Why you should build strong relationships with your clients (part 2)

                     My fondly cherished old Nokia phone had gone so bad and I desperately needed a new phone. I headed for a phone store and was enthusiastically welcomed as if I was an angel. The store attendants attended to me promptly and in a matter of minutes, they had talked me into buying a not too pricy android phone. The transaction happened almost at the speed of light. I got away so happy thinking about the amazing experience I just had. It’s a fine and normal experience that accompanies any transaction in which a client leaves a business with the two most important things- good feelings and solutions to problems. Practically speaking, these are the two intricate things a buyer pays for 100% of the time, no matter the goods or services they have purchased.

                       Unfortunately, the phone developed a minor fault few days into using it and with the joy of the last time I entered enthusiastically into the store to complain. To my surprise, I was shunned completely as if I had a contactable plague. The same set of attendant that was so nice at the point of sale became so cold at the point of complaint. “I must have made a terrible mistake by buying my phone here”, so I pondered within myself. Unfortunately, this is how a lot of small businesses, especially in a third world country like Nigeria operate. Always promptly attending to buying clients but not to complaining ones.

                      A serious business understands that handling complaints is a good way of regaining a customer’s trust and thus building strong relationships with them. A complaining customer is an immense asset to any business. A business that is not ready to resolve complaints won’t retain most of its clients. Small businesses need to see complaints as an opportunity to know how well they are performing. Therefore, small business needs to encourage their clients to voice out their complaints or any cause of dissatisfaction. Once complaints have been forwarded, prompt attention should be paid to them and  then  adequate solutions provided. A dissatisfied client that is treated in this manner has over 90% possibility of coming back and  will definitely  refer to  you  other clients. It is very easy to neglect important things like complaints but they are key to building lasting relationships with clients. FORTUNE 500 companies realize this and this is why they spend millions of dollars in building effective customer care units and also in the area of obtaining customer feedbacks.

                       A business should have a designated team of staff that will handle customer feedbacks and complaints. This doesn’t have to cost much. Simple things like having a suggestion or complaint box, positioned in a strategic place in the business premises will usually suffice. A transaction will only fetch you a few bucks but a continually paying and loyal customer will transform your small business into a whole new level. Therefore, pay attention to building lasting relationships with your clients. Don’t be like the phone store that only made one transaction and then lost my loyalty. It’s far more expensive to get a new client than it is to retain the one you already have.