Your customers spend a lot of their time, money, attention, and emotions on your business. The effort that a customer puts into getting the best experience with your company comes as a natural consequence – the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. This same mentality should be upheld when approaching the relationship from the business side of things. When a customer has contacted you for service or support, your job is only partially over once the ticket has been closed.
Follow-ups are one of the best ways to leave a good impression with your customer base, and ensure each and every buyer that you are just as invested in their experience as they are. Here are some good tips on providing the best possible follow-up for your customers, and completing the full customer service experience!
#1: Cater to the customer’s comfort. Key into your customer’s needs by listening for queues on how best to respond with a follow-up: did the customer mention how busy he or she was? Shoot them an e-mail so they can reply at their leisure. Does the customer lament about the impersonal experience of the market these days? Give them a call to show how you really care. If you’re unable to get a clear idea of what may work best, the safest route is to follow-up in kind to your initial interaction, to keep some continuity for you both.
#2: Always be prompt and never be pushy. Providing a follow-up contact shouldn’t stray too far from the initial incident. Not only will customers have the interaction fresh in their mind (enabling the most honest, pinpointed reply), but coming through with a follow-up will prove your respect for your customer, and improve the positive relationship you are forming. With that said, it’s in your best interest to allow customers to respond in their own time – follow-ups to a follow-up are in poor form. Letting your customer dictate when and where any future interaction takes place gives them a sense of ease with relation to your company, and allows them to keep a balance with whatever else they may be navigating in their lives.
#3: Be real. While this applies to a much broader category than follow-ups, it is important to listen with interest, respond with honesty, and engage with a genuine nature in order to truly benefit from follow-up interactions. Customers can tell when a person is putting on a front, so it’s best to be yourself.
Whether you’re responding with by phone, e-mail, personal letter, or another of the customer support channels, it’s vital to give your customer a follow-up to let each individual person know you are invested in their experience! Sometimes, feeling appreciated can make all the difference in the world. A little bit really can go a long way.