Bet you learned two especially important words as a kid and which are still essential to your business today. These two key words are…
Thank you.
The power of saying thank you is undeniable. Study after study shows that thanking your customers regularly and sincerely goes a long way towards building long-term relationships.
Here are some tips to make your “thanks” really count…
Be specific
When you thank your customer, make it as specific as possible. A generic “thank you” might do just fine, but a message that’s very specific works much more effectively. Tell your customers what you’re actually thanking them for and what it means to you and your business. Let them know and show them how they’ve helped you.
Make it personal
Always use the customer’s name and make your message to them as clear and as personal as possible. Include personal details that show them you know your customer well and understand them from their perspective. And you must avoid reading from a standard template form or automated message because it just sounds to them that what you say goes to every customer. If possible, write a note by hand rather than just sending an email or a message via social media. These do have their place such as comments, likes and connections, but a personalised note or card just sets the perfect tone to say you’re grateful.
Integrate “Thank You” into your sales process
There are certain key times when it’s best to say thank you, such as after a purchase, or when a customer subscribes to your newsletter, or when you get a review, testimonial or a referral, and so on. Choose the times that are most important to your business and make it a regular part of your process to connect at that time.
Show how much you appreciation them with a gift
For an even more impactful “thank you,” offer a simple gift. This can be a discount or another goodie that doesn’t cost you much. The most important thing is that it offers value to your customer. Just like your “thank you” message, the best gift is one that’s personal and not just that you would send to people in general. If you know your customer, choose something they would like or that they could use in their business.
Moreover, make sure to thank unhappy customers too
Thank all of your customers equally and fairly, even the ones who are frustrated or upset over an issue with you or are a cause for concern. In fact, the better you do this and listen to and thank these dissatisfied customers, you will help to turn around their attitude and win them over by creating powerful “wow” experiences for them.
Get valuable feedback
Use every one of your messages thanking your customer as an opportunity to open a two-way communication to test their response to your products and services. Along with thanking them, ask them if everything is going all right, or whether they have any questions, queries or concerns. You can get some real valuable feedback and this gives you an excellent way to improve and innovate by directly talking to your customer.
Get creative with your thank you
Try to think of creative, outside-the-box ways to thank your customers. A few ideas include:
- Saying “thanks” and telling them about a new opportunity or informational resource that can help them solve a common problem or a problem that you know they might be facing
- Sharing valuable information with them, such as statistics or a special tool that can help them
- Inviting your customer to an industry event or other event that might be valuable to them
- Offering a surprise service upgrade that they will see as a valuable addition to your service
- Thanking and commenting on your customer publicly on their own social media sites, or in your blog or newsletter
The most important thing about these two important customer service words is to make your “thank you” sincere and all about the customer. So, make it as genuine, sincere, authentic and as personalised as possible and you’ll get the rewards in return.
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