No matter what kind of business you run; no matter how big or small it is, you need to be concerned with customer loyalty at all times. Your customers are the bedrock of your company, yet some companies tend to forget this basic principle as they scurry after the latest technology or implement the latest management systems as touted by gabbling gurus. It always costs less to keep a customer than to find a new one. So here are some of the things you should be doing to breed customer loyalty.

Offer a simple points system

It’s not even about customers buying anything. According to John Paul, “Customers who subscribe to your company email newsletter get points; customers who simply keep their contact information updated get points — and make sure the accumulation of points leads to a meaningful reward, not just a thank you e-note.”

Referrals

Encourage referrals by offering points/rewards/discounts. The more a customer praises your product, the more brand loyalty they build within themselves.

Easy communication

Customer loyalty is easy to maintain when the customer has several options when it comes to communicating with your company. Not just for placing orders or making payments, but also to give feedback and make inquiries. Make sure a valid phone number is prominent on every page of your social media. Ditto for an email address; and it goes without saying that your staff must have a strict goal of replying to phone calls and emails within minutes of their reception. Can customers chat with someone 24/7? Don’t fall into the trap of automating your customer communications until there are no human contacts available. You may think this will save you money, but in the long run you’ll start to hemorrhage customers.

Keep it human

Which brings up the last point. Make sure your customers can always put a name to their company contacts. Keeping it personal will keep customer loyalty healthy and growing.