How to Retain Your Clients – 7 Rules for Customer Retention
By Limo SEO Agent | 9 years ago
As long as the business (no matter if you’re a digital marketing agency near me or a limo company near or far away) is booming, who cares whether the customer is an old client or if he’s a newcomer, right? Wrong. Why it’s important to retain customers? Because even though both pay the same amount for your services, plenty of research shows just how costly it is to acquire a new customer, as opposed to trying to retain the old one.
The retention/acquisition ratio varies depending on the type of business and competition of course, but when it comes to cost difference, the numbers vary anywhere between 3 to 15 times. That literally means that you could pay 15 times less to keep an old customer, which directly affects your ROI.
Being in the limo business for so long enabled LimoLabs team to learn all intricacies and growth hacks for the ground transportation industry. Implementing our tips and tricks when it comes to marketing, search engine optimization, web development & design, as well as customer care, will truly prove to be beneficial!
Rule #1
Prevent Them from Leaving in the First Place
Sounds easy but it takes a lot of effort and a lot of work. You need to be in tune with your customers and deliver the service you promised. Also, do your best to offer rates that are acceptable to your clients, but are able to keep you afloat. Most of all, be polite and go above and beyond to make each ride a memorable one.
Employ people who will represent your firm in the best way. Engage with customers and utilize all the bountiful opportunities that social media offers. Try not to micromanage by allotting your time to solve priority tasks and… Learn to juggle, obviously. Joking aside, you really should put in a maximum effort because your customers can always take their business elsewhere.
Rule #2
Stay in Touch
Yet another one in the line of things that sound easy but are generally really hard to achieve. Stay in touch, but be careful just how much you stay in touch – it’s hard to dose it just right. You will constantly need to walk the fine line between being present in their minds and being spammy.
Statistics say that 68% of clients stop using services simply because they think the business doesn’t care about them. “Build it and they will come” time is long gone, it’s the era of “Convert and retain” is upon us.
Show your customers you appreciate their loyalty by offering perks, deals and clear benefits. Send an occasional email, or simply make a communication calendar and stick to it.
Rule #3
Keep Calm and Stay in Limo Business
Working with people means that, more often than not, you will be on the receiving end of their frustrations, no matter if you were the one who caused them in the first place.
Sometimes a client will rage about how you sent the wrong car and ruined their plans, even if they are aware that they are the ones who booked the wrong vehicle. Being polite while standing your ground could be one of the toughest techniques you could possibly master, but it’s a vital one. Keep your cool at all times, and offer viable solutions and various enhancements if you see that your local market is in need of upgrades.
Don’t try explaining to them that they are wrong and don’t even try to emphasize their blame (it’s hard to resist the urge, I know). They probably aren’t even mad at you, they are mad at their situation, and you can swoop in, save them and turn things around.
Rule #4
Recover from a Mistake
If, however, you are the one who made a mistake, remember, “to err is human”. Do your best to provide an impeccable service. That’s logical of course, but mark this: it will be hard to keep your cool when things start to go downhill – and be sure that at some point they certainly will.
Perhaps there will be an overlap with clients, mixed up bookings, phones that had stopped working, dispatch sending out a sedan instead of a stretch limo, car breaking down when it’s needed the most… Accidents happen, but you must keep your cool and deal with the crisis in a proper way.
Apologize, and again, offer a solution. Sometimes recovery can do you more good than a generally great service you would have provided! Be honest, clearly say what happened, but never shift the blame. Clients aren’t interested in hearing whose fault it is. They are paying for the service, and they want it executed flawlessly.
Be honest, say what’s wrong, and then proceed by saying how you are going to make it right. Offer a discount, dispatch a different type of vehicle, offer solutions and upgrades. People are pleased with two things: smooth sailing, and your response in case of the storm.
If your clients see that you took the time and a lot of effort to make it right, they are willing to forgive your mistakes and even praise you for going above and beyond just to make them happy.
Look at it this way – you have a scheduled sedan pick-up, yet your car is still used by another client. The driver cannot make it. What do you do? You could stand up your clients and take a toll on your reputation, call and apologize for the delay or you could dispatch an even more luxury vehicle than the one they ordered in the first place – for the same price.
Consider sending a stretch limo, even if that isn’t financially worthwhile. You can bet they will brag about your service to their friends, or leave positive online reviews. Voila! You turned your situation around completely, and you might have even made a regular client out of a potentially one-time customer.
Rule #5
Under-Promise, Over-Deliver
his should be the golden rule of customer service, especially in the limo and black car-oriented businesses. It is much better to give more than you promised and what your clients agreed upon.
This is an interesting occurrence: if you have two companies that offer different levels of service at the same price, but the better one over-promises and then fails to deliver, people will flock and use the company which doesn’t even promise anything at all, or under-promises and over-delivers. Even though the total outcome is that the clients essentially pay the same amount of money for a lesser service, they will always choose providers who over-deliver. It doesn’t matter if that over-delivery is nowhere near the basic service of the better company which charges the same.
So, keep your promises when you make them and always strive to provide more than they asked. It will go a long way.
Rule #6
Earn Their Trust
Build a proven track record with your clients and don’t let them down. If you are running late, call and say that.
Offer consistency and peace of mind, and most of all – always be honest. If they are calling to book a last minute ride, plainly state that you cannot make the requested time. Then, tell them the time when you can pick them up, and make good on your promise. This course of action is much better than agreeing and being late for the pick-up. Clients won’t take into consideration the fact that it was a last minute booking.
Remember, every interaction with a client is your brand’s pledge that you will deliver the exceptional service. That’s why they chose you in the first place so work hard on maintaining your integrity.
Rule #7
There Is No Such Thing as Being Too Polite
I cannot stress this enough. No matter how good of a service you offer, customers will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, snappy comments, and overall impoliteness. There might not be such thing as perfection, but your customer service has to be beyond reproach.
People are willing to forgive a lot of things but rudeness isn’t one of them. You might even get away with a mistake and leave your reputation intact if you handle the situation in a polite manner. Make sure you are always pleasant and friendly – both on the phone and in person. A smile goes a long way, and some say it can even be “heard” over the phone. On the other hand, if you outsource your customer care to LimoLabs, you won’t have to worry about that! The nearest customer service experts will tend to your customers’ needs with unwavering dedication.
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