Have you ever asked yourself about the surest way to improve service delivery? Well, there is no single answer to your quest, but the road to better service delivery begins with understanding your customers.
When you understand your customers, you can tailor your services to meet their unique needs. When you fulfill the needs of your customers, they come back. Hence, a happy customer is a win for your business.
Here are tips to help you understand your customers.
1. Research current market trends and know what is best for your customers
If you want to stay relevant, you must know the trends. Customers want to be pace-setters. They want to jump onto the bandwagon and be part of the ‘revolution’. If you fail to meet their changing trends, you will become obsolete.
When you have a vast market knowledge of the industry trends, you will be part of ‘the next big thing’ in your industry and your customers will have no reason to go to your competitors.
When you know so much about the industry, you can also help your customers with expert knowledge to help them evolve and adapt to trends. Sometimes, all a customer needs is someone to help them make the right purchase decisions.
Fill that gap, and you will become their go-to business partner. A business person that knows so much about the product and the industry he operates in is a valuable resource to customers.
If, for instance, your business is marketing brands, you need to know what works in the virtual space and how your customer can take advantage of the trend. Can a blog work for your client, or will a YouTube channel be most appropriate? How about SEO marketing?
Knowing these details will guarantee better results for your marketing campaigns and help you retain your customers.
2. Ask the customer direct questions about your service
How often do you follow up on your customers after selling to them? Do you ever ask how they find your products? Asking direct questions about your products gives you insights for improving your products.
Also, when you ask a customer about your service, they feel they are important part of your business and feel appreciated. You can use customer satisfaction surveys to get valuable insights that will help you serve them better.
Though customer satisfaction surveys can give you insights, it’s essential to decide the method that works well with your customers. Sometimes a simple chat on messenger with a customer can help you get the information you need to deliver better service to your customers. Remember to be straightforward and honest.
Asking questions is not enough. You should not ask questions if you intend to do nothing to correct the errors the customer has highlighted. Learn from the feedback what makes your customers happy, their purchasing behaviour, and their priorities. These details might seem simple, but go a long way in meeting your customers’ needs.
3. Listen ACTIVELY to what your customer has to say
How well do you listen to your customers? If you knew that behind every call, there is a person with a real problem looking for a real solution, you would listen better. When you listen to your customers actively, you get a deeper insight into the situation and an upper hand at solving the customer’s problem. Also, when you listen actively to a customer, you make them feel valued.
Empathy is one sure way of making a customer feel they are in the right hands, but you cannot show compassion without active listening. According to research, 60% of business problems are caused by poor communication.
Also, when you listen actively to a customer, you get the chance to ask appropriate questions that are essential to improving customer service. Asking relevant questions also makes the customer feel you are in their shoes and can give the best assistance.
The trust you win by listening actively builds the customer’s confidence in your abilities. This belief that you are the best solution to your customer’s problem is essential in customer retention.
Listen actively whether on the phone or during a face-to-face consultation. You will get all the information you need about your customer and her problems. Once you understand the customer’s problem, then you can easily recommend a ‘treatment.’
4. Act on the knowledge that you learn from the other three tasks
The reason why you seek customer feedback is to improve service delivery. If you do not wish to make changes, do not trouble yourself with seeking customer feedback. Once you know your customer’s taste and preferences, tweak your product to fit their needs.
If you have known your customer hates ramen noodles but loves spaghetti, serving them ramen noodles again will be an insult. Make the necessary changes and your customers will not have to find someone to replace you.
In summary, understanding your customers gives you an advantage over your competitors. It also helps you serve your customers better, and retain them.
These four steps will help you understand your customers so that you can tailor your services to fit them. If you would like to work with a digital marketer who understands the dynamics of content marketing, contact us. We will be glad to work with you.
