9 Essential Ways to Create Lifetime Customer Satisfaction

Trying an unfamiliar cuisine for the first time is one of the most memorable moments in life. Similarly, trying new products and services will always be linked to our first experience with them. Just one extraordinary moment of customer satisfaction can kick off a lifetime relationship between a customer and a brand.

For instance, restaurants and diners worldwide are continually directing their efforts to create positive experiences for their customers. Successful businesses understand that satisfying aspects like rich flavors, exotic aromas, and charming settings influence how patrons will relate to future tastings.

As such, brands create moments that link them to feelings of trust. Once they show interest in satisfying their customers' needs, they will have a clearer sense of where to direct their most significant effort.

Relationship Marketing and customer satisfaction

Relationship Marketing is a strategy that seeks to establish, maintain, and grow a business relationship between an organization and its customers. It is based profoundly on trust and the understanding of their needs, and less focused on only selling products or services. In other words, it concentrates goals on growing a relationship and customer lifetime value.

"People will forget what you do, and they'll forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel" - Malavika Varadan

Consequently, how customers felt when experiencing a service or product will always be linked to an emotion that influences trust. 65% of U.S. customers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising.

“People buy with their heart and then justify with their mind” - Mark Morin

As cliché, as it sounds, connecting with people has given Brands clarity on where, when, and how to direct their marketing campaigns. They have learned how to earn their customers' trust, and thus get closer to the people they serve.

Anything from a fly on the soup, to lack of response and eternal waiting-in-lines. Every interaction with your clients builds or tears down your relationship, the foundation of which clients determine if they're going to come back to the brand.

Customers only recommend positive experiences.

On average, most businesses lose 30% of their customer base each year due to their relationship. A distressing incident, or a lousy customer service experience shared with their family and friends, can decline customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Therefore, brands are essentially selling quality, not products. Durability and reliability are aspects that can sway in or snub a customer. Yet, the customer's experience with that product judges quality.

Above all, it is important for brands that foster customer loyalty to connect with customers on an emotional level. A brand must know about the people they serve to grow trust.

Know yourself first

Brands serve a multitude of unique customers. Consequently, profoundly understanding them helps brands show their products and services directly to the right customers on the correct platforms.

Nevertheless, customer satisfaction starts by connecting with yourself. Building a relationship takes time, effort, commitment, and courage.

Know what works for you and your brand: your organization's strengths and weaknesses. Acknowledge your shortcomings to realize where your brand can become more effective.

9 ways to improve customer satisfaction:

1. Use feedback to earn their trust

To begin connecting efficiently, Brands need to identify customers accurately to understand their needs and preferences. Email addresses or invoice numbers are not nearly enough.

It is essential to know how customers are reacting to your brand. Ask customers to write reviews about your products or services on consumer platforms like Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc.

The better the feedback, the more chances of having new customers at your door. Customers' trust immensely grows when they feel heard.

Every person is unique and diverse. Customers buy brands that can also differentiate themselves and can connect with their personalities and values. Brands need to have their customers' satisfaction and best interests at heart.

2. Develop a community

Communicate with your customer and:

• get to know their needs, likes, and dislikes
• ask them about their expectations to understand their choices
• effectively present a solution.

Deliver value as a meaningful experience or engaging and exciting ideas to increase customer satisfaction. VYVANSE created a forum where patients can share videos, tips, and articles related to ADHD. The drug makers gave users a place for them to gather and interact linked back to the company. Develop a community by sharing tips and advice while inciting your audience to share their own.

If something a customer doesn't like about your brand, you'll more than likely hear about it compared to positive feedback. Nevertheless, a tag-team of positive feedback and quality products can create more and better word-of-mouth marketing.

3. Engage customers on social media

Nowadays, technologies such as the internet, smartphones, and Social Media have drastically impacted how we work and communicate. Brands have ample access to various platforms that let them expand their audience and engage more directly with their customers.

As a powerful example, before the Game Of Thrones season 5 premiere, HBO invited fans to share original social media content. New fans engaged with the funny content, while old fans felt more connected to the show.

Continually check your social media comment section to see how your audience reacts and use your insights to discover trends.

4. Have monitoring technologies in place.

It is not an easy feat to know and understand every unique customer. Artificial Intelligence can make this ordeal simpler and more effective

AI can remarkably analyze gargantuan amounts of data. From which it shows trends, as well as it helps predict behavior by detecting how we use language and images, and the emotions linked to both.

Using tools like Storychief, Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, and GoSquared can benefit brands by showing key performance indicators and understanding if consumers feel heard and helped.

Additionally, it can be programmed to understand what creates consistent value for customers. It's no wonder how this technology has become an opportunity to personalize marketing.

5. Turn complaints into opportunities

Expand your customer relationship by satisfying their needs. Once essential feedback is collected and analyzed, brands need to confirm their customers' needs are and give them what they need most.

Take it from one of the most recognizable furniture stores. IKEA's customers despised when the brand changed their catalog's font. They quickly switched back to make their customers feel heard and clear away any backlash.

Elaborate policies that dictate how all company employees should interact with customers in both positive and negative situations. Create guides and systems with personalized information based on the characteristics of each customer.

Conduct regular training sessions for all members of staff and invite them to share their experiences. Reward and incite participation, as well as empowering contributors.

Train partners to understand it's all about Delivery: be honest but be kind and pleasant when saying it. It's not what you say, but how you say it what affects the other person.

6. Create Opportunity through Connection

Establish a relationship connection with a prospective customer. To put it plainly, 68% percent of customers leave because they perceive brands as indifferent. They compare brands to the best service they have ever received – from any company.

As an example of opportunity creation, PrescribeWellness is a brand that works with local pharmacies as a delivery service. They created a separate web page that connects clients with the pharmacies they want to work with, giving both immense value.

7. Do not sacrifice quality for innovativeness.

Product innovation and exceptional advertising can massively make a difference between you and your competition. On the other hand, it is the effectiveness of your customer service that sets you apart as a business owner. 78% of transactions got canceled because of a poor customer service experience.

Additionally, it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one negative experience. Therefore, to achieve customer satisfaction, brands need to remain focused on the quality of customer experience and what is best for them.

8. Reward loyalty

As a result of high customer satisfaction, 80% of American consumers point to speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service as the essential elements of positive customer experience. Nurture the relationship with your customer throughout the buying process. Create a joyous moment and make an effort to inform customers how much they are appreciated.

Like American Airlines, most airlines offer a frequent flyer program that gives free flights, discounts, and upgrades. Clients value when brands reward their loyalty.

9. Guide customers on how to satisfy their needs

It takes extra time to write and analyze surveys to form and implement the plan that accompanies the findings from the research.

Nevertheless, it is worth investing the time and effort now as the strategies will increase customer satisfaction, lower customer complaints, and hours of customer service calls.

“Customers are what makes your bottom line.” - Marianne DeNovellis

Invest in loyalty

Investing your time and resources on creating a positive experience will generate tremendous returns and lead your brand and customers to a long-lasting business.

Let’s talk.

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