When a business treats its customers as more than a transaction, that business sets itself up for long term success.

When it comes to retailers and vendors, customers today have different options to work with. Since everything from home supplies to clothing can be purchased online, businesses have to compete with rivals around the world to maintain their customer base and to grow their revenue.

So how can you stand out from the competition when offering your services or products to customers? Below are six signs that show your customers that you care:

The provision of friendly and easy to access customer care

Customers expect to have a straightforward and seamless customer care service. According to statistics, 83% of online customers need support to make a purchase and 71% of customers expect to have help online within the first 5 minutes.

Companies that are looking to have more meaningful and long-term relationships with their clients know that they should have multiple channels of communicating with their customers. It can be through phone calls, social media channels, live chat, self-service/FAQs, or even email. Companies that take time to care for their customers always provide contact details and any other information a customer may need. Your company has to make sure that all its customer care agents are working well and responding to customer requests on time.

The pro-activeness of striving to know your customers better

Customers today have more demands compared to a decade ago. Most of the customers expect to talk to a customer representative who knows all about the company products, the service history, and the company’s contact details as soon as the customer contacts them.

Companies like User IQ know that understanding the customer is an essential step to the success of a business. Without this kind of knowledge, it is hard to provide the correct details on marketing, pricing, or any other business detail. Since the business landscape is changing, and social media and other resources are allowing companies to make more personalized connections with their customers, companies are going the extra mile to ensure that they are meeting the expectations of their customers.

Companies creating an obsession with excellence in customer service

In a report by Carlo Johnson, it was stated that 89% of customers stopped working with companies that offered poor customer service, while 40% are confident that they will stop working with a company that provides poor service. This is a point that no company should ignore.

In our current times, there are increasing options, high product availability, and competition in prices. The competition in business has evolved, and a potential sale may hinge on exceptional customer services. Companies that stand out realize the importance of great customer service to keep their customers excited about working with the brand.

Living in the shoe of the customer

Looking at the company in the shoes of a customer is all about being able to see a situation from one perspective, understanding how a customer feels at each stage, and providing tailored solutions that are engineered for a particular situation.

This skill also enables employees to communicate more efficiently with customers and take care of the emotional well-being of customer interaction. Companies that take customer success and customer care seriously recognize the importance of emotional connection and they ensure that their staff is listening to both non-verbal and verbal cues from the customer to customize solutions for them.

Going the extra mile

Most companies offer training to their staff to make sure that everyone follows the basic procedures of customer success. Although there are transparent procedures and policies for everyone to apply, it is crucial to ensure the employees are empowered and encouraged to make their own decisions.

There is great worth in empowering your company staff to go the extra mile to satisfy the needs of your customer. In this kind of framework, employees are not tied to scripted scenarios, they are encouraged to use their personality to offer the best services to their customers.

Rewarding customers who are loyal

Companies who are focused solely on attracting new customers often overlook the value of their existing customers. Customers who are consistent with a particular brand tend to complain about the massive discounts and offers brands make to acquire new customers when those deals are not extended to loyal customers as well. The lack of long-term relationships can bring harm to your business. In research by The Grass Roots Group, approximately 49% of customers prefer switching loyalties if special offers are offered to new customers only. But for those businesses that reward customer loyalty, they retain their customers at a much higher rate in the long run.