This concept applies to so many parts of your business but I'm going to try and simplify it here. You have to make it easy and enjoyable for your customers to do business with you. Due to the internet, our attention spans have gotten progressively smaller so you need to make sure you communicate with your customers quickly and efficiently.
This applies to your website or blog. Make them fluid, easy to read and navigate. You know how you get when you can't find what you need on a website, your customer feels the same way.
When you are returning emails, first off, do it as quickly as possible. Any wasted time could mean that they have moved on to someone else that replied already. Secondly, anticipate their questions. For example, if a customer contacts me about wedding invitations, when I respond, I will usually go ahead and send them an order guide and my additional charges and fees. This is cutting out a couple of rounds of emails and ultimately getting the order to them faster. I do the same thing when customers contact me about a custom design. I go ahead and lay out the process and what our next steps are so that they have all the info they need going forward. Then, if they choose to use someone else, they have done it with all the information.
Figure out a way to recognize return customers. This is a crucial point that you must do in order to have effective customer service. I use this program and it allows me to search my customers so that I know who is returning and who is new. Then, I treat my returning customers as returning customers and old friends. You may have heard the saying that it is cheaper to keep a customer rather than go out and get a new one, this is how you keep them. I also keep all of my customers' files on hand so that if they contact me and say they want to re-order their cards, I am already ready with that file and we can place the order in half the time. These are the types of things that make a customer say "why would I order from someone else?"
Lastly, you must be nice. It seems like a simple concept and it is but it is far from commonplace. Just being nice to your customers will place you head and shoulders above the competition.
**Image via The Cartoon Blog**
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