There are many things that are important for business; relationships building with customers being one of the top. If your customers don’t feel aligned with your mission and loyal to your business, it will be hard to be successful. So, how can you build this customer loyalty?

• Get to know them: Learn names and facts about them, and interact when you can. If you don’t talk to customers regularly, teach and encourage staff to do this.

• Let them know you: It’s a two-way street. Just as you get to know them, share information about yourself so they can know you. It doesn’t have to be too personal— even talking about your favorite sports team or sharing where you’re going on vacation. Anything to create that personal connection.

• Be transparent: Things happen; but continuing to be open is key. Need to close for a few days because a staff member has COVID? Didn’t get a product in because you forgot to order it? Don’t hide it! Be honest and tell your customers what is going on.

• Treat them well: We all know the customer service basics—be polite and friendly, help them, answer questions, etc—but we encourage you to go the extra mile to create loyalty. You could offer a sample, send a card, or hold an item aside.

• Ask for feedback: Show that you care about their opinion and want them to have the best experience. Ask them for feedback about your products or services and what you could do to make it better.

• Continue to improve: Don’t just ask for feedback—take action on it. You don’t have to do everything people suggest, but if you receive some good feedback, consider implementing that change. A customer seeing you did something that they suggested can make them feel great and want to continue coming back.

The more you connect with your customers, the better chance you have of building relationships and seeing them return again and again. It’s never too late to begin taking some of these steps to create customer loyalty!

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s June 2022 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.