A loyal client is every businessman’s dream. Be it any product or service, spanning the sea of industries out there, a major chunk of strategist’s energy is devoted to acquiring customers and retaining them by all means. Loyalty programs in India are one of important methods used by organizations to reward and retain their loyal customers. While different businesses may need to have specific retention plans, here are a few guidelines from which most of the businesses can benefit-
1. Empathize
Use design thinking 101. Before thinking of various ways to retain loyal customers, it is of utmost importance to empathize with them, get into their shoes and experience the product/ service the same way the customers will.
2. Customer’s Trust
Once a customer is acquired and served well, he is bound to return, since he begins to trust the brand. It is absolutely necessary that this trust is never betrayed. Thus brands should only sell what they stand for and refrain from overselling.
3. Uniformity of experience
Brands should ensure superior customer experience which is uniform across all of their offerings and across geographies as well. A customer having gained a certain experience at one store location would expect the same quality of experience at another store. Differences might mislead and confuse the customer about what truly the brand represents.
4. Real-time CRM and data driven decisions
With so many businesses engaging with their customers online, gathering intricate details about a customer’s needs and preferences has become the trend. Organizations that have the means to correctly mine this data and analyze it can make more informed and accurate decisions, targeting the right customers with the right products.
Data can also be used to predict which of the repeat customers are worth more. Upon segregating into high worth and low worth, customers can be offered customized offerings with preference given to the former.
5. Reward their loyalty
It always augurs well with businesses to reward customers for their loyalty in the form of special offers and discounts. Loyalty programs are one of the most popular tools used by businesses in India. For knowing what kind of loyalty program would work for a particular business, professional consultancy can be taken from loyalty management companies and customer loyalty marketing companies.
6. Customer service and ORM
Businesses should ensure that customers get quality after-service. A disgruntled customer could turn out to be a nightmare owing to the massive reach he can have via various social media. A negative word of mouth could dissuade the acquired customers from continuing with the product or service.
