subject: How to keep customers coming back [print this page] The retail industry is highly competitive, which means the levels of service you provide will be essential in getting customers to return. Here are five ways to make sure you stay ahead of your competitors.
1. If you have an actual store, you need to make sure that customers are greeted by friendly and helpful staff, so they leave feeling like they've been well-looked after. Don't over-do it, though. Customers also like to browse freely without being pestered. However, make sure staff are available to help when called upon.
2. Website functionality is very important. When a customer visits your site, they need to be able to find what they're looking for straight away. Time spent searching with 'no search results' is only going to frustrate them. Make sure your search function is second to none and that navigation is top notch. Having an attractive website can also be an excellent advantage is grabbing your attention.
3. If the customer does proceed to the online check-out, you are on the verge of making a sale. However, forgetting about service at this point is a common and significant mistake. The online ordering service needs to be of the highest level to encourage repeat visits. If not, you make still get that initial purchase but the customer is likely to be put off coming back and may go to your biggest rival.
4. Research has shown that many customers prefer to speak to an actual person, rather than a computer, when making their purchase. As such, it's important to provide some form of call answering service. The other thing to note is that many of these calls will come in outside of normal working hours, so employing an external answering service may be the most effective way of dealing with them. The best ones employ friendly and helpful staff and have excellent IT systems that can provide them with everything they need to feel like part of your organisation.
5. The final hurdle is making sure you provide a fast and reliable delivery service to your customers. If you're outsourcing the delivery, like with the call answering, make sure you find a reputable and experienced company that can guarantee high levels of customer service. This may be the last step in the exchange between your company and the customer, but get it right and they may feel incline to buy more from you in the future.
