"How to Retain Your Current Customers Advertising to bring in new customers is important for any company, but many new business owners fail to realize just how important customer retention is as well. Satisfied customers not only return to purchase more products and services but also recommend your business to their peers. For this reason, keeping customers happy is essential for success. Act as an Expert in Your Industry Ask any expert and they'll say one of the most important customer retention strategies is to be an expert in your field. Your customers want to know they can trust you to be knowledgeable about your products and services and how they can best benefit your clients. For example, an insurance agent that wants to be truly successful should focus on more than just one type of insurance. Homeowners often own cars, boats or even businesses, so a qualified agent should aim to provide auto, recreational vehicle and commercial real estate insurance in addition to traditional homeowner policies. Understanding local, state and federal laws are also important for an insurance agent. If a potential client asks about the laws surrounding their policy and the agent says he or she needs to check on the law, the client won't feel as confident in the agent's abilities. Build Trust Through Relationships Just as you build familial relationships and friendships via trust, learning how to retain customers means learning how to build relationships with them. Customers do business with companies they can trust, which means you need to go above and beyond to build that trust. Take an interest in your clients and their values as well as what they do in their daily lives. Use this information to create products, services and customer service that appeals to them. Show your customers that you hold the same values via targeted monthly email marketing campaigns that touch base and provide information. Starting a blog on your company website is another excellent way to build brand awareness will cultivating relationships with your customers. Eliminate Problems Before They Happen A truly successful company takes a proactive approach when it comes to customer service. Anticipate both short- and long-term issues that could affect your customers' satisfaction with your brand and do what you can to remedy the problem in advance. Do you know your company website will be down for maintenance at a certain time of the month? Create a notice that lets customers know so that they can plan their service needs around your downtime. By getting ahead of potential problems and doing what you can to keep your customers happy, you show them that you care about more than making a buck — you care about how your company affects their everyday lives. Gather Customer Feedback Listening to feedback goes hand in hand with building excellent relationships with your customers. Whether via surveys, blog comments or conversations on your company social media accounts, receiving feedback from your customers and adjust your company mission accordingly is vital for customer retention. To get the most out of the feedback you receive, you should monitor three different metrics. Start by tracking feedback on an individual level. Thank every customer and if you come across someone who is dissatisfied with your company, do what you can to remedy the problem. Next, track feedback across a specific period of time. If you notice times when customers are more or less satisfied than the average, consider what changes the company made in customer service. Finally, use survey information to gain specific information regarding where your business is strongest and where you need to work the most to improve it. Whether you are an insurance agent or provide another service altogether, check out Superior Access for more information and tips on customer retention."