You don’t need to read this because you already know what the “key” is to maintain customer retention during the holidays.
Guess. What’s the one word or phrase you believe is the main ingredient for keeping and promoting customer retention in the busiest time of the year?
Got an answer in mind? Sell? Sell more? Hustle? Attention to details? Ship fast?
Most companies, especially retailers, are adrenalin-focused on doing one very important thing over the holidays and that is to Sell and Sell More. Companies whose customers don’t buy more just cuz it’s a holiday may be working hard to juggle vacation schedules for their team in order to provide uninterrupted service for their customers. That’s important, yes! It’s still not the key to earn customer retention.
To step back, the formula for working on the best customer retention for any business at any time of the year is to understand the condition of their customers. As I write this article, we are all headed into pure holiday chaos, which is dictating the condition of most of your customers. The gas pumps are chaotic; school parking lots are a loud mess and all grocery stores are packed with frantic shoppers. Mixed messages everywhere: Peace, Joy and Happiness may be goals – yet those are the last things customers are feeling.
And then there are the shopping malls. Crazy. Chaotic. Frantic. Nervous. Noise! In the U.S., it’s as if a switch goes on after Thanksgiving and the world gets all jumbled up. People of all ages feel the crunch and for some, it’s not a pleasant crunch.
Once you understand what your customers are going through, regardless of your business type, it becomes clear what you can do to make their world a bit better. To make your business memorable.
There are certainly many ways to achieve and maintain top-notch customer retention, however, if you had to pick one thing your employees can do to contribute to customer satisfaction and loyalty during the holidays is to …drum roll … insist that everyone be friendly and helpful. Friendly and helpful people stand out! When business times are rather ordinary, without the interruptions of holidays, friendly and helpful traits are great to have but they don’t stand out. During chaos, they do!
Employees may find it harder and more challenging to maintain their cool over the holidays but if everyone works together to put that smile on and get the helpful attitudes engaged, you will get credit for it. Really.
The key is no secret. You knew it. Do your employees know it? If you’re the boss, have you amped up your Friendly and Helpful for the holidays?
I’m smiling right now because I’m practicing too. What’s the best thing I can do to help you?
