You are probably familiar with the term customer retention, which is a company's efforts to retain existing customers and minimize the number of departing customers. This includes service calls. Communication does not stop after the sale. In fact, it makes no difference whether you sell large or small items, a call after the purchase to ask how the buyer experienced the purchase is a must today. Not only does this affect customer loyalty, but you can respond yourself in a timely manner to resolve complaints if the purchase is not to your liking.
An after-sales plan
It is advisable to draw up a structured plan as part of the after-sales service. Calling customers at random can sometimes work, but is often not very convenient. There are a number of questions that play a role here, and we will name and explain them.
Perhaps the most important question is: Who will make the call? It is best to have someone make the call who is not responsible for the purchase. If you let the sales person make the call, the customer may not dare to tell you that mistakes have been made. Or the sales person may hear something that he does not dare to bring up within the organisation. A special team can be set up or one person can be appointed to conduct these calls with customers.
The next question: when? There must have been sufficient time for the customer to get used to the product or service. Waiting too long can be dangerous, because in the worst case scenario serious irritations may already have arisen. Some examples, a car dealer calls on average two to four weeks after the purchase. A restaurant owner within two days.
What are you going to ask the customer? Set up some fixed questions to structure the conversation. Every person who calls customers after a purchase should use the same questionnaire. Hearing an opinion is nice, but it is only really useful if you can do something with that opinion. If answers are unclear, do not forget to ask more questions. If there is a complaint, the next step is to take action. Confirm the complaint in writing, which shows that you have understood it. Set a deadline to solve the complaint. Another person within the organisation takes charge of the resolution. After the problem has been solved, an "Are you happy" call can be made.
Good advice
A marketing budget is often used for lead generation and customer acquisition. Customer management often takes the form of a day out or a business gift. Research shows that customers appreciate personal attention more. For a good marketer, the Are you happy-call is therefore an indispensable tool. Spend at least 10% of the marketing budget on follow-up and retain customers longer!