Are you giving your customers the right amount of TLC?

It’s a given that all your customers deserve recognition, but for most businesses, giving all of them an equal amount may be quite the challenge. That is why your business should approach the task of distributing care and attention in a strategic manner.The reason why you should give your customers a little extra TLC every now and then is to build and maintain good relationships. Because you’d want them to be happy, wouldn’t you?

Aside from gaining a good reputation giving the company more business, it has also shown that customers are willing to pay 15 percent more if it means that they get an even better experience. But it is important to know how to distribute the care, and to whom.

Talk about the right things in the right places

The foundation of all relationships consists of a balance of giving and taking. If you want to have a close relationship with a customer, you must also put in the time and effort. If you want a customer to perceive your company in a certain way, you need to know how to talk the talk. If you have managed to do a successful analysis, you can figure out how and what to talk to your customers about, in order to achieve the desired effect.

The segmentation can also help in which channels the care should be distributed

Need a more concrete example?

Say no more. Let’s pretend that you are a car dealer, and that you’re going to talk to a customer who falls within the “family car buyers” segment. While doing that it is sensible that you push the points that are crucial for that particular customer group. These points can be aspects such as finances, safety and car space. In addition to finding out what to talk about, the segmentation can also help in which channels the care should be distributed, whether it be digital, print, over the phone or IRL meetings.

TLC should not only be given in stages where the customers are about to make decisions, but preferably in a proactive manner in order for them to engage in the brand. In Cirrus there is something called ”triggers”, which reminds users when it’s time to contact a customer. These triggers may be newsletters, emails, or phone calls to carry out. This then turns into an activity which alerts the user and gets added to their calendar, which can be synced with Google’s and Outlook’s for example.

Preferably all customers should be recognized to some degree

Give TLC to customers who want to be looked after

So, which of your customers deserve a little extra TLC then? Well, as we already have established, preferably everyone should be recoginzed to some degree. But if you have a solid customer list, it may be impossible to give all customers the same amount. Then you’ll have to prioritize and come up with a strategy which can be done in several ways.

Some companies do a simple analysis where you can look at customer turnover, and then rank them accordingly. This often leads to the largest customers being the ones who receive the most care, as these have the most impact on the company’s budget. In Key Account Management, you instead decide to pay attention to the customer you believe is the most influential, for example the one who is in most need of assistance.

Prioritize and be selective

If you have found a customer who doesn’t show much appreciation, the call often tends to be about pricing, which usually leads to a decline in company profits. That is why it’s necessary to decide whether it is worth putting money towards this type of customer, or if you should instead focus your energy on someone else.

The conclusion? Spend your time, effort and money on relationships that actually give something back!