We’ve heard it over and over again “the customer is always right.” Well, that’s because it’s true. If you’ve been trying to win back customers, the first and foremost thing you need to do is find out the reason why you lost them in the first place.
Unfortunately there are thousands of possibilities as to why a client might have left you, but the most common are:
- They are unhappy with the service.
- You said or did something to upset them.
- They are bored of your services.
Were they unhappy with your service?
In a service-based industry our client’s happiness can be make or break for a business. Encouraging feedback from your clients is a great way to stay connected with them and if a problem arises they would feel comfortable enough to tell you about it. You should thank them for bringing the problem to your attention, as they must value you enough to want to fix it instead of taking their business elsewhere. Clients know and understand that we all make mistakes, but it is the way you correct it that will make a difference.
Did you say or do something to offend them?
This can be an easy fix if you approach this correctly. You need to immediately call, email, or text your client and authentically apologize. Hopefully it’s just a communication misunderstanding and you’ll be able to smooth things over quickly, but start by owning your mistake. The last thing anyone in a service-based industry wants is to have unhappy customers, followed by bad reviews. A bad online review or a bad experience shared with a friend can negatively impact business, so you need to be on the front line and manage issues if they arise.
Are they just simply bored of your services?
Switch up your services. Services and products are constantly changing in our industry, so you should be evolving with them. This may be as simple as revamping a service that you already provide and adding a little something extra to it. Correct marketing and revamping of your services could be just what you need to bring clients back through the door. Your clients aren’t going to expect you to always have the newest technology or the most advanced services, but you should be doing something to keep your clients interested by providing new or updated services.
At the end of the day, you need to make sure you’ve done everything you could do to make that unhappy client, happy again. Acknowledge the problem, own your mistakes, and start to repair the situation. You want happy customers and share their positive experience with friends and family to build a strong successful business.
