Getting to Know Your Customers Better
What sets apart good customer service from outstanding customer service? Your level of engagement with your customers and your depth of knowledge about them. While it is great to remember their birthdays, likes and preferences, how much they spend and so on, when you take the trouble to remember the little things, it goes a long way in increasing sales.
GETTING STARTED
Sure, everyone would like to know their customers as well, but how do you go about it when most of those customers visit your store a few times a week or month? A database gives you very basic customer information, such as name, age, phone number and so on. Timely surveys are a great way to engage with customers and understand their buying patterns and personal preferences. Asking a customer what they want gives you a different perspective compared to analyzing movement of inventory. You can also establish a system of categorizing big spenders and small spenders, and calculate their frequency. You can use this information to stock popular products and improve customer service. You can also chat with customers once in a while, and ask them how you can improve your products and services.
WHAT TO DO
Surveys are a great way to get into the minds of shoppers. What they like, what they dislike and what they are looking for. Review the responses and see if there are any noticeable patterns. You also need to organize the information you have and compartmentalize it. You can group customer information based on categories, such as profile data, business data, buying activity, personal preferences and so on. The data may be grouped differently, but it is all interconnected. With data grouped as such, you can think of new and innovative ways to engage with customer groups. This way, you can send targeted marketing messages and offer deals and incentives.
Getting to know your customer is all about paying attention to the finer details, so a little extra effort goes a long way. You should know them so well, that you beat them to their purchase and get in touch with them just as they need to replenish. Make your customers feel exclusive and special- it does not cost all that much, but when you remember the little things, they will appreciate you that much more and turn to you for all their needs.
