Keep customers coming back for more with these helpful hints.
As the economy continues to slowly recover from the impact of COVID-19, many businesses are realizing just how important customers returning is to weathering this storm. Retaining existing customers is estimated to be about 5 to 25 times cheaper than acquiring a new one, so building trust and customer loyalty is critical. In this blog post, we’ll share some advice on just how to build customer loyalty, drawing from our own experience of over 15 years in the office supplies industry:
- Provide above-and-beyond customer service
- Ramp up your website and online offerings
- Entice with a loyalty program
- Give back to the community
- Show your values through action
Keep reading to learn more about how to build customer loyalty with these tips!
Provide above-and-beyond customer service
Customer service is one of the foundations of a loyal customer relationship. Customers want to feel that you are ready to assist with their questions, concerns, and feedback. But it’s not just about doing the bare minimum – consider going above and beyond what your competitors are doing to surprise and delight your audience. Think checking in, offering top-notch support, providing guidance and product recommendations, offering free additional services, and more.
At EZOP, great customer service is just what we do! Review this video testimonial from The Progress Center for Black Women to get some additional insights on ways to go above and beyond for your customers.
Ramp up your website and online offerings
Long after COVID-19, many customers are still going to be relying on the convenience of online services and offerings. Now is the right time to dedicate time and resources to improving your website and online experience. Test out how easy it is to navigate through your website, learn about your products or offerings, and even make a purchase (if applicable). Are there any ways to make this experience more user-friendly, more intuitive, and less time-consuming for your target audience?
Discover additional ways to interact with your customers online.
Entice with a loyalty program
Customers value saving time and money and helping them do either of these is a positive step toward building customer loyalty. Consider offering coupons or discounts to registered customers as well as building a unique loyalty program that provides incentives for continuing to use your product or service.
For example, customers who have an account on our Wisconsin office supply store are offered competitive, affordable prices that can’t be beat! These prices aren’t available to non-customers, providing an incentive to sign up for an account and gain access to many services and products you wouldn’t otherwise.
Give back to the community
We’ve been clear from the start: giving back and supporting your local community is essential, especially as a local business with a commitment to the residents of the area. Quite simply, your customers come from the community – and by helping the community succeed, you ensure that your customers can succeed as well, and support your business right back.
Giving back doesn’t need to be difficult – it can be as simple as sponsoring an event, participating in donation drives, providing your skills and services, or even just offering advice. If you want to pay it forward in your community, review our list of organizations and charities that serve Dane County and beyond – all of which we’ve supported ourselves.
Show your values through action
This last tip on how to build customer loyalty is focused on honesty and accountability. Engaging and connecting with your customers requires both qualities. It isn’t enough to just say you support something or feel a certain way – you need to follow those values through with action. Offering customer support, giving back to the community, and many of the other tips in this blog can help you achieve this.
For example, much of the feedback we’ve gotten from customers over the years about why they have chosen to work with us is our personalized approach centered around helping them succeed as a business. With next-day delivery, eco-friendly product options, and unique solutions designed to save our customers time and money, we’ve proven that we practice what we preach.
Of course, don’t just take our word for it! Watch these real-life video testimonials from some of our customers to see these results in action.
Want more business advice, tips, and tricks? Keep reading our EZ Office Products blog! And for all the office supplies you need to conduct your business, shop our online catalog or connect with our local customer concierge team to create a business account today at (608) 310-4300.