Identifying a loyal client can be quite a simple task; they are your happy customers who repeatedly use and recommend your products or services to contribute to your business growth.
In return, they expect you to reciprocate how much you value their loyalty. Being available to your customers 365 days a year can make a lot of difference to a customer, and with the right virtual support it doesn’t have to be a challenge.
Being available to customers year-round is a desirable attribute, and can encourage loyal customers; you can never have too many of them. It is fundamental to prioritise your customers, but to-do lists can mount up making it difficult to manage the time to do so. So much of the day can be taken up with mundane tasks that could easily be taken care of by employing a virtual assistant, leaving you free to focus on improving your loyalty base.
What does customer satisfaction and customer loyalty have in common?
Surprisingly little! A customer who records satisfactory feedback on your products or services does not mean that they are loyal. On average only 20-40% of satisfied customers are actually loyal to your business. A more effective gauge of your clients loyalty would actually be how likely they are to recommend you to a friend or colleague. Implementing a loyalty scheme is one way to improve on the loyalty of your satisfied clients. There are a number of ways a customer loyalty scheme can work for you.
How much does client retention cost your business?
Depending on your industry and line of service, it can cost up to 25 times more to generate a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. The time, effort and resources that goes into marketing campaigns and sales strategies in order to identify target groups and obtain new clients is certainly more costly than implementing retention methods. By increasing customer loyalty by as little as 5%, companies have reported upwards of 25% increase in profits.
What can your loyal clients do for you?
The importance of having a loyal consumer base isn’t just for remuneration purposes. There are a number of ways that customer loyalty can enhance your business. Faithful clients who are happy with your services will also advocate your business. Advocators are vital to your business, as they market your product or services on your behalf. You can guarantee that you will come highly recommended, and possibly with a first-hand anecdote of how wonderful you are.
Loyalty is often a sign of mutual respect; your client trusts you and your services and feels valued. Therefore they are more likely to give you honest feedback and constructive criticism when asked. They will have first-hand experience of your services and potentially have ideas on how you can improve in ways that you hadn’t anticipated.
Employing staff is a whole new ball game with its own set of rules. Working with a VA is an option that a great many business people are turning to. Check out my book on How to Hire a Virtual Assistant. Available on Amazon by clicking here
Connect with Michelle on other platforms too: Learn how you can work with Virtual Hand; how your business can grow and how you can communicate better with your audience.
