Sixth Sense: Customer Loyalty

We always hear that ‘keeping customers happy keeps them coming back.’ So Talk Business & Politics asked six business leaders for tips and advice on ways to maximize customer satisfaction and get excellent referrals.

Sericia Cole
Executive Director
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
Little Rock

There isn’t a magical formula that keeps customers satisfied and coming back. In general, consumers are seeking more than a mere transaction; they can get that most anywhere. However, it’s the experience they get, the personal touch, that often means they will return and, even better, bring someone along with them.

Some of things that can keep happy customers returning include providing a unique atmosphere, being attentive to needs, and going above and beyond (over delivering) expectations. Customers want to be talked to rather than talked at, so genuinely communicating with them – asking for their feedback and truly listening – also goes a long way.

Maya Angelou famously wrote that, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

The poet’s words are also applicable in business; the best “magic” to keep customers coming through the doors.

Bobby Thurman
Vice President, Arkansas State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors
President, Nelson Funeral Service
Berryville

The funeral profession is defined by the service we give or offer to the families we honor. In a blog I read recently, it said, “… Is the word ‘service’ what separates the weak from the strong, the average from the best?” There’s a reason we are referred to as a funeral service or funeral profession, not a funeral industry.

We’re helping people get through a difficult time, and we always try to exceed the families’ expectations as we support them in their time of need. The blog went on to say, “It takes a BIG heart, a lot of listening and an amount of compassion that is so incredible that most people can’t even imagine it.”

I believe that to be true. It’s that level of service that you extend that keeps those same families coming back to you generation after generation and encourages them to tell others about your business.

Stacey Ellis
Director of Sales
Embassy Suites Hot Springs Hotel & Spa
Hot Springs

The Embassy Suites Hot Springs Hotel & Spa wants our guests to be “raving fans.” Fans that will not only come back time after time, but will share their memories and experiences with everyone they come in contact with.

We do that by looking for and finding ways to engage with our guests at every opportunity. The more we know, the better we can find ways to make people smile, make memories and improve on our product. And then … we communicate with each other about our guests.

When the team comes together to create great experiences for others, it benefits not just the guest but the overall morale of the team. Positive morale equals improved productivity and retention. We are building relationships with our guests and in return, they come back, bring their families, friends and events, which helps us create more “raving fans.”

Danny Townsend
President
Perfect Places Lawn Care
Alexander

Actually, customer retention and recruitment can be pretty simple – just do what you say you’re going to do. Don’t operate with a profit-centric mentality when you are a service business. You must operate with a service mentality first.

Great employees make for great relationships, and our people are our greatest asset. This starts at hiring the right personnel and retaining them through growth opportunities and steady, full-time, non-seasonal work. We don’t hire seasonal help or take on seasonal work. This ensures that our employees are well-trained and familiar with our customer’s properties. Chasing the profits that can be made during the busy season can prove to be disruptive to our regular service obligations. The additional revenue isn’t worth a lowering of standards for the increased volume.

This model has proven well for our company as we have over a 95% retention rate and our customers come to us through referrals.

Jennifer Herron, AIA
Principal
Herron Horton Architects, Inc.
Little Rock

Herron Horton Architects will be celebrating 15 years in the architecture business, and customer satisfaction is key to our success.

We have found that responsiveness, competence, professionalism, obsession with quality and the eagerness to listen and actually understand the client’s wishes are key in developing lasting relationships and successful projects.

We assist clients in site selections for a project, provide programming services that include decision-making about project values, goals and requirements as well as help expose clients to a wide range of alternative approaches and help them choose appropriate directions.

Our professional services not only involve collaborating during design but also extend through construction. Problem-solving on the spot and providing alternate ideas during construction while maintaining the aesthetics, our client’s goals and staying in budget are important to our clients.

Our obsession with quality and attention to the little things make a huge difference.

Ben S. Hubbard
President, Arkansas Homefurnishings Association
Secretary-Treasurer, Hubbard and Hoke Furniture
Blytheville

I believe the best way to maximize customer satisfaction is to build a relationship, a friendship with your customer. If you treat them with fairness, honesty and respect, you can build a bond that will translate into positive feedback and repeat business.

You also have to go the extra mile to keep your customer happy. Do everything possible to make their experience at your store positive. That means serving refreshments, taking care of their children, bending over backwards to help them fulfill their needs.

Loyalty is hard to attain in the current business climate, but if you treat your customers like you would your best friend, it will go a long way toward building a customer base that will not only return, but also tell their friends that you treated them right.