Generating repeat business is not that difficult once you understand the three basic components of any interaction. Each service transaction, whether it is face-to-face, over the phone or via a Web site can, and should, start or continue the customer on a journey of lifetime loyalty.

In researching my new book, The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business, I discovered that in the majority of cases, customer loyalty has been secured not by a company, but via a company associate. Whether it’s Mary at the food-mart, Joe at the local bank, John at the mall clothing store or Sally, the dental office receptionist, it’s the relationship that one customer has with one company associate which is key.

‘Welcomers’, those associates that see the customer as a person first, customer second, automatically view their customers as people and take responsibility for ensuring that person has a positive experience. They learn the customer’s name, their likes and dislikes, what they enjoy, where they go vacation, etc. They also communicate their hours and days of work, are proactive about contacting their customers to notify them of an upcoming sale or that they themselves might be going on vacation and will not be available to assist them during a particular period of time.

Unfortunately, Welcomers are rare. There are too many robotic acting frontline associates who do not understand the need to build a connection with customers and to take responsibility for their experience.

Therefore, I developed a tool kit for Welcomer-wannabees to help them think and act the way a Welcomer would. The tool kit is divided into three segments: the Greet, the Assist and the Leave-Behind. Employed together, these three components will help any business generate repeat customers.

Let’s look at the tools for the Leave-Behind:

➢ Thank the customer for his/her business.

➢ Invite the customer to return.

➢ Notify the customer that, if possible, you would like to personally assist them again.

➢ Communicate your work schedule, direct line, etc.

➢ And, it always nice to close with “Mr. Smith, have a great day.”

When these simple tools for the Leave-Behind are appropriately executed, they convey the extremely important message to customers that the frontline associate not only wants to do business with them in the future, but appreciates and values them as a unique individual.

See my previous blog posts for details on the Greet and the Assist. What other tools would you add to “the Leave-Behind?”

 

Customers want to feel that frontline associates are doing their best to help them find what they need. Customer service is all about helping people. In my new book, The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business, I found and interviewed hundreds of ‘Welcomers’, those associates that see the customer as a person first, a customer second, to discover their common traits. Not surprisingly, every one of them had a history of helping people. They volunteered at soup kitchens, helped build their local firehouse with their dad or mom, coached little kids or baby-sat, all because they liked to do it. They naturally enjoyed helping people.

Unfortunately, there are too many robotic thinking and acting frontline associates who do not convey an attitude of “I want to help.”

Therefore, I developed a tool kit for Welcomer-wannabees to help them think and act the way a Welcomer would. The tool kit is divided into three segments: the Greet, the Assist and the Leave-Behind. Employed together, these three components will help any business generate repeat customers.

Let’s look at the tools for the Assist:

➢ Find out the customer’s name, if you don’t already know it.

➢ Use the customer’s name at least once during the interaction, but not more than twice.

➢ Tell them your name, even if it is on your badge.

➢ Try to determine the underlying emotion of the customer: are they upset, happy, angry, or frustrated? Customers appreciate when you acknowledge what they are feeling, and when appropriate, apologize for the extra wait, the long lines, the fact that you need to take time to check the stock, etc.

➢ Use alternate language to engage with the customer. Don’t only ask, “How may I help you?” – but sometimes say “I would like to help you with that. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions to better understand what you are looking for?”

➢ Don’t give one-word answers; provide detailed explanations wherever appropriate.

➢ Always provide additional useful information, such as “We have a Facebook page”, a Web site, other stores, our annual sales event, and so forth.

When searching for new frontline associates, ensuring that candidates have a background in Helping 101 and/or a previous history of volunteering will give your business a significant advantage, and make it less likely that your customers will be interested in the next competitor that moves into the area or establishes a fancy new e-commerce site.

See my previous blog post for details on the Greet. I will elaborate on the tools for the Leave-Behind in a future post. What other tools would you add to “the Assist”?

 

In any interaction, whether it’s a visit to a retail store, a call to a contact center or the click of a mouse to view an e-commerce site, “the Greet” is the first step to creating a personal connection with a customer. In my new book, The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business, I talk about ‘Welcomers’; associates who innately see the customer as a person first, a customer second. They need little or no training to automatically make a customer feel welcomed, important and appreciated.

When a customer walks into a store, a Welcomer’s smile is evident and welcoming, whether they have met before or not. When a Welcomer answers the phone, it’s as if they were greeting a neighbor and their response to an email inquiry is not only timely but will sound like it was written by a friend – or someone who you would like to have as a friend.

But Welcomers are rare. More frequently you will encounter Robots; those frontline associates who view the customer as just one more person to process. The good news is that I have found that many robots do want to communicate a more welcoming feeling, but they just don’t know how to do it. Therefore, I developed a tool kit for Welcomer-wannabees to help them think and act the way a Welcomer would. This tool kit is divided into three segments: ‘the Greet’, ‘the Assist’ and ‘the Leave-Behind’. Employed together, these three components will help any business generate repeat customers.

First, let’s focus on the tools for the Greet:

➢ Give a big hello as if you know the person.

➢ If you do recognize the person, and know his/her name, use the name; if you don’t know their name, ask for it and try to remember it for their next visit or call.

➢ Tell the customer your name, even if it is on your badge: “Hi, my name is Mary Associate.”

➢ If you don’t remember the customer’s name the next time you see them, say, “I’m sorry, what is your name? I forget.” They will appreciate that you remembered them and tried to recall their name.

➢ Be aware of what customers are wearing, carrying, holding; compliment them where appropriate and be genuine.

➢ Then ask “How can I help you today?”

In this era of anonymity, people are more stressed than ever. Getting a big, warm hello can go a long way in this age of impersonal technology, multi-tasking and high anxiety environments. People love to hear their name. It can automatically turn a Robotic encounter into one that is personalized and starts to build an emotional connection that can last a lifetime. These simple steps can transform the interaction and the customer’s perception of the business.

I will elaborate on the tools for the Assist and the Leave-Behind in future posts. What other tools would you add to “the Greet”?