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Small touches that can make a big impact on customers
Think back to your last truly excellent customer service experience. The barista who remembers how you like your coffee. The doctor’s surgery, which calls to tell you they’re running late. The bookstore that tracks down that hard-to-find title for you. Notice something about all these scenarios? It’s the personal touches – not the products – that stand out.
When it comes to creating memorable experiences, it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Businesses that go the extra mile to make us smile attract a loyal clientele and an invaluable trade in word-of-mouth recommendations.
And the good news? Elevating the customer experience from OK to awesome has never been easier. Read on for five simple ways you can make customers feel good about your business.
1. Give regular customers extra TLC with loyalty programs
A loyalty program is a great way to share the love with your regular customers. Maybe it’s a free coffee, a discount voucher on their birthday, or a reward for a big purchase. You can tailor it to your business and personalize for each individual.
Nurturing your existing relationships works two ways. By rewarding their loyalty, your customers will likely shop more often with you. Plus, they’ll be more likely to tell their friends about your business. It’s a win-win.
An easy way to get started with loyalty programs is by using SMS. A text-based loyalty program makes sure your loyalty card doesn’t get lost at the back of the wallet. Plus, it starts a two-way conversation that can have a big customer service impact on business.
2. Ask your customers what they think, and really listen
Give your customers the opportunity to tell you what they think, take their feedback on board, and implement changes to make your business better.
A feedback survey can be as simple as sending an SMS to your customer and asking them to rate their purchase or experience. Add an automated follow-up when you get a poor rating, to ask how you can do better.
Flip side, add a sweetener to encourage customers with positive feedback to leave a review – which is worth its weight in gold. Studies show that 78% of people trust online reviews as much as a recommendation from a family member or friends.
Find out how easy it is to use SMS for feedback and surveys
RELATED: 5 examples of SMS feedback surveys
3. Avoid no-shows with helpful, automated SMS reminders
If you’re a service business, you’ll know how important it is for clients to keep their appointments. No-shows can quickly eat away at your bottom line, and reduce potential earnings by over 20%. But you’ll also know how easy it is for people to forget – we all lead busy lives, and sometimes a nudge is needed.
Sending automated SMS reminders and confirmations can have a big customer service impact on your business. Not only do they reduce the number of no-shows, but you’re providing a value-added reminder service that your busy clients will appreciate. Here are 6 best practice tips for appointment reminder texts to help you get started.
RELATED: Download our free eBook, Reduce no-shows and missed appointments with business messaging
4. Dangle a carrot with an in-text competition
A competition is always a win-win. Your customers have the chance to get their hands on a great prize, while you get the opportunity to build relationships and grow your contact list. To make it as quick and easy for customers to enter as possible, run your competition via text message.
For example, you could run a text-to-win competition. Promote it on your socials, sales receipts, or wherever customers interact with you, with simple instructions on how the customer can enter. It could be as simple as, “Text ‘WIN’ to [YOUR DEDICATED PHONE NUMBER].”
Behind the scenes, you can automate the competition mechanics to make it easier to manage all the entries that hopefully come flooding in. Learn more about how to set up opt-in SMS campaigns in a competition.
5. Stand out from the crowd with a mobile landing page
An eye-catching mobile landing page is a great way to convert customer interest into sure-fire sales. Visually enticing, mobile landing pages also have room for more text than a conventional SMS, helping you add a little more information and personalization to your message.
For example, for retail customers, promotional campaigns can be personalized with a unique barcode for each customer. For events, you could set up tickets with a barcode, along with links to information about itinerary and guest speakers.
Best of all? It’s all automated, so you can maximise your customer reach and boost your impact without being chained to your desk.
RECOMMENDED READING: 10 great use cases for SMS mobile landing pages
Final thoughts and further reading
What small touches could you add to the customer journey to make your business stand out from the crowd? Think about how you can make a positive impact and get started with a simple, yet powerful, SMS strategy today.
For questions or support, get in touch.
