Enterprise Nation

The girls from Marketing Plan Wiz are back. This time, it’s with advice on how to welcome your customers in a friendly and professional manner and how to keep them happy and coming back for more of what you offer. Over to Karen and Fay to explain.

Hello. How can we help you?

We all like to be dealt with in a welcoming and professional manner and we bet that's just how you treat your customers already.  But would you like to go that extra mile to keep and attract customers?

If so, here are some tips that will not only improve your customer service but really make it different from your competitors:

1. How do you answer the telephone?  Try something different - how about "Welcome to Widgets Online" rather than just "Widgets Online"...
2. If you're on top of your customer service you can cross-promote because you'll be in contact with your customers.  Don't miss an opportunity to mention other products and services that you think might be relevant.  Amazon is a good example of this - have you noticed how it now provides you with personal "recommendations" each time you return to their website?
3. Do something out of the ordinary.  Telephone your customer and offer them a free gift for being a good customer, or perhaps let them trial your next product for free.  They'll remember you next time!
4. Check your customer service so that you're the first to know if there's a problem. Get a mystery shopper to do this on your behalf and use the results to improve your service or come up with ideas on how to do it differently.
5. If you have regular customers, offer them a discount card.  They should be rewarded for staying with you and this means they'll be more likely to stay with you.
6. Offer existing customers an incentive to recommend a friend.  It's a great way to say thank you and they'll be happy to continue to tell people about you.

• Karen McNulty and Fay Judson, Marketing Plan Wiz
• The value of freebies by Marketing Plan Wiz