The following is a Best of 360Connext post.
Don’t you love feeling appreciated? Don’t you hate feeling overlooked?
Customers every day are expressing how they feel – publicly – about these emotions. And yet, there are simple ways to reward customers. Check out these simple ways to increase customer loyalty.
Free refreshments on a hot summer day- just because!
1. Surprise with random, small rewards for loyal customers!
It doesn’t take that much. Randomly rewarding customers with small surprises can go a long way towards loyalty. Zappos made their “we’ll just overnight that for you” surprises famous, but others have done this with simple acts. This is a comment from a bank customer:
So my bank, ING Direct Canada, just gave me $25 for being a loyal customer. I don’t know of another bank in Canada, let alone the world, that would do that. I love my bank
If you want to know more about ING, just ask. I’ve been a loyal customer for over 10 years!
2. Go above and beyond for an unusual request.
I love this one about a parent trying to do something special for a child and this Domino’s coming through for them.
My son loves Pokemon and wanted a pokemon pizza. Worried about how I could do this I called my local dominos store and asked them if they could help. They made his pizza into a poke ball and drew on the box for him. That’s amazing service.
3. Be who you are, everywhere, and to everyone.
This one is a little more esoteric, but it’s the one I like the most. Build relationships with customers BEFORE they are customers. Care about your relationships enough to view them as such, not as transactions. Warby Parker is an example of how this is done well. They are active in building a community and doing creative things to showcase their employees, culture and growth.
Improving the customer experience by rewarding loyal customers seems like a no-brainer. When we are customers, we’re trying to get something done. Loyalty is not about punch cards. It’s about feeling appreciated, heard and understood as customers. Why not reward those in our communities (whether they are customers or not) with the courtesy of these gifts?
