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It’s not enough to keep your customers. Your goal should be to create satisfied clients who keep coming back, buying more, and telling friends about you, according to customer service specialist Ron Kaufman. His tips for making that one-time customer into a life-long partner:

• Be aware of perception points

Even before a customer enters your store to make that first purchase, he has already formed an opinion about your company. Favorable or not, this opinion is what Kaufman calls a perception point—and it can make or break a sale.

What are the critical points affecting the way your customers perceive your company? Are your ads okay? Does the store’s interior look inviting? Are the toilets clean? Are the waiters attentive? Is the food presentation in your restaurant okay? To appeal to your target customers, every one of those perception points should be beyond reproach. “Whatever the customer thinks about you at the moment he had an experience with your company is the truth,” says Kaufman, who serves Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

• Make sure you are reliable, dependable, and consistent

Once the customer is in, do everything in your power to make him return. This can only be done the old-fashioned way—by being a company your customer can count on time and time again. “Filipinos are the happiest, friendliest, kindest, warmhearted people around,” says Kaufman. “You can leverage that in terms of customer service. The challenge for the Philippines is to become more precise in some of the other areas of business. Consistency is really key.”

In short, deliver what you promise when you promise it, and quality will keep the customers coming back. And it’s not enough to keep giving the same quality of service over time: to be competitive, you have to know where your customer’s level of expectations is. “Over time, [your customers’] expectations will change; it’s like a moving target,” says Kaufman. “Stay in close touch with your customers by interviewing them regularly and asking them what they like, what they don’t like, what they’d like you to change, and what else they would like you to introduce.”

• Talk to the ones you’ve lost

“Your best customers are already your best customers, so go talk to the ones you lost to get a lot of insights,” suggests Kaufman. Ask them: Why did you leave, and what can we change in the way we do business that would make you consider coming back?

• Create customer delight—not just customer satisfaction

In his book Up Your Service!, Kaufman talks about making moments of impact in the lives of your clients. These are the rare moments when someone goes way beyond the call of duty to perform a service that is valued, appreciated, and remembered. They do more than surprise your customers; they deepen the relationship and extend goodwill.

Indeed, Kaufman recalls one such moment of impact when he received a replacement from L.L. Bean for a merchandize he had bought 20 years ago. It happened this way: As he was unpacking after moving to Singapore, he noticed silk underpants that carried a lifetime guarantee. He sent the underpants to the U.S. with a simple note, and the company not only replaced the item: they also refunded him for postage!

What great deed can you do that is admirable, praiseworthy, and truly unsurpassed? The next time your customer needs assistance that’s outside your course of work, make the effort and make the impact.

• Develop a powerful partnership

More than merely developing a repeating relationship with your customers, Kaufman suggests creating a powerful partnership with them by investing in their lives. The questions to ask are: How can I become more valuable to my customers’ lives? What can I give them to get whatever I want from them?

Yes, this may require extra time and money on your part, but it will foster a sense of loyalty that is priceless. “This is where your customers say, ‘That’s my brand!’ ’That’s my company!’” says Kaufman. “Service is a two-way street. What you send out comes right back to you.”

THE RIGHT STUFF
Martha Rogers and Don Peppers, authors of Enterprise One to One, highlights these key approaches to developing customer loyalty:

• Recognize your most valuable customers. Provide special deals, unique acknowledgment, prestige “club” status, and other benefits only they enjoy.
• Create loyalty awards programs. Offer promos such as “buy 10 get one free,” frequent flyer miles, and bonus awards for repeat business, etc. 
• Build learning relationships. Collaborate with customers to tailor your service delivery “just the way they want it.” Over time, your company will deliver service that is customized, and your customers won’t bother to teach other companies to serve them as well.