As heartbreaking as it is, customer churn is a normal thing that happens to every business in Denver. Whether they’re just not happy about your business or for factors beyond your control, the best thing to do is to accept defeat and learn from the experience. If it’s your first experience with a customer walking away, don’t fret. There’s still a way to get them back.
Ask Them Where You Went Wrong
The best way to learn from an experience like this is to get feedback from the customer or client you just lost. Contact them to schedule an exit interview. Whether they say yes or no, end the correspondence with a sincere apology and a promise that you’ll improve your products and/or services.
If they do want to be interviewed, ask them which medium they prefer. Do they prefer a face-to-face interview? If so, should it be through a video call or in-person? Would they rather answer an online questionnaire? Once they’ve chosen a medium that’s comfortable for them, it’s time to formulate your exit survey.
Helpdesk software developer Groove HQ says that only a single, open-ended question is needed for your interview: “What made you leave?” This got them not only more responses but more insightful ones, too. It gives customers the freedom to enumerate the reasons behind their exit and be more open about what they think of your service in a short span of time.
If it’s a call or an in-person interview, you can go a step further by asking them what they think your company should’ve done differently, and what they liked about your products and/or services. This way, you have a clearer idea of what you did right and what areas you need to change.
Assess, Plan, and Implement
Once you have your customer’s insights, try to assess the departments that they had problems with. If it’s with customer service, is it with a certain representative or the whole system? Is it a product issue that may affect the rest of your customers? Maybe they mentioned problems with your product pricing. Book meetings with those departments and discuss the feedback you got, and come up with steps to change to serve your customers better.
Touch Base from Time to Time
Now that you’ve made changes according to feedback, announce them through your social media channels or through blog posts — no matter how small those changes might be. Your ex-customers, if they still follow your business, will see that you took their suggestions to heart.
You could even hire local business marketing experts to give your search rankings a boost, in case your customers are still looking for the products and/or services you offer. It’s also worthwhile to email the customer to thank them again for the feedback, and that you’ve implemented the changes they recommended. This may spark their curiosity and possibly give your business another shot.
It always stings when you lose a loyal customer, especially if your company is new. It feels like all the effort you put in to keep them went out the window. But you should take their exit as a way to grow. Take the steps above to improve your business, and your customers may come back more loyal than ever. And if they don’t, at least you know how to serve your future leads better.
