Building and maintaining customer relationships is key for any business. There’s that age old saying, it costs five times more to gain a new customer than it does to retain an existing one.
At The Oracle Group, we pride ourselves on having an established rapport with our clients to ensure success on both sides. While PR is the main core of our business, our project work extends to events, awards, marketing, social media and digital strategy. As an agency we continue to adapt, evolve and respond to our clients’ needs as required.
Here are our top tips on how to connect with your customers:
Establish the trust
Getting to know your client and their needs will help to form the relationship and start to establish the trust. This is definitely not achieved by using a one-size fits all approach, your client wants to feel special. Instead of hiding behind a computer, pick up the phone and get to know them, starting the dialogue allows both parties to know where they stand as well as pointing out any problems or concerns going forward.
Ask questions
Similarly to establishing trust, asking questions allows you to understand your client’s life, business and the way they operate. As Albert Einstein once said, ‘the important thing is never to stop questioning’. No matter how silly your enquiry may seem, fine-tuning the details can avoid errors in the long-run and provide them with the right content, promotions and marketing channel.
Stay in touch
Always check in with your clients, they want to be kept in the loop! At The Oracle Group we distribute ‘Friday Flashes’ every week to all our clients, which shows them an overview of all the PR activity completed and highlights for the forthcoming week. Being proactive and keeping your customers updated, lets them know more about your business and how you bring value into their lives.
Provide the best customer service
Providing the best customer service goes a long way, ‘95% of dissatisfied customers will tell others about their bad experience’ according to Zendesk. Therefore listening to what your client wants, meeting any deadlines, responding to inquiries or emails in a timely manner will not only showcase your efficiency but strengthen the relationship.
Show you care
Lastly, going above and beyond and showing your loyalty. Clients value quality face-time, so set up monthly meetings to direct your progress and interact at industry events or trade shows. Ensure you are prepared for client meetings by doing your homework, think outside the box and suggest new ideas to impress them.
In today’s digital age, the impact of developing stronger customer relationships spreads further than ever as customers are eager to share their opinions, whether positive or negative with many channels to do so. The work your company puts into maintaining and strengthening relationships will point you to success. Just like any relationship, strong customer relationships require work but the payoff to your business’s bottom line is worth the effort.