Article âą 10 min read
8 steps to creating loyal, human, customer connections
Par Suzanne Barnecut
DerniĂšre mise Ă jour March 5, 2024
What if someone told you there was a formula for generating repeat business? That, in just eight simple steps, customer loyalty could be yours. Would it sound too good to be true?
It might, unless you hear it firsthand from Richard Shapiro, founder and president of The Center for Client Retention and author of The Endangered Customer: 8 Steps to Guarantee Repeat Business. Earlier this year, at the National Retail Federationâs BIG Show, Shapiro stood before an audience of entrepreneurs and shared a personal story about his father. As an owner of a successful small business, Shapiroâs father genuinely believed that all customers enter a store as strangers, but leave as friends.
This anecdote sent me back more than a decade to Paris, to the first time I visited the cozy, eccentric dream of a bookshopâthe famed Shakespeare and Companyâand took a picture of a sign that reads: âBe not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise.â The bookshop was once home to writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who were allowed to sleep there in exchange for a few hours work. Even today, lesser-known writers can still stowaway in craggy corners for the same deal. The difference between now and then is that today consumers often have to wait in line to get inside the store. This is partly due to the shopâs storied history, but also, I believe, because they live their motto.
People first, customers second
The mindset that âcustomers are people first and customers secondâ is one thatâs shaped Shapiroâs entire career. Today, he helps businesses to capitalize on their humanity, a tough job in a landscape that is global, digital, and multichannel. In fact, Shapiro will be the first to tell you that customers are most likely to give your company repeat business because youâve made their experience convenientânot because they especially like your business. (Think: Amazonâs one-click shopping and free two-day delivery. Itâs so easy; any feelings you might have about Amazon will probably take a backseat.)
Today, he [Shapiro] helps businesses to capitalize on their humanity, a tough job in a landscape that is global, digital, and multichannel.
Shapiro road-tested his eight steps for generating repeat business by visiting retailers across the United States and evaluating the customer experience. His steps roll up into three categories that he calls âThe Greet,â âThe Assist,â and âThe Leave-behindââsomething akin to a novelâs beginning, middle, and end.
Letâs start at the beginning
Naturally, your relationship with a customer begins with how you welcome them into your physical or digital space. Itâs an emotional experience, so ask yourself, âHow have I made the customer feel?â Now imagine what you donât want for your customers. Most of us have probably walked into a store and had the sensation that we accidentally wandered into foreign territory. Or, that we were prey for pouncing store associates. Or perhaps we signed up for an online newsletter and were drowned in email offers before we ever made a purchase. Itâs all too easy to make comparisons to a first date⊠the stranger who comes on too strong is likely to be avoided in the future.
That said, as Shapiro explained over coffee, what happens during digital interactions is often the opposite of coming on too strong. The first time a customer logs in or set their password with your business, do you send them a welcome message? âThese emails set the stage,â he said, âand all too often, that email is automated and says, âDo not reply to this message.â That is not the way to welcome a new customer.â
The good news is that thereâs an easy fix. That first email should include a specific personâs contact information so that customers can reach out to someone if they have questions or concerns. A little specificity goes a long way.
In his brick and mortar store, the first question Shapiroâs father asked was about the customer. He never led with the merchandise or âHow can I help?â Instead, he asked something more personal: âHowâs your weekend going?â If he already knew the customer, heâd ask a specific question about their life, or perhaps about their family. He was most interested, Shapiro explained, in the customerâs mindset.
There are magic phrases to listen for, Shapiro said. Things like: âThis is my first time in your store,â or âI just moved into the area,â or âI looked at your website andâŠâ Theyâre magic phrases because they invite responses. If youâre listening, youâll find that your customers give you chances to engage and build relationships with them.
If youâre listening, youâll find that your customers give you chances to engage and build relationships with them.
The art of the interaction
âThe Assistâ phase of the customer service interaction is exactly what it sounds like. This is arguably the most straightforward part of the customer experience and yet the quality of an interaction makes all the difference: Are you friendly? Are you helpful? Is there something more that you can offer? Have you made the experience easy?
Eight steps to guarantee repeat business
A formula is only a means to an end. Itâs how you practice these eight steps that matters.
1. Make me feel welcome. Help customers feel hope. Yes, hope. Customers want to feel like theyâve entered a space where they belong, where they can get help if they need it, and where somebody, maybe, will learn their name.
2. Give me your full attention. Help customers feel like theyâre in control. This step has a lot to do with response time. The longer you take to get back to a customer, the less important they feel. Responses donât have to be immediate, but they do need to feel personal.
3. Answer more than my question. Help customers feel like theyâre connecting. Shapiro also describes this step as adding positive tension. Answer the customerâs question, but also give them something moreâanother resource, a link to your Facebook page⊠it isnât the length of an email that matters, he says, so much as its content and how personal that message feels.
4. Know your stuff. Help customers to trust you. This might go without saying, but your brand and your staff should be experts in your space and in the products you offer. This step underscores the importance of investing in your employees.
How does your CX measure up?
Build a customer experience brand that leads to loyal customers.
5. Donât tell me no. Donât invite frustration into the mix. This is what Shapiro calls âthe relationship killer, the retention killer, and the loyalty killer.â These are strong words and thatâs because semantics matter. Turn your negative responses into positive statements. For example, donât tell customers you close at 5pm. Tell them you open at 9am, and you hope youâll see them in the morning.
6. Invite me to return. Help customers feel wanted. The great thing about relationship-based business interactions is that we can draw from our experiences in life. Itâs nice to feel wanted and to know, without guesswork, that a friend, colleague, or romantic partner wants to spend more time with you, right? The trick here is to tie this communication to a future action. Invite the customer to take advantage of a special promotion, or give them someone to reach out to if they have any questions.
7. Show me I matter. Show customers that you care. This is where technology can aid your business. When you use software that tracks the history of customer interactions, messages and outreach can be made really personal.
8. Surprise me in good ways. Help customers feel special by recognizing them with a note or message, especially when theyâve shared something personal. Did they just move? Send a houseplant. Consider giving your employees a budget to use at their discretion to surprise or gift customers in small ways, or block time to send personal notes. Giving employees business cards also helps them feel more empowered.
All good things can be ruined by a bad ending
The area where Shapiro found most retailers lacking was the âleave-behindâ phase. If you think of a customer interaction like a dinner party, you wouldnât send your guests out the door with a breezy âHave a nice life!â
No, instead youâd be more gracious: âThanks for coming, and please come again.â Or, âI canât wait to hear about your trip when youâre back from vacation.â (Or, if youâre like me, you might just say, âNext time weâll do your place, and Iâll bring the wine.â) The important thing is to invite your customers to return. Tell them you want to see them again, and to and to spend more time with them. This is something that happens at the macro level, between your employees and your customers. Also, itâs simple, but conclude the interaction with the customerâs name.
âThe strongest bond is between two people. If every company has access to the same technology, then the customer experience can be replicated and that wonât build loyalty,â Shapiro said. Indeed, an example he gave about returning to a coffee shop because youâre used to dealing with Mary, truly resonated. There is a coffee shop I currently visit because a man named Israel, behind the counter, never fails to make me smile.
âThe strongest bond is between two people. If every company has access to the same technology, then the customer experience can be replicated and that wonât build loyalty.â
If you canât be intimate, create the illusion of intimacy
In the end, itâs these person-to-person interactions that matter most. Your employees are the people who will use âIâ statements like, âIâd love to see you again.â Or, âIâll give you a call when that product is back in stock.â These statements feel authentic when delivered from someone who knows the customer as more than a transaction.
âItâs so important,â Shapiro emphasized, âif you have really good people working for you, to retain them and not let them go to the competition.â
It might seem hard to foster these kinds of interactions at scale, but anyone with access to customer information can create personal interactions. Shapiro often advises large call centers and advocates for creating smaller teams within the larger whole. With the right software, any agent can say, âI know you normally deal with Sarah, but Iâm Sam and would love to help.â He also recommends putting pictures of staff on your site, and even tailor-scripting some follow-up questions to help staff learn more about customers. These might include, âHow did you learn about our store/business?â or âCan I recommend parking in the area?â or âWhen do you plan to come in?â
The place for people
For over an hour, Shapiro graciously chatted with me about customer connections and loyalty. Surprisingly, incentive programs never once entered our conversation. Instead, the words âpeopleâ and âpersonâ are repeated again and again. While artificial intelligence (AI) was a big theme at the BIG Show, Shapiro didnât linger long there. âAI will always be smarter than people,â Shapiro concluded. âBut machines will never have a heart. New customers will become return customers when they make a connection with another human.â