Numerous marketing research show that it is much easier and cheaper to sell goods and services to existing customers than to attract and win the trust of new ones.
Although many entrepreneurs do not realize it, attracting new customers requires additional financial costs. The client first needs to be convinced to buy a particular product or service.
These costs are much more significant than those required to retain a current client. Moreover, every lost client actually means a loss more quantity potential customers who might prefer your product thanks to personal recommendations.
The departure of a client should be a signal to reconsider not only the product or service offered, but also a reason to analyze the company’s position in the market. A client who has currently decided to give preference to your competitor is not necessarily lost once and for all. His trust can be regained by promptly taking corrective action in the firm's strategy and trading policy and thus effectively satisfying the client's needs.
How to get a client back
This article presents five basic points that must be followed in order to as soon as possible bring back a lost client!
1. Find out and analyze the background.
Before you begin to act, you should understand why the client refused the services of your company (if you did not previously have direct contact with the client). Talk and ask the employees who served the client.
The more information you have, the better. Don't rush to conclusions. Analyze every little detail so that you can absolutely accurately determine the cause-and-effect relationship of the client’s loss. The information received will help you update your company’s offer on the market so that similar situations do not recur in the future.
2. Every customer matters.
Once the information has been collected, verified and analyzed internally, it is necessary to contact the client directly. You have a choice to either contact him by phone or meet in person, face to face. Even if the client refused the services of your company solely through your fault, do not start the conversation with apologies and justifications. It is preferable to ask him two consecutive questions:
- Why did he refuse your product or service?
- What do you need to do to make him reconsider his decision?
You have nothing to lose by asking your client these questions. On the contrary, most clients will appreciate that you are interested in their opinion and are willing to make changes to the company's activities in order to retain them.
Regardless of the answer received, it is important to listen to the client carefully and without interrupting. Try not to get defensive or take everything said personally, otherwise it may not work in your favor later on. Your main task at this stage is to find out what the real situation is.
In addition to all of the above, if you do not really understand what the client is talking about, do not hesitate to clarify with him what he means. After completing the dialogue, thank the client for the time spent and the information and clarification provided to you. Now you can apologize to the client for the inconvenience caused to him. Convince the client that everything will be done on your part necessary measures to successfully solve the problem that has arisen.
3. Determine the type of problem.
When you have enough information and opinions from both inside (from employees) and outside (from clients), you can understand what type of problem your company is facing. The most common problems are related to quality of service or price. Solving these problems may require fundamental changes in the activities of the organization as a whole.
4. Make the final decision about whether you want to return the client.
Think carefully, is the return of this or that client worth your efforts? Of course, every client is important for the company, however, there are situations when the costs of this exceed the profit it can bring. If your company is known in the market for the lowest prices for goods or services, most likely the price is main reason the fact that people give their preference to it rather than to competing organizations. In other words, you must decide whether it is worth the effort to satisfy one or more customers without losing others. We recommend looking at the client as just another investment that may or may not be profitable.
5. Answer the questions.
Below are a few questions to help you make the right decision:
- What needs to be done to get the client back?
- What is the probability that after making necessary adjustments, will the client return?
- What is the cost of the changes required by the client?
- What kind of reaction to the changes should you expect from other clients?
If your service company is focused on recurring services, customer churn is probably one of the key parameters of your business. In many highly competitive industries, this figure is high: mobile operators, for example, are losing up to 3% of subscribers per month (high churn is also typical for insurance, fitness and video streaming). They usually try to compensate for the departure of some by attracting others, and this is expensive. According to research, it would be more profitable to return old customers, but you need to choose the right strategy.
V. Kumar, professor of marketing at the University of Georgia, names three reasons why it is justified to “lure” your own former clients. First of all, because these people definitely need services like yours - they are more promising than new names on the cold calling list. Secondly, they are familiar with your company, meaning they won’t have to talk about your brand and offer, which will further reduce marketing costs. And finally, Newest technologies collecting customer data allows companies to analyze exactly how former customers used their services and create suitable offers for the most profitable “deserters”.
Kumar and two colleagues studied data from more than 53,000 customers who had abandoned the services of a telecommunications company over a seven-year period. The researchers looked at each person's actions before leaving, analyzing the reasons for leaving services, reactions to various return attempts, and profitability from those who agreed to return. Based on the data obtained, the scientists hoped to answer four questions.
The telecommunications firm tested four offers to attract 40 thousand former customers and calculated the return on investment
Is there a chance of this particular client returning?
Many companies try to bring back everyone who leaves, but this is often a waste of money: it is better to focus on promising ones. It turns out that those most likely to return are those who have recommended your company to others, who have not made complaints, or whose complaints have been successfully resolved. The reasons for termination also speak volumes: those who left because of prices are more likely to return than those who were dissatisfied with the service. And if both reasons were given, attempts to return are futile.
In telecommunications companies different countries Kumar learned return techniques. He saw that companies correctly determine the chances of customers returning, but few people evaluate it economic potential. You can do this with a couple of questions.
How long will the client return and how much money will he bring in in the end?
It is pointless to persuade someone who will soon run away again to return, so it is useful to assess the prospects for a repeat relationship. It is clear that once the client leaves, he can run away again. But it turned out that the second attempt generally lasted longer, and those who had previously been dissatisfied with the price were especially stable - although they seemed to be the most unstable. The company's average lifetime value of a customer was $1,262, and after return - $1,410. The game is definitely worth the candle.
To whom and what to offer?
Many companies offer the same incentives for all returnees. In the telecom under study, 40 thousand promising deserters were sent four different offers and the effectiveness of each was checked. One group was offered a discount. Another is to upgrade the level of services (for example, a free premium cable channel). The third is both. Finally, in the fourth, customers received individual promotions: a discount was offered to those who left due to high prices, and an increase in the level of services was offered to those who were dissatisfied with the quality of service. The most effective was a combined offer (47%), followed by an individual approach and discounts (45% each); 41% of clients agreed to improve the level of services.
What is the most profitable return strategy?
It's not enough to know what promotions will make a customer return - it's important to understand what it will cost you. Increasing the level of service promised less success, but was cheaper and gave the maximum return on investment. And the combined proposal, although the most effective, was also the most expensive - and showed a low return on investment. But, as Kumar points out, not everyone wants the maximum benefit, because in a number of industries, market share is more important than profit. For service companies, Wall Street rewards not so much the impact of new customers as the number of new customers: “How much did you expand your base in the quarter?”
You can greatly increase your return rate by reaching out to those who are more likely to accept a repeat offer rather than just everyone. And if you are a large company with many product lines, a more complex analysis of customer behavior and the creation of proposals that suit them will help you. “Too many companies jump on the heels of every customer that churns and offer them all the benefits at once,” Kumar explains.
Idea in practice
“IT IS BOTH SCIENCE AND ART”
Cox Communications, the third largest cable TV provider in the United States, serves the industry with... high level customer churn and places great importance on return strategies. Not long ago, Cox's director of marketing and sales, Mark Greatrex, spoke with HBR about how his company works with them. Here are some excerpts from that conversation.
How are your customer return strategies changing?
We began to more carefully analyze the behavior of specific clients and how our relationships developed before they left. Now we offer an individual approach: unique conditions, offers, prices. We introduced new services, such as gigabit Internet speed, smart home and security systems: the clients who left us had a lot of reasons to change their minds. If people see that our service has become more profitable, they will be more willing to return. Returning customers is becoming increasingly important - and we are getting better at it.
How do you determine what to offer to defectors?
By understanding why a particular family refused our services, we can offer what they were missing. This works not only to return customers - we also have a rather complex program for retaining them: having received data indicating that the client is likely to leave, we turn on a real-time decision-making system, present our reasons to the client and try to prevent his departure. It is impossible to calculate 100%: this is both science and art. Ingenuity and creativity will come in handy.
Have your return strategies impacted your work with repeat customers?
Yes. The same analytics that help us win back lapsed customers have also opened our eyes to how customers feel about us. In particular, we began to pay more attention to key points interactions - for example, the period when the welcome discount ends. Here we do not take our eyes off him, because retaining a client is much cheaper than returning him.
When starting to select candidates for vacancies, it is better for a manager not to imagine an ideal for himself: subconsciously this can lead to discrimination against minorities.
NARROW IMAGINATIONS: HOW IMAGINING IDEAL EMPLOYEES CAN INCREASE RACIAL BIAS, JASMINE BROWN-IANNUZZI, B. KEITH PAYNE, SOPHIE TRAYWALTER
The question of how to win back lost customers is directly related to another question: why did they leave? Although the latter is given much less attention, despite the fact that the answer to it lies at the heart of the client's return. In fact, understanding the reasons is the first step to restoring the relationship with the client.
Step 1: Understand the reasons
There are many reasons! More than one article could be devoted to this topic. But every company will be able to identify them without much difficulty.
- The situation on the market has changed and instead of a single supplier who worked with clients on the principle “whoever needs it will buy it,” many similar companies have appeared. And customers left for competitors.
- Sales managers are not interested in working with lost customers or do not know how to motivate them.
- The quality or uniqueness of the product is inferior to competitors.
- The client was not satisfied with the quality of service.
- Another reason.
Step 2. Correct errors
Without correcting errors, the situation will not change radically. And you will again step on the same rake. Of course, admitting your mistakes is not a pleasant experience, but those who are really interested in the development of their company will certainly understand that it is worth it. Ultimately, the first positions will be taken by companies that can be flexible and adapt to changes in the market.
Step 3. Become interesting again
When the errors are corrected, it’s time to make an interesting offer to departed customers. Only this should be a truly interesting offer and the interests of the client, not yours, should be at the center. The client is not a fool and will not swallow empty bait. How can you motivate lapsed customers to come back to you?
- Material motivation- an old proven method, although not everyone can afford it.
- Use the client's emotions as a clue. Sell not a product, but a dream, a solution to the client’s problems or tasks. What problems does your product help solve, what desires does it help fulfill?
- A personal meeting is better than a call. During the meeting, you can more objectively assess the client’s attitude towards your company, and he, in turn, will appreciate the sincerity of your intentions.
- Provide guarantees. Everyone is afraid of losing something and everyone takes out insurance. Provide the client with guarantees, show that he will not lose anything if he just tries, but what he can gain!
Step 4: Make your customers unique
Show that you value your customers not in words, but in practice. Show that you treat every client as if they were your only one. Communicate with your client as with your old friend, let him feel your cordial attitude towards him. And you will be convinced that the human factor always takes place in decision making.
And finally, an inspiring example from the book “Returnees” by Igor Mann and Anna Turusina:
Many years ago when I was working commercial director, we lost a client - a woman entrepreneur who contributed approximately 4% of our total turnover. More precisely, they lost it before I came to work at the company, and no one bothered to return it.
I decided to show my colleagues personal example. I found out the reasons for leaving (the personal manager almost completely ignored her requests; the manager was fired before my arrival). Bought large bouquet flowers, came to her office, knelt down and asked on behalf of the company and on my own behalf for forgiveness - “forgive, forget, come back.” She said no firmly. I got down on my other knee and repented again... And she said “yes.” During the six months of not working with us, she greatly increased her turnover, so we no longer received 4, but 7% of our turnover in her orders.
"Returnees"
excerpt from the book by Igor Mann and Anna Turusina
Smart trigger letters allow companies to earn 4 times more than they spend on this process. In addition, proper mailing of letters to customers allows you to return 12% of lost customers. Read our article about how to write letters that will solve the problems of abandoned carts and lost customers.
Kristina Pototskaya,
Marketing Director at TriggMine
In this article you will read:
How to write trigger emails
Sending letters to clients widely used today in practice Russian companies. However, are all trigger letters equally good in the fight for return? lost clients? No. We'll tell you how to write a letter that returns clients.
Every online store is faced with a situation where a client purchases a product once and never comes back for purchases, or adds a product to the cart and leaves the site without placing an order. Many do not try to return such customers, but in vain. Windsor Circle estimates that acquiring a new customer costs 4.8 times more than retaining an existing one. I'll tell you how to win back customers from both groups.
How to bring back “one order” customers
Action 1. Classify abandoned customers. It is generally recommended to categorize customers into three groups based on the time that has passed since their last purchase. Typically these are periods of 90, 180 and 360 days. They are quite arbitrary and depend on the area of business; marketers highlight these intervals because they correspond to stages life cycle clients in the company. We advise one of our clients, a dating site, to start fighting for lost visitors if they have not paid for services even for a month. That is, for example, after 90 days the “missing” client will be almost completely lost for this company. When planning to send emails to clients, be sure to take this into account.
Action 2. Create trigger emails for eachth group of clients. I believe emails are one of the most... effective ways reach customers, especially if it is necessary to bring them back to the company. According to statistics, such letters are opened by 47% of customers, of whom at least 12% return to the store and buy again. According to cloud marketing solutions provider SeeWhy, customers most often return to make purchases after receiving a reminder email from the company (58% of respondents). 18% come back from a direct link, 10% from a search query, 5% from search marketing, and 4% from clicks on links. Posts on social networks return 3% of customers, and banners - 2%.
Please pay attention when sending emails to clients: if you want to win back a client with a letter, then they should be attractive and meaningful, and their structure should be as simple as possible. The headline should attract the client’s attention and force him to open the letter - for example: “We miss you,” “Give us one last chance,” “Is this really the end?!”
You can put a nice image in front of such a headline, which will set the recipient up in a positive mood (Figure 1). But in the text of the trigger letter itself, tell the client why you are writing to him: “We haven’t seen you in our store for so long and wanted to know if everything is okay. We miss you very much and hope to see you again." It is better to personalize the appeal, and fill the letter with various details - for example, about the date and time of the purchase, what products the client viewed, and so on.
At the same time, we recommend giving the client a discount, the size of which should be increased depending on how long ago the last purchase was made. This bonus should motivate the buyer to return to the site and start buying from you again. For example, customers who last visited your site 90 days ago can be given a 10 percent discount, 180 days ago - a 15 percent discount, 360 days ago - a 20 percent discount (Figures 2, 3).
Don't forget about other important components of the letter: the STA button 1; buttons linking to social networks; contact block; information on how to unsubscribe from the mailing list.
Which email will bring the customer back to abandoned carts?
In addition to abandoned customers, there is a separate class of customers who add products to the cart, but then leave the site without placing an order, or remove selected products from the cart and also leave the online store. According to SaleCycle, in e-commerce, 73% of shoppers do not complete their order. Grocery delivery stores have the most “refusers” - 75.7%, household appliances- 74.1%, clothing and accessories - 71.9%, household goods and sporting goods - 69%, medical goods and cosmetics - 65.7%.
- How to attract customers to your website: conditions without which nothing will work
Marketers point to different reasons why customers abandon items in their shopping cart (Figure 4), but they agree that most often buyers are deterred by website shortcomings. To reduce the number of visitors who leave an online store without purchasing, you must first remove unnecessary elements and buttons, simplify the navigation and registration procedure, and offer the client favorable delivery conditions. But even if potential buyer still haven’t completed the order, you can and should try to return it.
Sending emails to clients in 3 steps
Action 1: Get contacts. To return customers who did not have time to order anything, you must first obtain their email addresses. If the client has already placed an order on the site, then you have his contacts. If it’s your first time with a person, you can act differently. Some companies are trying to win back failed customers using retargeting (ads in Yandex or Google). This allows you to return 15–20% of customers. Someone collects contacts before the client begins to fill the cart. To do this, the site needs a plugin that records the address Email while filling out contact information, even if the order is not completed. Our company, working with online stores, follows the second path.
Action 2: Send a reminder. For letters designed to return the customer to an abandoned cart, as well as for the trigger letters described above, the rule applies: the text should be as personalized as possible. The subject may contain an individual appeal to the client, for example: “Irina, get favorable delivery conditions for the goods you have chosen.” By the way, SaleCycle claims that 38% of customers open an email when they see their name in the subject line.
- Dealer agreement: typical mistakes, sample with explanations
The text of the letter should be very short. Its main task is to remind about the unfinished purchase, motivate the client to return and buy deferred goods. Therefore, indicate which products attracted the customer’s attention, tell about the advantages of purchasing in your store. Emphasize that you are ready to provide any assistance and answer questions. It will be more difficult for a buyer to refuse you if he feels caring and a sincere desire to help on the part of the manager. And don't forget to leave your contact information. You should also remember about the design of the letter: it should contain the store’s corporate logo, high quality photos product and CTA button.
Action 3: Send a few emails. We recommend sending reminder emails three times: immediately after the visitor leaves the site without completing the order, the next day, and 5–7 days later.
Examples. The Kazakh online store StarShop, specializing in the sale of household goods, during the first three months of this year sent trigger emails to customers who did not complete their order or deleted all products from their cart. The company experienced 300–500 abandoned carts each month. Having spent $285 on a three-month mailing (a fee for the services of our company, which handled this mailing), the online store returned an average of 12% of customers who bought goods worth $8,325. At the same time, the click-through rate of letters was 20%, and the open rate was 44% (base - 2737 letters).
Our other client, the IzoLna online store, which sells the corresponding fabrics and clothing made from them, had about the same number of abandoned carts. From January to March 2015, this company sent trigger letters to its potential customers who had not completed their purchase. Having spent exactly the same amount as Kazakh businessmen ($285), she returned 10% of customers and earned $3,840. At the same time, the open rate of letters was 60%, and the click-through rate was 23% (base - 1074 letters).
1 STA - English call to action, call to action.
Kristina Pototskaya Graduated from the Classical Private University (Zaporozhye, Ukraine) in 2011. From 2011 to 2012 - customer service manager at PrivatBank (Ukraine), from 2013 to 2014 - specialist in the outsourcing and insurance business services sector at UkrSibbank. In February 2014, she joined TriggMine.
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All clients who have stopped cooperating with your company can be divided into two large groups:
- Clients who were lured away by competitors;
- Customers dissatisfied with your product/service, quality of service, etc.
Some readers will say that the first group can be safely included in the second, because if competitors have lured you away, it means that the client is dissatisfied with something. I partly agree: after all, if everything suited him, then why leave? At the same time, let’s imagine that we and a competitor are selling the same thing, at approximately the same cost, and it doesn’t matter to the client who the supplier is; it is then that the competitor’s activity will cause the client to leave. Or in a situation where we have temporarily forgotten about a client, a competitor has the opportunity to intercept him. Here I would like to recall the old metaphor about the client: the client is a cash cow, and if we remove our hand from the udder, another hand very quickly appears there. That is, the appearance of a competitor (another hand) was the reason for leaving you, and not the client’s dissatisfaction with you.
Let's analyze each of the groups of reasons and answer the question “HOW to return?”, i.e. Let's talk about the steps required for a return.
THE CLIENT LEFT DUE TO THE ACTIVITIES OF COMPETITORS
As already stated above, this is due to the activity of the personnel of the competitor’s company. And here it is important not only the algorithm for returning the departed, but also the tools for preventing departure.
Return algorithm:
1. Analysis of reasons for leaving
It is important to understand why competitors “hooked” him. Perhaps they had their finger on the pulse and were only slightly ahead of you in their proposal; perhaps the client doesn’t care who to buy from; perhaps a specialist from another company was more persistent than you, or perhaps he is more pleasant to communicate with; or the client was offered Better conditions(if the latter, see below “Customers who are not satisfied with your product/service, quality of service”).
How to find out the reason? The easiest option is to ask.
Client: “We chose another company...”
Sales Manager: “Tell me, for what reasons?” or “What do we need to change in the proposal for you to choose us?”
You can, of course, get confused and find the reason for leaving through third parties in the client’s company. And this option is possible, however, it most often takes a longer time (the exception is established connections with other employees of the client’s company).
The mistake most often made by specialists is at this stage, - THINK OUT the reason for the client. Try to put aside the thoughts of the category “I probably left because...”, “I think I started working with others because...” and get to the real reason for leaving.
2. Knowing the reason, we draw up an algorithm for returning
For example, if the reason for leaving is the persistence of a competitor, your task is to plan the number of contacts with this client and stick to the plan. Departing from the plan is only possible in favor of increasing the number of contacts.
If the reason is “a specialist from another company is more pleasant to communicate with,” your actions: show the client a willingness to change (example: It is important for us to hear from clients how positive reviews, as well as constructive criticism that will help the company take a step forward) and ask a question about what needs to be changed ( Tell me in more detail, what exactly needs to be changed?). It is possible that a colleague, and not you, will return the client. With this option the question will change to “What are your wishes when building work between our companies?”
Developing last example, a separate reason can be the lack of cooperation between staff and a specific client for one reason or another: laziness, reluctance, incompatibility of characters, etc. The solution is to change the specialist. It is not necessary to fire, you can reshuffle client base, i.e. transfer the client to another specialist.
3. We apply the measures developed at the previous stage
Tools to prevent departure due to competitors' activities
In order not to get sick, some people harden themselves, some minimize contacts, and some get vaccinated. All these people have one thing in common - the desire NOT to get sick and the use of virus prevention measures. It’s the same with the client - to keep with him long relationship, preventive measures against the actions of a competitor are necessary.
These measures will be:
- prevention of competitors' actions;
- building customer loyalty.
What tools can be used to prevent competitors' actions?
Again I will use metaphors and images that are understandable to everyone. Working with a competitor is reminiscent of military operations. How does a state prepare for a hypothetical enemy attack? That's right - exercises! Likewise, possible “battles” with competitors can be pre-simulated as part of the training conducted for your sales department. And speech modules and responses to customer objections in the event of a competitor’s “attack” have been developed.
Situation from consulting experience.
The client asked the question “how to work in a changed market? Previously, we were monopolists, but now several more players have appeared, and specialists do not know how to work with the objections that arise.” Of course, the solution on the surface is to carry out. But I gave this example to show that you can prepare in advance for the entry of new players and minimize customer losses. It is unlikely that you are not aware of the emergence of competing companies.
That is, training was necessary even before competitors entered the market.
You can build loyalty to your company through:
- client stimulation;
- establishing personal contact;
- creating difficulties in care.
Client stimulation
Many people use gifts as a retention method. These could be company gifts. For example, new products or a highly demanded product/service are received first regular customers. There may also be personal gifts to key individuals.
Example
The company does not change the supplier, despite the fact that it is partly dissatisfied with him, due to the fact that he “gives gifts to top management for birthdays and professional holidays.” Let me emphasize that the quotation marks in the previous sentence indicate that this is a quotation. No matter how strange or funny this may seem to most readers, this real example interaction between organizations on the Belarusian market.
Establishing a Personal Contact
Building friendly relations is a good emotional barrier from the actions of competitors. True, there are nuances here:
- If you go far and the client has become a friend, often he ceases to be a client, but remains only a friend.
- Not everyone is able to be friends with clients and suppliers, because... Some people are initially focused on completing a task rather than forming relationships. And friendly relations in business are alien to them.
Making care difficult
When we put “barriers”, the client understands the complexity of the process of leaving for a competitor, or, perhaps, understands that leaving is prohibitively expensive for the enterprise. For example, a manufacturing company uses certain components to produce its products, and switching to components with similar functions offered by a competing supplier will entail modernization, line readjustment and other financial/time losses. It is better to continue to cooperate with the current supplier than to go to others.
CUSTOMERS DISSATISFIED WITH YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE, QUALITY OF SERVICE, ETC.
As in the previous block, we will consider the reason, the algorithm for working with the reason, and tools for preventing clients from leaving for these reasons.
The client left because... dissatisfied with the product/service
First of all, you need to understand what exactly the client is dissatisfied with, what he was not satisfied with in the product/service you offer. We ask questions of this order both to clarify the reasons and to understand whether there really is dissatisfaction. It often happens that clients are afraid to tell you that they chose competitors for one reason or another, and the first thing that comes to mind for refusing to work with you is this poor quality goods/services. If the reason is far-fetched, then by non-verbal signals (intonation, pause, other characteristics of the voice, gestures, posture, etc.) one can discern an attempt to deceive on the part of the client.
If the reason is objective and the product/service you offer does not meet the client’s requirements, then you need to leave your good impression- the impression of a professional in his field. Remember: by showing your client your frustration, some of them will feel a sense of victory over yet another annoying salesperson, and some will feel pity for you. Even in the case of a final “NO” from the client, we lay the groundwork for subsequent contacts.
Change the product/service. Perhaps this is the first sign that you are lagging behind your competitors somewhere and measures are needed to improve what you offer, unless, of course, you plan to work for a narrow segment of conservatives who have been buying one product for many years.
The client left because... dissatisfied with the quality of service
The key point here is to quickly resolve the issue. If the client is dissatisfied, if the client, even worse, is offended, he will remember this long years. Negative emotion extremely strong. People remember the offense for decades. For example, if as a child a bully boy constantly offended you, then you will remember this 20, 30 and even 40 years later. Same with the client. If dissatisfaction is not worked through, it can sit in the depths of the soul for years.
Thus, if a client is dissatisfied, your main task is to clarify the reasons and accept not only operational measures eliminate these causes, and in addition to this, develop tools to prevent the recurrence of such situations. Remember: when the client voiced his dissatisfaction, and you showed a readiness for change, more than 80% of dissatisfied customers will become loyal.
The client left because... dissatisfied with the new work rules
There are situations when, for example, due to the growth of your company, you change the algorithms and business processes of interaction with the client. Some clients certainly don’t like this, because... We got used to the same rules, but now we need to work differently.
The return algorithm is simple and complex at the same time.
Let's simulate a situation where a client cooperates with a small manufacturing and trading company. The client is accustomed to the fact that he can call at any time and place an order, because... knows that the specialist in charge of relations with the company can, through personal agreements, wedge his order into the production process. At a certain stage of development, a manufacturing company implements CRM to optimize the production process and reduce costs. The sales representative tells the client that “Now it becomes necessary to fulfill an order within a certain time frame for submitting an application, payment, etc., otherwise there will be no goods”. The client in his imagination draws a terrible picture of the consequences: he has no goods, which means there is no buyer, which means there is no money... And he comes to the logical conclusion - to look for another supplier.
What is the mistake of a sales specialist? He informed the client about the changes, but had to “sell” him changes in the process of interaction between the companies. That is, in this situation, it is necessary to show the BENEFITS of switching to new rules so that the client does not paint scary pictures in his head. For example, one variation of a phrase demonstrating the benefit to the client could be: “The implementation of CRM will allow you to monitor online the stage at which your order is being completed.”
And one more extremely important point when working with this reason, any changes in the algorithm for contacting a client should be communicated to the client in advance, and not retroactively, as can be seen in some companies when interacting with clients.
TOOLS FOR PREVENTING WITHDRAWAL DUE TO CUSTOMER DISSATISFACTION WITH YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE, QUALITY OF SERVICE, ETC.
A measure to prevent abandonment due to the imperfections of your product/service is, of course, constant monitoring of market trends and needs and, as a result, the development of the product line.
For example, most clothing manufacturers are constantly updating their assortment, and it is a rare manufacturer that will put last year’s product on the shelf because it is out of date.
Only by reacting to the market will we be able to quickly respond to the actions of competitors in this area.
If clients leave not satisfied with the quality of service, then there is only one way out - to work with the staff. Some conduct training on their own, others involve third-party consulting agencies and business schools, while others have developed a (corporate sales book) and easily replicate them for new employees. Of course, you can object and say that “If my price is lower, then I will have a client.” Perhaps, only most often such buyers are one-time buyers. When communicating with training participants, discussions often arise on this topic, and many say that “if you really want to save money, then you can tolerate the boorish attitude... just once”. At the same time, approximately 90% of people in the case of long-term interaction say that “I’d rather pay a little more and be served as needed. And it’s always easier and more pleasant to communicate with a trained, competent specialist than with one who can’t put two words together.”.
I have already spoken above about the preventive measure for leaving due to dissatisfaction with the new work rules - this is timely information with a demonstration of the benefits for the client from the introduction of new work rules.
Another interesting question within this topic is the dilemma: “Is it necessary to return all departed clients?”
My opinion is “a question of price”, i.e. the profit your company will receive. If a client brings in a stable income, you need to return it, but if this client bought it once a year for “three kopecks”, at the same time “eating your brain” and taking up a lot of time, you need to weigh the costs and results. Put what the client gave on one side of the scale, and your costs on the other. And if, for example, even the time you spent is worth more than the profit from of this client, - the answer is obvious.
And in conclusion, let me remind you of a consumer feature: if a client left and you did nothing to get him back, then know that the client’s attitude towards this is approximately the following: “So I was so needed...” those. we lower the already low loyalty to us. In addition, any client can tell acquaintances, friends, and colleagues about this. And the opposite situation: if measures are taken, then we create in the client a feeling that he is important to us. And this is your company’s reputation in the market...