First impressions matter. This is true in social situations, and even more true in the business world. When a customer comes to your business, they make a subconscious decision about whether or not your business is worth their time and money. They normally make this decision based on their first impression.
If something happens to turn away a customer, it can be very hard to win them back. However, it isn't impossible. If you're wondering how to win back old customers who have stopped doing business with you, then this article will be very helpful to you and will also help your business grow as a whole.
1. The first step is to find out why the customer left.
It's important to know why a customer has left your business in order to prevent it from happening again in the future, with that same customer and also with new customers. Surveys are a great way to find out why customers may be unsatisfied with your business and what areas you need to improve on. Sending out a survey by email to customers is a great way to get their opinion and learn about where things might have went wrong.
For a single customer who has stopped doing business with you, you can even contact them. Sometimes directness and being straightforward is the best policy. Give the customer a phone call and be very polite with them. You can ask how their experience has been with your business, which will usually get the customer to describe why they are unsatisfied and why they have made the decision to leave. If they give vague answers, ask directly, "What can we do to keep you as a valuable customer?"
This normally works due to the fact that a customer will be impressed with your concern and care. It may cause them to reconsider the decision they made to leave your business when they see that you care about them and care about what happened.
2. The second step is to apologize.
If the customer has had a bad experience, the thing that will make them feel better about it is a genuine apology. This is something that you must do in order to win back a customer - it will show that you are regretful about the situation and that you are very dedicated to good customer service.
If the customer has had a bad experience with an employee, make sure they know that you will get to the bottom of it and that it will be brought to that employee's attention. This will show the customer that you truly care about their satisfaction and that you are always working to improve the communication between employees and customers. This is a great way to win back customers because they will see that your business is reliable and driven.
3. The third step is to offer them something.
It might sound like bribery, but this is a proven method to winning back old customers who have left a business. Offering them something such as a free product or free service is bound to make them reconsider because it will show them yet again how focused you are on their satisfaction.
It's important to get to the bottom of these situations because it will improve your business down the road. Solving relations with customers is a key way to improve your business strategies and ensure that the same mistakes will not be made twice.
