Remarkable companies always follow up with their customers. Why? It helps them learn more about their fans, catches negative feedback before it hits the fan, and inspires word of mouth. (Plus, it’s just nice.)
Here are three great ways to do it:
1. With a courtesy call
2. With a video message
3. With a congratulation
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1. With a courtesy call
Your customers are always getting calls and emails from companies trying to sell them stuff. But it’s not very often they get a call from a company just to ask how things are going. It’s called a courtesy call, and that’s all it is. It’s not an opportunity to up-sell or a chance to tell them about some “important information.” These calls are better if you just give your customers room to talk. It lets them give you feedback (good or bad), and if they’ve got a complaint, this is your opportunity to make it better and earn back their love.
2. With a video message
If you’ve ever been apartment hunting, you know that after a day of seeing similar floor plans, complexes, and office lobbies, it can be hard to remember what you liked about each place. But apartment hunters who stop by Chez Moi in Austin get something different from the usual follow-up email. Their leasing agents send short, personalized videos to people who stop by. That way their customers have a visual (and sharable) reminder of the person they met and the things they liked about the place.
3. With a congratulation
You can make a follow-up message much more meaningful for your customers if you can give them an accomplishment to celebrate. No, it’s not your grand opening in a new location or an event you’re hosting. Give them something to celebrate for themselves. For example, LinkedIn sends your friends messages when it’s your work anniversary, or lets you know when your profile is one of their most-viewed. These may seem small, but the more you can make a follow-up about your customer, the better. People like to talk about themselves — so give them something to talk about.
What are you doing to follow up with your customers?
Do you have any other suggestions to inspire word of mouth?