You may have great products and great employees, but if your customer service leaves people less than thrilled to be doing business with you, ultimately your brand will suffer. Consumers have to trust your company to be loyal, but first, they have to feel appreciated and valued. Without this, they’ll be willing to switch to any other company who offers comparable goods and services—one that goes out of its way for each and every person.

Sound like a lot? Maybe not so much if you’re a little guy, but when you’re dealing with thousands of individuals every day, it tends to add up. For this purpose, you need to have systems in place that dictate how you will take proactive stances to ensuring your customers keep coming back time and time again. These are set methodologies you’ll use to show each and every person how you appreciate their business.

Here are three ideas to get you started:
• Pre-sale – Maybe you’ve only spoken with Bob, either in person or on the phone. Now is a great time to show them how you’ll go the extra mile. Send Bob something, nonthreatening, that you know will be of interest. If he randomly mentioned just buying a rare Swiss Mountain Dog and how there is minimal information about training that breed, find an article of relevance and send it to him! Every time Bob thinks of his training his puppy, which will be all the time with the indoor bathroom adventures, he’ll remember your kind gesture!

• During the work – My general rule is go above and beyond, in any way possible. Say a client wants to have a PR campaign, I’ll quote them a week, and then, if my schedule permits, turn around the work in only three days. The first thing I always here is, “Wow, you didn’t need to get it to me that quickly, but I really appreciate it!” While they may not think you have a life, they will know you take their patronage seriously!

• Post sale – What are you doing to re-ensure your customer that his or her purchase was a valuable decision? This is a critical time to remind her of your unique market niche and why Susan should feel good about her choice. Doing so will position you in her mind for the next time she requires similar services. I like to send my clients a gift card to a store I know they’ll like, such as Starbucks, a thank you card for their services, and a coupon for their next round. Not only will they save money by returning to you, they’ll be happy because of that Venti Mocha Frapp! Everyone wins!

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