The Importance of Customer Contact

Everyday life of a business person entails constant interaction with people. Some of these people may be suppliers and other independent associates, but the most crucial communication is that between a business person and a customer. It is this interaction and rapport that largely determines whether a customer stays loyal and happy or looks for other ways to fill their needs. It defines the cornerstone of every business and the single most significant sales driving force. The importance of customer service cannot be overemphasized.
Once you have served your customer well, it is very critical to stay in contact, lest you lose them. There are benefits of getting in touch and staying in touch with your customers. These are:

1. Improve On Your Weakness
   Customers are and will always be an ever flowing fountain of knowledge on what to develop in business. Communicating with your customers regularly will help you get enough feedback on how you can better serve them. Some customers are just silent and would walk away whenever they are dissatisfied with services. Some are vocal and straightforward. Contacting your customers regularly will enable you to get feedback even from the silent ones. This will always keep you on your toes and continuously improve your level of service. They are your business’ mirror. Keep going before your ‘mirror’ for continual evaluation and improvement.
2. Update Them on New Development
   Part of staying ahead of the competition is being dynamic. Make exciting changes in your business now and then to keep your customers coming. For the long gone customers, contacting them would be an ideal way to inform them of any new developments. This goes a long way in maintaining customer loyalty.
3. Make Them Feel Appreciated
   It is sometimes the small things that matter. Contacting customers on important things that are not business related goes a long way in showing that the business cares. This is part of ‘humanizing’ the business. Has an organization ever been the first to remember your birthday? Even before your friends and family? How did it make you feel? Now that’s what we’re talking about.
   And it doesn’t just have to be birthdays — you can get creative and contact them during public holidays or important events. Such simple gestures say a lot about a business.
4. Survey Your Market
   Staying in touch with your customers will enable you to carry out a market survey either directly or indirectly. Directly involves a scenario where you forwardly ask your clients on their preferences or opinion about some product. Indirectly is where in the course of your conversation, the customer volunteers pieces of information without being asked a direct market research question. This will also help you keep tabs on your competitors and what they are doing differently.
5. Create Deep Bonds and Free Marketing
   Keeping in touch with your customers will deepen your bonds. Just like any other relationships, a customer-business relationship is also built on trust and communication. The beauty of befriending your customers is that you will never have to invest in marketing. Your friends will continuously recommend your business without being asked or paid to do it. This cuts your marketing costs, and by extension, it boosts your income. The best form of marketing is always word of mouth. Just imagine getting the best marketing service for free, isn’t that a win?
6. Remind Them of Your Business
   ‘Out of sight, out of mind’-the only way to retain clients who are not regulars is to contact them every once in a while. This reminds them of your existence as a business. With the constant reminders, they will eventually permanently remember your business. Whenever they are in need of a service, it is your name they’ll first remember.
   Excellent customer service cannot be replaced by any other marketing tool. Any customer will forget what you did but will never forget how you made them feel—make them feel important and loved by contacting them.

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