It’s easy to assume that a brand that attracts a vast quantity of new customers is destined to succeed, however in Swan Global Direct’s experience it’s a customer’s loyalty to a brand which is most rewarded with success. Whilst attracting new customers to a brand may seem like the best route to gaining greater brand awareness, the process is expensive. Whereas, maintaining good relationships with existing customers is far more cost effective and could earn brands a tidy return.
Existing customers, if treated well are likely to return to the brand and spend more on upgraded services, not to mention recommend the brand to friends and family. With social media playing such a large part in people lives many turn to the internet for an honest representation of a brand, and keeping existing customers happy will ensure that potential ones are seeing nothing short of a glowing online review.
Providing top quality customer service is possibly the most important aspect of successful direct marketing. Where other marketing techniques rely heavily on media outlets direct marketing only works if the customer is kept thoroughly engaged with the brand. Direct marketing can cover a wide range of services however the most successful for customers acquisition and retention is face to face interaction with customers. Meeting with customers face to face in a neutral setting allows brands to learn about their customers’ needs and allows them to establish long lasting and meaningful relationships with them that help the customer feel like a person instead of just another sale.
Swan Global Direct understand just how important it is to take the time to get to know customers, and have reinvented their customer service strategy to aid clients in building and maintaining their customer relationships.
One aspect Swan Global Direct has considered during the reinvention is the importance of brands being responsive to customer’s needs. The time taken to respond to a customer directly influences how valued that customer feels by the brand. This doesn’t mean that every brand should rush out to employ a 24 hour customer service team however, it just means brands should be aware of how long customers are kept waiting and be always on the lookout for ways to shorten this time. One way to compensate for a slower response time is for brands to stay connected to their customers through other avenues such as social media or email.
By investing in knowledge management technology brands can easily gain access to customers buying behaviours and spending habits. This not only helps the brand plan ahead for the future of their products, it also arms brands with the right tools to customise their service to suit each individual customer by predicting possible purchases, brands can personalise a customer’s experience and market only the products that best fit their needs.
Lastly, one of the best ways to give great customer service is by creating a community around a brand, customers are the most important part of a brand and are the difference between success and failure. By treating them as such and allowing them to feel involved in the company brands can build a strong consumer led community and gain some valuable feedback on their services. After all, with their money at stake customers are possibly the best market researchers a brand can get, and having them onside can really help a brand grow and develop.
