No matter what industry your business operates in, you need a steady stream of customers to be successful. Customer retention is one of the most important business strategies you will need in order to keep your clients happy, returning time and time again, and recommending you to their friends, peers, and business contacts.
In this article we are going to take you through customer retention – why it is so important, how each department in your business contributes to it, the top 10 factors you need to consider for a low churn rate, and the technology required to improve your customer retention on a sustainable long-lasting basis.
Keeping your customers happy and coming back for more sales is an essential part of your business strategy and will form a substantial amount of your profits if you get your activities right.
To put customer retention into perspective, let us have a look at some of the important numbers:
The impact of customer retention comes from different parts of your business, from sales and marketing to customer services and follow-up interactions. Having strategies that allow for personalisation, enhanced customer service, and appreciation of customers can be game changing:
In such a closely connected digital world, customers have more choice than ever, and can do research on businesses (and their competitors) at the touch of a screen or press of a button.
This means that modern businesses need to have the right infrastructure and streamlined operations in place to handle customer services, orders, follow-up, and customer nurturing in order to remain competitive.
TEB provides a powerful CRM solution, supported by advanced automation, AI integration, and inbuilt data analytics with flexible reporting. With world-class performance and intuitive interfaces making the work easy, you and your team can boost your sales, nurture your connections, and build customer retention strategies that work.
Your company is more than the sum of its individual parts, and how your teams work together will play a significant role in the success or failure of your customer retention strategy.
Depending on the size and model of your business, you may have some or all of the following departments, so the way you get them working together may be different.
Generally, the following departments contribute to customer retention by:
Directly engaging with the customer and seeing to their immediate needs. There can also be the opportunity for upselling (upgrades etc) or cross-selling (complementary products).
How your sales reps engage with customers can have a dramatic impact on whether or not they return for more sales, and how long you retain them as customers. According to Zendesk, 42% of customers have left a business because they were frustrated by rude or unhelpful staff.
Marketing is how you get your brand, product / service seen by customers, and how you encourage them to engage with you. Companies who only focus on obtaining new consumers will often miss out on additional sales from existing customers who feel they are being taken for granted or overlooked.
Utilising modern tools and technology to target specific groups, including repeat customers, can allow marketing to be a game changing strategy when it comes to increase customer retention.
Customer service is vital for retaining customers, and with Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and the rise of ChatBots, it is expected to be available 24/7 and with an omni-channel presence.
Having said this, customers still expect to be able to engage with a real person should they have a particular issue, and this is especially true of existing customers who may have higher expectations due to previous experience/s with the brand.
Bain & Company found that companies who excel in customer experience (CX) grow 4-8% above their market average.
Managers are in an unusual position of being both directly and indirectly involved with customer retention. The work they do with the team – scheduling, assigning tasks, managing workloads, can indirectly impact consumers; and occasionally they are required to take a direct approach and engage with clients personally.
Management and team-leader behaviour will not only dictate the flow of operations but can also on a granular level impact customer retention with those who may have complaints, are long time customers expecting a certain standard of operations, or who are looking for that additional boost of authority to convince them that your brand is the right fit.
Each of these departments, teams, and individuals will have their own targets, goals, and needs. If there is no alignment or inadequate communication, then sales can drop and dissatisfied customers will turn to competitors to fulfil their needs.
Customer retention is something that you need to be constantly working at, you cannot expect consumers to stand by your brand if you are not willing to put in the effort to keep them.
With that in mind, here are 10 top factors to consider implementing in order to reduce your churn rate and improve your overall Customer Lifetime Value (CLV):
Customer retention can be managed with the right support and a robust digital infrastructure. Companies who have invested in a data-driven approach often find it far simpler and their strategies more effective because they have this support.
In order to make your customer retention easier, key technologies you need to be using include:
The more support you and your team have, the easier it will be to focus on the tasks that need engaging with. Having AI, automation, and powerful CRM integrated tools frees up time, resources, and budget, so you can focus on keeping your customers as your customers.
Understanding your customers wants, needs, and future interests is going to be key to the successful growth and evolution of your business.
You need the best tools and software to handle a growingly digital world, and TEB can bring you this.
Amongst the streamlined processes, strategic automation, and customisable workflows that allow you to work as you need, your customer retention strategies and lead nurturing campaigns will also benefit from:
TEB brings you futuristic advanced software in a format which is simple to use and easy to understand. Supported by full training, and years of experience, your business can evolve to be at your best.
Book a demo with our team today, and see how your customer retention, sales, and marketing strategies will become significantly more effective and profitable.