The importance of customer follow-up cannot be underestimated. It is one of the most critical aspects of sales and customer service, and can make or break the relationship between a company and its customers. It is especially true for companies that deal with online sales where customers can be anywhere in the world.
A study from Harvard Business Review found that, on average, 22% of firms that attempted a sale never followed up with the prospect again. As a result, they lost potential customers. So if you don’t want this to happen with your firm, make sure you set aside some time each day to contact prospects.
What is customer follow-up?
Customer follow-up is a process of engaging with customers who have purchased from your company. The goal of this process is to cultivate and maintain customer loyalty. It should be an ongoing process and not just a one-time thing. Follow-up can be done via phone calls, emails, letters, or even text messages.
With follow-up, you can ensure that you are not missing out on potential customers. You can stay in contact with them, whether to thank them for the purchase or offer them other products that may interest them.
An article by HubSpot shares some research that shows that prospects are 2x more likely to convert when contacted by a company 3 or 4 times in total after first contact.
Importance of customer follow-up
Builds strong connection and trust
Engaging with the customer after the deal has been closed makes them feel valued. They feel that you care about them and are interested in building a long-term relationship with them, not just a short-term sale. A follow-up call or an email once a month can foster a long-lasting and happy business-customer relationship. Moreover, it can help build their trust in your brand and lead to more purchases down the road. Customers are more likely to stick to a brand that makes them feel important and care for their needs.
Improves customer retention rate
Taking your customers for granted can cause you to lose them to competitors. Thus, affecting your customer retention rate. Regular follow-ups can help in avoiding such disasters. You can learn about their queries and complaints during the follow-up calls or emails and work towards resolving them. Through this, you can let the customers know how serious you are about providing excellent customer support and that none of their issues will go unresolved.
Provides more sales opportunities
Staying in touch with the customers can help you unlock more sales opportunities. You can let the customers know of the new products and the updates in the existing product during the follow-ups. You can also suggest additional products or services that can make their experience even better. Keeping the customers updated and involved can lead to more future purchases. This way you can provide support to the customers and make sales, both at the same time.
Gives a competitive edge
Many businesses do not follow up with the potential leads after the first contact and lose them. Consistent follow-ups can set your company apart from other businesses and give you a competitive edge. These engagements can increase the chances of conversion and build the customer’s loyalty and trust in your brand, supported by social proofs and testimonials. The customers are more likely to buy from a business that checks in on them frequently than those that don’t.
According to IRC Sales Solutions, “only 2% of sales are made during the first point of contact. That means if you don’t follow-up, you are missing out on potentially 98% of your sales.”
Identify and Resolve Issues
By following up with customers, you can identify any issues that the customer may be facing and take necessary steps to resolve them before it balloons into bigger problems. This will again have a positive impact on customer satisfaction and reduce the chances of receiving negative reviews.
Follow-ups are an integral part of not just the customer service but the sales process too. It influences how well your company can turn prospects into customers. You should never forget that a customer is not just a sale. You need to make them feel appreciated and respected if you want them to come back and stay. An excellent way to do this is by following up with them regularly.
Making and keeping track of the follow-up calls can be a tedious task. You can use a call automation platform like FreJun to streamline your customer follow-up process. You can try FreJun for 7 days for free and see if it’s the right fit for your business.
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