Competition for clients, customers, patients, students—no matter the sector—is steep in the New York-Metro area. In a market where every business and organization is clamoring for the top spot, most know that having an area of specialization will be your best tool for grabbing market share. But, the next big task is keeping your catch.
So, let’s say you got the customer, received a call, or got a lead—how you follow-up with that person can make or break your ability to keep the business. Beyond offering kind and honest customer service, closing the communication loop is essential to maintaining your business advantage over competitors.
Closing the loop is responding to those who reach out to you with feedback, questions, or concerns. It means getting back with more than a simple answer. If your customer took the time to write you an email about an issue or called about a product, it is in your best interest to respond to that client with some thought.
Think about it for yourself as a customer. Let’s say you use the web to find a new doctor, school, or handyman; you might write a few sentences via a website email form. Perhaps you’re new to the neighborhood, and you’re shopping around. Guaranteed, the business that responds immediately gets a gold star. More impressive is the person who took a little longer to answer and crafted a thoughtful message, addressing all the questions.
If closing the communications loop means writing an extra two sentences or making a 5-minute phone call, isn't keeping your client worth the few minutes? If you have a larger company or organization, it is essential to have a dedicated role assigned to answering inquiries and responding promptly.
A descriptive response signals to the customer that you were listening to them and care about them. The value to you is brand affinity and some easily-earned home-court advantage in a competitive field.
So many businesses fall flat in this area miserably. The failure points are simple to avoid: assign a person to do the role and have a system of tracking and reconciling queries.
Closing the loop on communications is one area where you can rise above the competition even if the customer likes a competitor’s product a little more or the competition is less expensive. A customer that feels like they are being heard, understood, and worth a few minutes of your time will likely choose you. A good follow-up contact with your customer is one advantage you can’t afford to pass up.
If you need help setting up a communications queue or an easy solution to tighten up your communications, MISKAFIED Communications can help.
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