Showing customers they matter after the transaction is complete is a critical step in the customer journey. It validates that you care. However, most companies miss that piece of the puzzle. In order to develop true customer loyalty, the shopping experience must be more than just a transactional exchange. Gestures of appreciation are necessary to remind customers they are important to you.
Not enough managers test their own systems by buying something from the company and seeing how they feel through the entire experience. That experience still continues even after the sale is final. If there is no post-sale follow-up, managers need to know how that feels. Feeling abandoned after money has changed hands is a motivator for companies to implement a change.
Companies should heed the advice of the 13th century proverb, “out of sight, out of mind.” When a customer feels relevant after the sale, it reconfirms their decision to do business with you. There are usually policies in place to react to customer issues but rarely procedures that detail how to proactively communicate to customers they are valued.
Your Customers Are A Gift
When a gift is given, a person expects a thank you. Anytime someone makes a purchase from your company instead of a competitor’s, it’s a gift. A gift that should not be taken for granted.
In my own company, I show clients they count by making their business personal. I meet with our clients outside their offices. It creates an environment for a different kind of conversation and not only helps them be more comfortable, but me, too. I like to share stories about my family and what I am doing and enjoy hearing about their lives. I always learn something new. There have been occasions where a client is unexpectedly involved with a company wide layoff and is now having to look for other employment. I care for my clients, so I reach out to make sure they know it and ask how I can help. My large network of friends, colleagues and business associates provides connections for them. Making introductions makes me feel good and conveys to my clients/friends they are still relevant, whether we are doing business together or not.
The Customer Experience Should Not End When The Sale Does
Building repeat business is more than just inviting a customer to return at the end of the interaction. It needs to continue after that experience. When a company reaches out after the sale is complete it relays a message the transaction maybe the first of many. Exhibiting to customers they are appreciated after the check has cleared or the credit card is paid, makes a difference. Without caring, there is no customer journey. It’s just doing business one transaction at a time.
