How to Boost Customer Retention?

It is critical for a business to draw in customers, but the ultimate  goal is to get those customers to return and become regular buyers.  Through effective marketing and other actions, you can turn a first-time  buyer into a loyal fan of your brand.

While ensuring repeat business from customers can be a challenge,  there are some unique methods that can be used to retain customers more  effectively.

1. Show Transparency In Communications

Transparency in communications is key. Clients want honesty, openness  and vulnerability. They want to work with a human who sets realistic  expectations and exceeds them almost every time—and who owns it when  they don’t and will take steps to make it better when that happens.  Clients truly want to deal with humans who are transparent about their  “humanness.” - Lisa Rangel, Chameleon Resumes LLC

2. Tighten Your Focus On Relationships

Relationship quality is the bedrock of customer retention. Getting  closer to clients means investing time in understanding their concerns,  their experience and the context surrounding their use of your product  or service. The integrity of your follow-up demonstrates who you are.  Tighten your focus on relationships. Send ideas, gifts and networking  contacts directly related to their concerns or context. - Jessica Hartung, Treelight Leadership

3. Focus On Quality Customer Experience

Companies can boost retention by continuously focusing on providing a  high-quality customer experience, which translates to providing a  service that far exceeds their expectations. Do this by giving them  quality service or products that are even better than what they want or  need. This requires the organization to be truly empathetic to customer  needs and to give customers what they did not even realize they required  or needed. - Rittu Sinha, The Balanced Bandwagon

4. Engage With Customers Via Social Media

Social media engagement is critical. Engaging with customers online  via social media is a great way to keep them engaged with your brand as  well as remind them that you’re “there” to be of service. - Julie Fisher, Your Digital Guardian

5. Create Systems To Measure Customer Value

Successful companies create systems for measuring customer value and  invest in enabling technology. Leverage design thinking to build  customer loyalty and organize your business around customer needs.  Engage the entire organization and stakeholders—employees, board members  and investors—in continuous fine-tuning of processes to improve  customers’ lives. - Lital Marom, UNFOLD Media Group

6. Mail Handwritten Thank-You Notes

A simple, inexpensive and quick way to let customers know you care is  to write them a thank-you note after meeting with them. Buy some simple  thank-you cards that are blank inside and, immediately after a meeting,  write a handwritten thank-you message. Hand-address the envelope and  place a stamp on it—don’t run it through a postage meter. People  remember this because nobody does it anymore. - John Lowe, Ty Boyd, Inc.

7. Make Each Customer Feel Important

People remember how you make them feel. Make your customers feel  valued, appreciated and important. Tap into the good feeling that your  product or service creates for customers. People crave connection, so  create a customer environment that allows them to have a sense of  belonging. Invest the time to make it personal. Get rid of anything that  detracts from a positive experience. - Kimberly Roush, All-Star Executive Coaching

8. Work Together On A Common Cause

If you want to boost customer retention, share a common cause. Work  together to give back to the community in some way. Find out what  matters to them and participate with them in a way that aligns with your  day-to-day interactions. Doing good is always good for business because  of its impact on our relationships. - Kathi Laughman, The Mackenzie Circle LLC

9. Follow Up With Your Existing Customers

High-touch is the key to customer retention. The only thing unusual  about personalized follow-up is how few companies do it. It’s easier to  get referrals from happy customers than it is to find and convert new  business. So, make your existing customers a focus: Send a personalized  thank-you card in the mail with your business card, connect on LinkedIn,  and ask to put them on your email list. - Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International

10. Deliver Even More Value Than Promised

Deliver more value than promised while not letting them get used to  it. Otherwise, it turns into an expectation that can backfire. “More”  might mean doing something extra personal, quicker or better. “Value” is  subjective; it goes way beyond price. It is about making your clients  feel more valued and understood than the competition does. It takes  effort to get to know them, hence their appreciation for those actions. - Csaba Toth, ICQ Global

11. Showcase Your Clients On Social Media

For B2B retention, it really helps to showcase your clients on social  media by linking back to them and building their brand awareness on  your channels. In fact, the boost for them likely will result in a boost  for you. A rising tide floats all ships. - Natasha Ganem, Lion Leadership

12. Develop Strong Talent Management Strategies

Work to develop strong talent management strategies that maximize  leadership excellence, optimize talent and align strategy to the  organization’s philosophy and goals. Focusing on people internally and  developing their competencies and skills to focus and develop  relationships with the customer are the keys to becoming a  customer-centric organization that is able to boost customer retention. - Lori Harris, Harris Whitesell Consulting

13. Ask Customers For Feedback On Your Service

Ask customers specifically “how” you delivered your product or  service and if they have any insight they could offer into how you could  improve your service in the future. This level of humility shows  clients that you care about personal growth and are committed to  self-awareness. Retention is almost 100% based on how your actions have  impacted the relationship you’ve developed with them. - Reena Khullar Sharma, Agilis Executive Consulting

14. Call 25 To 50 Customers Every Month

Boosting customer relations isn’t as hard as you’d think. It can be  as simple as calling 25 to 50 customers every month. It truly is a  “hidden in plain sight” type of marketing that you can use to get into  the mind of your customers and find out what they need or want—and what  they’re willing to pay for it. You can then evolve your company based on  this nuanced information. - Jon Dwoskin, The Jon Dwoskin Experience

15. Invest In Your People So That They Will Invest In Your Customers

Increasing customer retention starts with creating a compelling and  positive customer experience. Remember how expensive it is to get one  new customer, and invest in customer experience accordingly.  Additionally, invest in your people so that they will invest in your  customers, and brand loyalty and customer commitment and retention will  increase. - Jonathan H. Westover, Utah Valley University & Human Capital Innovations, LLC

This article was originally published on Forbes.