CUSTOMER CARE: Showing appreciation as a resolution for 2010

The festive season has come and gone; filled with glitz and glamour. It has been filled with joy, happiness, family reunion and bonding all over. This has been a perfect time for New Year resolutions but also for exchange of gifts among friends and family members. Many business owners are using this festive season to show appreciation to their customers for their patronage. I know that showing appreciation to customers is essential for keeping customers loyalty. Showing appreciation to your customers is a way of showing that you care about them; that you are happy they used your services instead of your competitor’s; It is obvious that the more you show your customers that you truly care about them, the more appreciated they will feel around you and your business in the future. So let’s face it. As human beings and as customers, we all like to feel appreciated. Yet, too often, many business owners neglect to seize an opportunity to show appreciation. This period is an excellent one to be thankful to your customers for giving you the opportunity to serve them. But then, showing the appreciation to your customers is so much more powerful than just saying it. There are many small, inexpensive ways to show your customers how much you appreciate their patronage. Of course, consistent customer service is paramount for successful customer appreciation; however, personal daily attention to details can go a long way in making customers feel appreciated. The details that make your customers stick to your business throughout this New Year are strictly linked to the ways your staff sees and treat each of your customers. Showing appreciation should not be an end or beginning of year assignments alone. The best way to show your appreciation to your customers is to treat them daily with attention and care through daily attention to each customer. As a customer, the best appreciation you could show me is to make me feel wanted when I enter your shop. I do not want any hampers; any card; any diary; but rather a consistent friendly, smiling, professional and available staff throughout the year. If you are a business owner reading this article today; let your staff know that they can everyday show appreciation to their customers by welcoming them friendly. Let them stop their personal nonproductive conversations when customers walk in front of them. Let them stick to their promises. This is the best sign of respect to people who make your business what it is today. Showing your appreciation will also mean that you take time as a business owner to have your customers feedback on the services you offer them. Take time to listen to them. Inevitably you will encounter customer complaints. Don’t shy away from them. Do not blame others. Instead, acknowledge the problems and offer alternative solutions. Showing appreciation at the beginning of the year implies that as a business owner or a manager, you also thank your staff for their hard work and dedication. Even if you cannot organize a party for your employees, do offer them something extra, a bonus, a gift etc. Sometimes; a simple “Thank You” can mean a lot to your employees. Small surprises and tokens of your appreciation spread throughout the year help your employees life feel valued all year long. As we beginning this New Year, it is also time to analyze the areas that need to be improved upon. Showing appreciation means that you take today the right decisions so that you can offer better services to your customers during the whole of 2010 “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well” says Voltaire a renowned French writer. When your customers and your staff feel appreciated they will go out of their way to reciprocate to you by patronizing, bringing you new customers or just offering great ideas to make your business even more successful that what it already is. The more you value your clients and your staff and show it to them, the more prosperous your business will be in 2010. I can assure you that if you put in place strategies in increasing your customer satisfaction throughout 2010, this will result in increased repeat business and referrals. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John Fitzgerald. So decide today to improve your daily actions towards your customers and employees because genuine appreciation pays dividends. sandra.idossou@sheiconsulting.com