Let’s face it: as a small- to medium-sized (SMB) business, you love your customers. Yes, you are right. Customers can be a pain in the neck, but customers are your bread and butter. Their constant questions and unintelligible feedback can sometimes make keeping up with them feel like trying to keep track of a bouncing ball. That is why you need to do everything you can to have successful customer relationships.

What Are Positive Customer Relationships

Borlok Virtual Assistants did an article this year and asked the readers,

“Do you know what a customer is? Did you know that the base of the word customer is custom? It actually is derived from the habits of people that make it a habit to make frequent visits to a store.”

But there is more to that short definition.

Whether you use customer relations or customer relationships is inconsequential, primarily when business is conducted more online than in local companies. Both terms mean the same thing. indeed defines customer relations as:

“Customer relations refers to how companies engage with customers to improve their overall experience using a product or service. These relationships may begin when a customer purchases a product or starts using a service and can continue through re-targeting marketing campaigns.”

What do you have to do?

There are many ways successful customer relationships can be strengthened to make your freelancer or virtual assistant business successful.

1. Talk to your customers

Yes, it’s critical to be alert for opportunities to communicate with your clients. However, don’t over-analyze or under-analyze too much. When trying to determine how to communicate with as many individuals as possible, it is critical to remember that the goal is not to help yourself. Instead, the goal is to assist your clients in navigating the most effective path.

2. Be transparent

Openness in customer relationships is a critical part of any successful business. It creates trust between an organization and its customers, creating greater loyalty and sales. All companies should strive to maintain high transparency with their customers. Transparency can be implemented in many different ways. For example, businesses can provide precise descriptions of their products and services, clearly communicate prices, and answer customer questions quickly.

3. Respond quickly to inquiries

Have you ever had a customer who still can’t be appeased despite your best efforts to respond promptly and help them? You can quickly turn a negative into a positive by showing that you care. However, remember to make this response from a brand’s point of view rather than from an individual’s point of view.

Below are a few more recommendations.

4. Be consistent and predictable

Customers appreciate predictability. That’s because it shows them that you’ve considered their needs and wants and have put in the work to ensure they’re taken care of. Consistency is the best route to take. For example, remember that your tone of voice, body language, and speed are all ways to convey a sense of consistency.

5. Drop the small talk

Customers appreciate a little something now and again. They appreciate the extra thoughtfulness and effort that creates that gift or gift card, sticker, or pen. And most importantly, they understand that you’ve tried to make them happy.

The benefits of strong customer relations

Positive customer relationships are vital to your business. Indeed provides us with a list of three benefits that I include below.

1. Retention

2. Loyalty

3. Satisfaction

But there are more benefits.

***Disclosure: This post and our website contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make purchases using them. Please see our affiliate disclosure.***

https://offers.hubspot.com/free-trial

HubSpot agrees with the above three benefits. However, they have added another benefit that is just as important for building successful customer relationships. And that is:

4. Increased customer feedback

Recently, a study found that consumers believe that a good experience at a company influences their purchasing decisions. Companies that foster positive customer relations enjoy open communication with their customers. This builds up customer trust over time. In addition, their purchasing decisions are altered which means more sales for you. Because of the more significant individual conversations that result from this process, companies can build a stronger bond with their customers.

Summary

So, how do you build a successful customer relationship? Here are some tips.

1. Listen and respond.
2. Try not to pass judgment.
3. Show that you care.
4. Be transparent.
5. Drop the small talk.
6. Stay consistent.
7. To keep the customers coming back, provide consistent and ongoing support.

There are countless ways to improve customer relationships. If you use the above methods, you’re sure to become a better and more successful business owner and freelancer.