Customer-Friendly Initiatives You Should Consider

In 2021, businesses across the United States will be trying to bounce back from the economic recession we’re experiencing due to COVID-19. Right now, millions of small businesses are struggling to remain open, and you can bet the competition will be fierce when things get back to normal.

The most important thing you must do to separate yourself from your competition is to enhance your customer experience. According to an article in Forbes, customer experience is the new brand. Once society returns to normal, your customers will be looking for an experience they haven’t had in what might seem like ages. Continue reading to learn some customer-friendly initiatives you should consider.

Customer Feedback

Everyone likes to feel like their opinion matters, especially consumers. That’s why implementing customer feedback as part of your customer retention strategy is a great idea. The more actionable insights you get into the customer journey, the better you can fine-tune your marketing and product development strategies.

With “voice of the customer” (VoC) programs like Alchemer, you can improve customer satisfaction by getting valuable customer feedback from various sources, including social media and surveys. With Alchemer, you get various types of feedback—not just surveys. You can also create focus groups to help with the product development process and learn customer needs. Implementing a successful voice of the customer program can help your business race to the front of the pack when social gatherings are safe again.

Environmental Awareness

One of the best ways to save on your utility bills, help the environment, and encourage customer loyalty is to make your business more energy efficient. When your customers enter your business and see the Energy Star logo on your business equipment, they’ll know energy efficiency is a priority for your business.

Being energy efficient is about much more than installing energy-efficient windows and appliances—it’s also a culture. Furthermore, the more money you save on your energy bill, the more money you’ll be able to save your customers with discounts and incentives. In this way, if you reduce your use of energy you’re winning in more than one way.

Customer Loyalty Programs

One trend you might have noticed over the last decade is that a lot of the large brands offer customer loyalty programs. That’s because customer loyalty and referral programs are the best way to turn casual customers into loyal customers and get your loyal customers to bring their friends and family to you.

One of the first things you learn in business is that you have to be willing to give something to get something in return—otherwise known as return on investment (ROI). Giving your customers points on their purchases that they can use for discounts on their favorite items is a great way to encourage customer loyalty. You can cash in on that loyalty even more with referral plans that reward discounts to your customers and any customers they refer to your company.

Culture Shift

Sometimes creating a better customer experience means having to overhaul your current business model. As technology advances, people expect more in terms of their customer experience. Understanding how to communicate better is the first step toward becoming a customer-centric company.

Being a customer-centric company means your company values its customers more than anything. It means you tailor your business model to provide optimal customer satisfaction. It also means hiring the right people to ensure that your customers see friendly and helpful faces when they enter your business.

A culture shift is one of the hardest things for businesses to undertake, especially if they feel like their current culture has been working well. However, if you want to grow your business, you must increase your capability to serve customers and ensure you have team members who support your company’s vision.

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