences. Below are five things you can do to make exceptional customer service a habit at your company.
1. Let Consumers Know They’re Valued
Do this as often as possible. It’s critical. A season’s greeting, a birthday wish, or an email with special offer just for them—all of these things let customers know they’re highly valued.
2. Nurture the Relationship
Dedicate yourself to learning more and more about your customers as the relationship grows. Work hard to overcome the communication barriers between you and your customers. Some companies are good at doing this already. Most aren’t.
3. Up-Sell/Cross-Sell
Up-selling and cross-selling are good for everyone. When you share special promotions, new products, or new services based on personal preferences, it tells customers you really care about them.
4. Engage Customers—Don’t Manage Them
Customers don’t want to be managed. They want to be engaged. When you try to manage customers, they start feeling like they’re being manipulated. Nothing will cause a customer to switch faster than feeling manipulated.
5. Provide High-Valued Experiences Throughout the Lifecycle
Some companies think that special promotions drive customer loyalty. They don’t. Loyalty is driven by customer experiences—no matter how trivial the matter. Improve customer experiences throughout the lifecycle and you’ll boost loyalty rates.
Consumer switching threatens every company. That’s because it doesn’t take a lot for customers to bolt—just one bad experience. Use the 5 habits described above to boost customer loyalty by creating high-valued customer experiences at every touch point.
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