5 Surefire Ways to Win Back Lost Customers
Every business owner knows the sinking feeling that comes when loyal customers suddenly disappear and so it is very important for business owners to know the strategies that win back lost customers.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that your most frequent buyers are no longer returning, or your once-busy store is now filled with silence. Whatever the case, lost customers represent not just a drop in sales but a lost opportunity for growth and long-term success.
Take for instance Kwame, owner of one of the most patronized restaurants in Accra. In the first couple of years, his diner was humming: loyal patrons were jamming seats, and sales rose.
Not long after a string of missteps-delivering the food very late, giving erratic service, and not communicating well enough with the customers-the familiar faces began to vanish, and in a year his once-thriving restaurant barely paid the bills.
This story has been told in almost all businesses in Ghana; it is a situation they have been putting up with. Thankfully, there’s a way of recovering those lost customers and getting back into that vital relationship before it is too late and slips through your fingers.
We will be taking a deeper look in this article into various simple, tested, and tried techniques applicable to anyone to reconnect with your past customers immediately in order to increase sales drastically.
The Causes of Customer Churn in the Early Stages
Before delving into the different methodologies and ways through which one can win back customers for their business, there is a dire need to understand why the customers left in the first place.
Most customers do not just disappear out of the blue without warning or explanation from one day to another, rather, they leave due to problems or issues that have not been resolved or attended to. A few of the most common reasons that may lead to the loss of customers are discussed below:
Probably one of the most serious issues to arise with any given business has to do with the poor customer service in and of itself. Where regard and respect are not granted towards the customers, they will continue to go elsewhere where they are treated with more consideration.
Inconsistent Quality of Product or Service: If quality either of your product or service starts worsening, then it is for sure that the long-standing customers will also notice it and might move to alternatives offered by the competitors.
Lack of Communication: The reason for the loss of customer attachment is not being in contact with customers, especially at the point of changeover.
Better Deals Offered by Competitors: Within such a very aggressive market environment, like in Ghana for example, it needs to be realized that customers will not balk at switching their allegiance immediately the other companies offer them better value for money,
more convenience, or probably additions that provide them with even greater satisfaction.
How to win back customers after they are gone: Approaches that really work
1. Apologize and Reach Out: take responsibility
The first step toward attempting to win back those customers who unfortunately have been lost is rather simple and straightforward: one must acknowledge their absence from your business and apologize sincerely for any errors one may have committed which could be perceived to be partly to blame for their taking their business elsewhere.
Although decidedly an uncomfortable or awkward point to broach, one nonetheless cannot deny it as a necessary and key step in the right direction. For instance, Kwame realized that he had failed to act on his valued customers’ complaints of sluggish service.
He therefore made personal contact with some of his former customers and apologised profusely for failing them and letting them down on those occasions.
Be really apologetic on the calls with lost customers if seriously you want to win them over. Let them understand that problems have been identified and you’re committed to setting things right. A proper apology shows that you value their experience and are actually ready to make amends.
2. Give Them Good Reasons to Come Back
Now that they have made the first move in getting in touch with you, give them a reason to come back for more. Offer an incentive, such as a discount, free service, or some special offer that will provide an exceptionally good opportunity to re-establish the bond between them and you, bringing life back into their interest.
For example, Kwame took it upon himself to send out “Welcome Back” coupons, especially tailored for his lost customers, giving them a delicious 10% off their next meal.
Such a small move gave them a little wake-up call but greatly influenced them to step back into his establishment once again.
What you give out need not be expensive; the most important thing is that it should drive the message across to your lost customers that you really and indeed value their business and patronage.
- Take Immediate Action to Improve the Customer Experience
This is where most businesses fail miserably to meet their goals and promises. Unless the different problems that caused one to lose customers in the first place are attended to and resolved, there is very little to no chance of effectively and successfully gaining back those lost customers.
Kwame was very aware that unless he makes a personal effort to try and improve the service delays that were getting to be such a big problem, then no amount of sincerest of apologies or attractive discount would actually be enough to ensure that his customers stay with him long-term.
He thus opted to optimize the operations in his kitchen and went the extra mile of employing more employees, all in a deliberate effort to ensure that service would be served a lot faster and more efficiently. Now, get very specific about your business:
What are the things you can actually do much better, starting right now? Probably deliver the products faster, communicate in a more personal way, or simply make the experience more human.
4. Leverage Customer Feedback to Show You’ve Changed
Upset customers include those whose observations have been brushed off. Then it is that they are more likely to leave. To Kwame, his regulars had been leaving comments in the box about the quality of the service but never did such complaints draw any attention. He realised this was a critical mistake.
In an attempt to successfully win back such customers, you will have to prove to them that their feedback was indeed welcome and put to good use-meaningful and important changes had been made to your business because of it. You may also send surveys to your lost customers.
On this channel, you can query directly from them as to what went wrong during their tenure as your customer and what they would like your company to improve on for the future. Once these customers realize that you actually listened to their complaints and have made positive changes for redemption, they are most likely to return to you.
5. Always Be Engaging
Now, once the process has got this far, and you’ve won your customers back, you must understand that this is far from where your work ends but has just begun. You should continue to make conscious efforts to retain them and keep them active so that they do not opt to leave once again.
This can be done through frequent and relevant communication; not only emails and SMS, but even through social media platforms, which help to keep your business in the minds of your customers.
To make this bond even stronger, Kwame made it a personal effort to introduce a monthly newsletter that kept his customers informed about the various new additions to the menu, offers that they could avail themselves of, and events that would be happening at the restaurant.
This seemingly minor act was actually a huge difference in maintaining and taking care of the relationship; a shortcut to keep his customers reminded of him, not to forget his existence.
Practical Scenario: Case Study that best describes how a Ghanaian retailer regained or improved customer loyalty among its customers. Let’s take the story of Ama, a dedicated entrepreneur and owner of a boutique shop in the urban city of Kumasi.
She realized, for the year 2020, that her sales had decreased massively and at a highly terrifying rate, which was much of concern on her businesses. Apart from this, she also realized that the better and regular clients, who normally patronize her shop, had ceased from patronizing her shop.
When she was able to get in contact with such clients, she was informed that they had started patronizing other shops that could offer them more customized shopping experiences, appealing to their preferences and needs.
Voil, en un tour de main, Ama changea tout: elle proposa des consultations de shopping personnelles, les relança rguliirement avec des SMS sur WhatsApp lorsqu’il y avait un nouveau produit, et proposa des ristournes de fidlit pour tout client qui n’avait pas achet depuis plus de six mois.
Some months later, her sales picked up again, and the customers she had lost returned, followed by new ones.
