The Cinema ‘Stretch & Arm Over’ Technique For Great Customer Service

It’s time to put a reassuring arm around your customers and let them know that they are loved. The age old cinema technique of ‘stretch and arm over’ is here to apply for customer service.

Much of the time, the focus is on looking for new customers to build our businesses, but why don’t we ever take note of the age old fact that it is six to seven times more costly to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one?

It does make sense, in terms of the costs to promote your product, selling your product to new leads, setting up new accounts and investment of time to build a rapport. Whereas, if a focus is to move existing customers to having a great experience with you, then you build a loyal following who will stay with you.

According to Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report, even in a negative economy, customer experience is a high priority for consumers, with 60% often or always paying more for a better experience.

That’s an important figure to take note of where the flipside is that we loose customers because of a lack luster service. Isn’t it time to make a stand and work harder to keep current customers happy (and become advocates of your brand).

By building better experiences, your customers become a member of your community and it’s important for them to feel valued and part of something. Business is built on relationships and the simple act of people interacting with and engaging with others. Here are five ways that can be useful to simply giving a damn about your customers:

1) Giving

Create newsletters that aren’t solely available electronically. To the loyal customers, investing in a great looking printed material, elevates from treating your community as a mass to individualized. Back this up with a letter from yourself to your individual and you’re treating as individuals.

2) Communicating

Communication that is ongoing. To elevate from purely transactional to string relationships, put down the phones and email and connect face-to-face and created educated customers.

3) Loving

Make them feel special. Here at The ID Group, we sent to our customers earlier this year Easter cards (we didn’t want to blend in with everyone else via Christmas cards) and in every card was a scratchcard and our best wishes. Cost effective and a way of keeping in touch (if we didn’t, our competitors would).

4) Over Delivering

Overdeliver, even if there is no immediate profit from it. It’s simple, if you do great things, it makes people want to share it.

5) Flexibility

Being flexible is key. There are times when things can go wrong (hands up here!), we can’t stop the mistakes that are made, it’s how we remedy them that is important. Most of the time someone wants to be listened too and understood.

 

Every individual of the business has the responsibility to deliver, care and to try. Valuing those around us and keeping customers as part of a community, helps to create a culture where they feel that are part of something that they can relate to and enjoy.