fbpx
5 easy steps for customer retention

5 easy steps for customer retention

by | May 6, 2022 | Hospitality, Retail

Customer retention

5 easy steps to retain your customers
Reading time: 5 minutes

“When the customer comes first, the customer will last” – Robert Half

What big corporations have been doing for a long time also or especially applies to brick-and-mortar retail, since in an ocean full of competitors, local and online, only those who can stand out from the competition will prevail. Good customer service alone is often not enough.

You are already doing everything in your power, but your customers still don’t come back?

Here are 5 tips to turn your customers into happy regular customers and bind them to you – in the long term.

1. Ask your customer for a review – at the right moment

Reviews are particularly important for local retail and gastronomy in order to be found, known and popular. A high number of positive reviews not only increases your company’s ranking in the search queries of potential customers. They also decide whether your shop is worth a visit or not based on the quality of the reviews and your answers.

Now you’re wondering when you should ask your customers for a review or how best to do it, since asking for praise or criticism usually feels uncomfortable?

To take away some of your shyness: Just the fact that customers are asked for their opinion makes them happy, they feel valued and already strengthens customer loyalty.

1.1 Good timing to request a review

Like many things, your review request to your customers must be considered in relation to your product or service. If you run a restaurant, a bar or a café, it is primarily the experience that your guests should rate. This means that if your guest has just paid the bill with a smile and a full stomach, the review request should be sent to them as long as they are still mentally in the burger heaven. Prompt inquiries should also be made for services such as beauty or lifestyle services. The situation is different with products that have to be tested first. Your customer will not immediately ride the new e-bike as soon as they leave your shop or want to wash first their pair of jeans before wearing them.

1.2 Bad timing to request a review

Again, it depends on the product or service. Your customer should still have it fresh in their mind. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, the longer the durability of the product, the longer you can wait, but not for weeks.

1.3 Your customer takes the initiative himself

Your customer was so enthusiastic and contacted you to say thank you? Or does he have another question about the product he is already raving about? Take advantage of this situation and ask him directly for a review.

2. Omnichannel – meet your customers where they prefer to be

Two exclusive points of contact – your store and your phone – are no longer enough. Even if you don’t necessarily have to sell online via a web shop, your customer still wants to contact you via email, Google, Facebook, Instagram, text messages or your own web chat. However, omnichannel does not mean being everywhere or copying a post from one into all other channels, but rather communicating with your customers where they prefer to do so and delivering the right message on the right channel at the right time.

In order to find the right channels for you and your target group, you will first have to collect and evaluate customer data. Also, some shifting may take place over time. With the right tool, you can simplify collecting and storing this data or the selection of your customers’ preferences in order to be able to adjust your channels accordingly.

3. Make repeat sales as easy as possible

Why are repeat purchases so important? Not only is new customer acquisition five times more expensive than customer retention, 20% of your customers, i.e., your regular customers, also make 80% of your sales. There are also clear advantages for your regular customers: Unlike with a new shop, they do not have to re-enter or leave their data, they also benefit from the knowledge you already have about them. In this way, they experience a much more personalized service compared to a first purchase from one of your competitors. Pave the way for your customers to their next purchase or visit to your store or restaurant.

3.1 Personalize your marketing, especially after the customer has made a purchase, based on customer data and preferences with cross-selling products

3.2 Be available to your customers at all times, i.e., before, during and after their purchase on their preferred channel, ideally in real time. This is how you ensure all-round support.

3.3 Optimize transactional emails and messages: A study by Experian shows that transactional emails, i.e., those on orders, shipping updates, and confirmations are almost 100% of the time opened. Product recommendations for cross-selling can also be placed here.

4. Personalize your communication

Nobody knows your customers as well as you do. After all they have already told you with their previous purchases and you know how to deal with this data. Use this to give your customers the feeling of being known and personally cared for by you. Text messages are ideal for small gifts such as birthday wishes or reminders about products, special promotions or invitations to events, as they have a much higher opening rate than emails. Despite all the personality, don’t forget that your customer is still your customer and not your buddy, i.e., slang, excessive emojis or GIFs should be avoided – unless they fit into your brand concept. Stay true to your company’s values, even with personalized messages.

5. Share the opinion of your customers

Although the reviews that your customers leave on the respective portals can be found, they are given even more weight as customer testimonials on your website. Ask your customers who have written a particularly detailed or outstanding review if you can continue to use it. Not only does this customer feel valued once more, highlighting your customers feedback on social media profiles and your website “first hand” helps you to gain more credibility than your own advertising measures.

“Existing customers are critical for any business, large or small, as they generate the most revenue, drive new customer acquisitions and stay loyal even when comparable products are cheaper from competitors. However, this only works if existing customers feel valued and supported well. Intelligent software and the creation of a customer database provide a great deal of support here, since personalized offers and communications can be automated in this way. Relevant offers at the right time with individual content stimulate and strengthen customer loyalty and are an important part of existing customer care.” Markus Demirci, founder and CEO of mPocket.

Find out what intelligent software for customer acquisition and retention looks like and how easy everyday work can be for you and your team at www.mpocket.io or contact us directly at hallo@mpocket.io for more information.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Jasmin Janson

Marketing & Communication Manager mPocket

Stay up to date!

Good Customer Reviews? 5 Examples How to react

Good Customer Reviews? 5 Examples How to react

by | May 3, 2022 | Hospitality, Retail

Good Customer Reviews

5 examples how to react
Reading time: 4 minutes

How to receive reviews we have already described. When customers leave a review for your company, you as a company should also react to it and answer it. Because on Google applies the rule: “the more reviews are answered, the higher the company is ranked”. In addition, not only do you always receive a message in the Google My Business app or on the email stored in the Google Business profile when you have received a new review. The authors of reviews also receive a message from Google when their review is answered. This gives you another customer touchpoint. And if we are honest, we all secretly expect an answer to our review and are happy about the attention it brings.

⭐ Well done: You have a new 5-star rating⭐

That’s for sure something you like to read. A new satisfied customer, the entire team has simply given everything once again. Although such a positive evaluation pleases companies, many do not react to it. Perhaps for the reason that they don’t know how to react. But it can be so easy – thank your customers, show them that you are happy that they were satisfied. Because not only have you just received positive feedback, but also one that can bring you new customers. If that’s not a reason to say THANK YOU?!

How do I respond to positive reviews?

Behind every positive review is a person who has taken the time to share their positive experience with your business online. A person who already likes you, your team, your business and service and your products. Thus, the first stone of a good customer relationship has already been laid. With an answer that shows your appreciation to the customer, you simply increase customer loyalty and turn the first-time customer into a long-term one. If you don’t respond customers can quickly feel ignored and unnoticed and will probably choose a different company next time. What you should also not forget is that not only the author of the review reads your answer, but also other potential customers read whether and how your rated company reacts.

How and what exactly you can respond to a positive review we have summarized in 5 examples.

1. Reply personalized

General answers that fit any feedback are not the solution, but only show customers that they are not worth the time to you. What is the best way to show your honest appreciation to a person? By addressing him or her personally with the name and instead of “Dear customer, thank you…” better write “Dear Erik, thank you…“. Already at this moment, your customer has the feeling that his review has been read and he has been valued as a person.

2. Respond to specific points of the review

The customer has just referred to your excellent service in his review? Use this information specifically in your answer. Don’t just thank him for the positive review, but also tell him: “Your review shows us as a team that we are on the right track and that we are doing a good job as a service team“. Thus, you show that the review has been read and accepted by you in detail.

3. Give recommendations and tips for a future visit

We know it from online shopping “Because you liked product x, you certainly like also…” – that’s how the so-called upselling works. Nicely packed, you can also use this strategy in your review response. Your customer enthuses about your shrimp plate, then tell him that you always offer shrimp all-you-can-eat on Tuesdays. Thus, you show that you have read the review and simply encourage him to visit you again.

4. Share customer reviews

Some people also speak of customer statements: Real reviews of customers that are shared on websites and the social profiles of companies. On the one hand, companies show potential customers directly what other customers have positive things to say. On the other hand, it’s a reaction of a company to a positive review: “We appreciate your review, we want to share it with everyone”. Before you share a review, however, you should ask the author for permission.

5. Give something back to your customers

We all like it when we get something in return, for example a discount coupon, a free product, a special consultation or a document with a detailed explanation of the product – as a small thank you gift. As already mentioned, not only the author of the review, but also interested parties read your answer. When prospects realize that you’re giving something back for positive reviews, they’re more likely to visit and rate you. “We are pleased to hear that you are satisfied with product X. We have a little surprise for you with which you can get even more out of the product…“. However, the same law applies to all. This means that you should be consistent and give something back to the others who have rated the same product, otherwise your customers will quickly get upset.

Now you know how important reactions and responses to reviews are. At the same time, you probably think that this sounds like extra work for you and your entire team. Feel free to contact us hallo@mpocket.io and visit our website and we will show you how to make it easier.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Carolin Becker

Marketing mPocket

Stay up to date!

Restaurant Sonne meets mPocket

Restaurant Sonne meets mPocket

by | Apr 14, 2022 | Hospitality

Restaurant Sonne meets mPocket

- our new star on the Wall of fame
Reading time: 5 minutes

We are overjoyed to welcome a new customer on board the mPocket family: Restaurant Sonne in Buxheim.

The family-run company, which has been cooking and pampering its guests with specialties of Balkan cuisine since 2008, is looking forward to the future dynamically.

“We want to put a smile on the face of every guest who visits us or picks up their food.“

Marko Vokic, the founder’s son, who himself stands behind the counter with a smile every Thursday to Tuesday, tells us about the challenges facing the team of 9 people and why he chose mPocket.

The challenge

In addition to Corona and the associated closures, the family has also faced other small and large challenges in recent years: Starting with various conversions and expansions such as the beer garden and a new counter, a changing menu and a newly introduced cocktail menu to offer regular guests exciting things and also to attract new audiences.

“The biggest challenge for me personally was actually to convince everyone in the team of the necessity of digitization. Some employees still prefer a pad and pen and do not accept our POS system as much as others do. This was also the case with the introduction of a delivery portal and now with mPocket.”

But the losses caused by Corona quickly convinced the skeptics in the restaurant team of a connection to an online delivery portal. At that time, the selection quickly fell on the best-known and most common, which had established itself quite quickly, so that the orders were slowly but surely received less and less over the phone.

Even after the restaurant reopened after the lockdowns, the family kept it, as many guests prefer an order without having to make a phone call and this additional source of revenue naturally wants to be used. Painful, however, are the high commission costs, which are calculated on the basis of sales. The more pizza, pasta and Cevapcici were sold, the higher Lieferando bill.

The solution

The high commission costs always in the back of his mind, Marko talked to a befriended restaurateur, who already uses mPocket and tells him about the clear advantages of the application: Not only are high commission costs per converted euro covered by a monthly lump sum, evaluation requests can also be sent automatically by the guest W-Lan. Marko also knows how important many good reviews are in order to attract new guests.

“Of course, the focus is on the question of costs and we have simply acted in the entrepreneurial sense: If you compare monthly fixed costs with commission costs for more or less the same product, the decision is made quickly.“

The result

The team from Restaurant Sonne has been using mPocket for a few weeks now and we are eager to find out how our solution is received by Marko and his team, but above all how it is used by the guests.

“What I like most is that we were able to express our own wishes and the mPocket team focused on that. Lieferando is already so standardized, with mPocket we simply got our own touch. Our guests like that and are happy to support us.”

In addition to the order option, Restaurant Sonne also uses the automated review requests via the guest Wifi. Marko is optimistic that he will soon be able to completely detach himself from the conventional delivery service and only be able to process orders via the mPocket app. Over the summer months, he and his team want to advertise orders through mPocket to the majority of guests who come through the terrace and beer garden season.

“The presentation to the outside world is of course particularly important for us as a restaurant operator. mPocket has also helped us with this.”

Marko is also of the opinion that a hard cut, i.e., switching off the conventional delivery service, will push the orders via the mPocket application again. While people increasingly prefer to place orders online instead of having to call and perhaps get no or a receipt as an answer, he doesn’t think it matters which portal they use to order. After all, if someone googles “Balkan cuisine nearby” and gets the restaurant Sonne as a result, it doesn’t matter for them which link they click on to choose their dishes. Today’s guest wants it practically with a click – if he can still support his favorite restaurant to get his Cevapcici delivered fresh and hot in the future – all the better.

“I like working with Markus. If a problem occurs, I know that I can get in touch and get an answer quickly. The mPocket team really put in the effort and I was really excited, especially by the very personal touch. We’ll add a few little things like the voucher option and then we can get off to a flying start.“

Personal, individual support is important to us at mPocket because every restaurateur or retailer has his own individual story to tell with his own individual challenges.

You also want to free yourself from expensive commission costs, structure and organize your team better or would like more reviews, but do not dare to ask your customers about it. We look forward to hearing from you and your personal story and how we can support you with our mPocket app.

Take a look at our website and subscribe to our newsletter or contact us directly at hallo@mpocket.io.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Jasmin Janson

Marketing & Communication Manager mPocket

Stay up to date!

How to use the Google Business Messages

How to use the Google Business Messages

by | Apr 14, 2022 | Hospitality, Retail

Google Business Messages

Chat directly with your customers on Google
Reading time: 3 minutes

Messenger services such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Co. are regular everyday life for us, we text with our families, we chat with friends and colleagues. The use of messenger apps is 88.8% in Germany alone, according to the Digital 2021 Germany Report. Why shouldn’t we, as end customers, also chat directly with a company on Google if we still have a question or need more information? Imagine you want to give grandma Kate her favorite plant for her birthday, wouldn’t it be super easy to ask the nursery nearby on Google directly if they have exactly the plant before you swing on your bike and drive there? If you are a retailer yourself, you also have the additional chance to convince one or the other still undecided customer of your business.

How you can activate the messaging function, Google Business Messages on Google and thus enable customers to contact you in real time on Google and Google Maps you will learn now.

Activate the message function

Before you can even activate the messages/chat function, you first need a Google Business profile. If you don’t have a profile yet, we provide a free guide for you on how to easily create your profile.

Download free Google profile guide

Once you’ve created your profile, or if you already own one, you’ll need to log in to your profile first. In your business profile dashboard, you’ll find the Messages tab in the left search bar. Here you can enable the messaging feature for your Google Business Profile. Once you’ve enabled messaging, your customers can connect with your business on Google and Google Maps using the “Chat” or “Request a Quote” or “Booking Request” button.

Chat with your customers

When a customer now writes you a message via Google, it will be displayed in your company profile, under the Messages tab and is therefore visible to all owners of the Google Business profile. In addition – as with reviews – all owners of the company profile are informed about new messages by e-mail and can chat with customers. It is important here that you or your team reacts promptly to the messages from customers. If a company does not respond within 24 hours, Google may deactivate the chat function again. However, it can be easily reactivated in your Google Business profile as described above. Messages are stored in the company profile, so you can always fall back on a conversation. If you delete one of your messages, it will only be deleted on your devices, in your profile, but remains visible to your interlocutor.

Facts about Google Business Messages

To give you more time and to give your customers an immediate response and feedback if your team is not directly available, an automatic welcome message can be set up. In addition, photos can be shared with customers in the Messenger, so you can, for example, send your products directly to your customers as photos and convince them even better of your products. Visuals usually persuade more and easier than just words. Learn more about this customer thanks to their Google profile. When a customer writes a message, you will first see the Google profile username, but the “About me” page may provide you with more information, such as the full name or a profile picture, if the customer has uploaded one. More information enables you to recognize or classify potential customers in order to provide them with even more targeted advice on site.

You want to learn more about how messenger services can be useful to you in customer acquisition and retention and how you can make it easier for you to be present and chat in the different messengers? Then write us in our web chat on www.mpocket.io or directly to hallo@mpocket.io or on Google and Google Maps. We look forward to hearing from you.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Carolin Becker

Marketing mPocket

Stay up to date!