4 Post-Sale Strategies to Help Improve Customer Retention
The successful close of a home renovation deal shouldn’t signal the end of the relationship. Though developing a good rapport with customers to make a new sale will increase revenue, it doesn’t always guarantee their ongoing loyalty or improve customer retention. In fact, the best customer relationships are built in the post-sales phase.
In any industry, that initial sale may not always be enough to guarantee a repeat sale or prompt favorable recommendations that bring new clients to your door. Businesses need to capitalize on positive customer interactions that encourage brand loyalty. This, in turn, comes from a post-sale experience that brings greater value to the products and services sold. The key words here are “value enhancement,” and when customers receive it there’s an 82% probability they will stay loyal to the brand and bring repeat business, along with a 97% likelihood they’ll tell friends and relatives about their great experience.
In the home improvement industry, post-sales contact with customers is critical. Especially today, where supply-chain issues can impact not only material availability but also when that project begins and ends. Here are four post-sales strategies to help improve customer retention.
1. Provide a Smooth and Seamless Onboarding Experience
Smooth onboarding is the first step toward enhancing the value of your products and services. An effective onboarding process means your sales team receives proper training from the get-go. This makes them more knowledgeable about your company’s offerings while also teaching them the best way to sell to—and nurture—new customers. It’s “how to improve customer retention 101!”
For example, a kitchen remodel involves more than selecting paint colors, tile patterns and appliances. Knowing the family size, cooking needs and whether the customer prefers convenience over a gourmet kitchen will not only close that sale but keep them engaged with the process while building a better connection.
Onboarding isn’t only for training sales staff. Platforms such as Ingage let you present to customers as well, providing onboarding guides and tutorials along with a clear, interactive sales presentation. When you personalize the onboarding experience by asking detailed questions, customers will know they are being heard and their needs are being addressed.
Following up with guidance and support post-sales helps reps to assure customers of the outcome of the renovation. For instance, providing tutorials, such as one about how to access a pop-up griddle on a gourmet range, builds trust. Your customers will feel they haven’t simply been forgotten once they agreed to the purchase.
New technology is revolutionizing the sales space, leading to easier and better onboarding. All training materials, onboarding sales presentations, tutorials, examples of products and photos of the results of services can be stored on software and accessed as needed. Interactive platforms allow customers to engage with the salesperson, ask questions, see possible outcomes and make changes. Technology can create better onboarding that leads to increased sales, as well as helping to foster brand loyalty.
2. Provide Accessible and Excellent Customer Service
Excellent service is essential to improve customer retention. More than simply responding quickly to complaints—though undeniably important—quality customer service encompasses the complete customer journey, from that initial sales encounter up to after-sales communication and feedback. The purpose of post-sales service is to keep customers engaged with your brand and happy to continue working with you. In this way, superior service becomes the biggest driver of customer retention and brand loyalty, often more so than the products or services themselves.
Repeat customers tend to try new products or services, spend more per purchase and, most importantly, recommend your company to others. To be expert advisors, sales reps need to construct every interaction around what the customer wants. That includes how best to offer value enhancement for the products and services they purchase. Customer-centric sales are more personalized, with the result that customers feel more valued. A thank-you note or a phone call to check in on how their home remodeling project is going or how a new product is working can do wonders.
3. Accept Feedback—and Act on It
Feedback is essential to understanding not only the customer’s experience with your salespeople but also with the product or service. Resolving customer concerns quickly and pleasantly gives you an opportunity to win their trust and improve customer retention.
Collect feedback through personal phone calls, email surveys or pop-up questionnaires on your website. This information is vital to helping companies improve their products and services. In addition, it assists sales staff in honing their customer service skills. By reaching out to customers, you’re also showing you value their opinions, which, in turn, creates a stronger relationship.
4. Be Open To Warranties, Reschedules and Other Modifications
A promise to repair, replace or refund the purchase price of a product provides customers with peace of mind. Simply knowing that a product or service is protected by warranty for a specified period increases trust in that product and the follow-up service. Some companies have extended warranties for longer periods. For example, in addition to a standard warranty, customers can purchase a protection plan as well. This serves to improve customer retention and loyalty by showing that the company stands behind its products.
Companies that accommodate changing dynamics are also more likely to hang on to their customers. As the home improvement industry continues to grow, factors like supply-chain challenges along with a more restrained housing market heighten the prospect of reschedules and other modifications. Flexibility in times of change is crucial for better customer retention.
Keep Customers Onboard with Ingage
New customers bring short-term revenue; repeat customers create long-term profits. Satisfied, loyal customers return to purchase additional products and they refer your business to others. Investing in a client-centric post-sales service strategy doesn’t only build a positive brand image that inspires loyalty, it can also improve customer retention.
Truly great customer service begins with the first sales contact and extends all the way to post-sales communication. Utilizing top-tier presentation software like that from Ingage makes your sales campaigns more engaging, with customized and unique content that is image-rich and dynamic. Check out a free Ingage Suite demo to find out how we can help boost customer retention for your business.