5 Strategies to Maintain Empathetic Long-term Customer Relationships
Maya Angelou once said, ‘People may not remember what you did or said but they will always remember how you made them feel.’
How true! And this is so whether it’s a small business that you front yourself or a huge business with hundreds of employees that your customers connect with.
You may tell clients and prospective clients that your company is amazing at what it does, but if they don’t feel understood and cared for, they’re unlikely to want to keep giving you their custom. Because it’s not just about how good you are. It goes much deeper than that.
Every interaction your (prospective) clients have with your business adds another layer to their perception of your brand, whether it’s on email, face-to-face, over the telephone, via your website or on social media.
In this fast-paced world of various forms of communication and many people vying for your customers’ business, how you make them feel will significantly affect whether they want to buy from you or not.
And human beings, the social creatures that we are, want and need a real, warm connection to other human beings. After all, humans help us survive and thrive [1].
So here are 5 strategies to help you maintain empathetic long-term customer relationships.
1. Be authentic.
Authenticity has so many benefits for us and those around us, but in this context, when you are genuine, your customers know you really care and aren’t just pretending to.
Ever heard that oddly high pitched voice people use on the phone when they are fake-connecting with you rather than genuinely doing so. Your clients don’t want to hear that fake voice, and if you do subject them to it, they’ll know you’re not in that moment with them, empathising, acknowledging and bonding.
Always, always be your real, genuine self. People can tell when you’re not. That doesn’t mean bring all of yourself all the time. That would be inappropriate. We must still tailor which sides of us we show based on the setting. But whichever part of you you do bring, it still needs to be a genuine slice of you.
Remember also that research suggests that human brains notice inconsistencies between other people’s spoken words and their non-verbal communication accompanying it, albeit just subconsciously sometimes. [2] So ensure customers intuitively feel that your communication matches up, by being authentic with them.
2. Be present.
When you’re distracted – preoccupied with things on your to-do list or something that happened the day before – you’re hindering yourself.
Listen to, and if face-to-face or on a video call, also watch what they are saying, thinking, feeling, and doing. That is the total picture of what they are communicating to you. In fact, their physical background might also be communicating further information to you.
Being present allows us to pay attention to the whole picture and respond genuinely to that full picture.
We are intuitively wired to read body language. So for example, by being present you might notice that even though they said ‘That’s fine’, their tone of voice has denoted that they are not really okay with the situation or solution you may have just offered. In that moment, you can either take the communication at face value or you can discuss things further.
Better to explore it further so that when they do again say, ‘That’s fine’, or better yet, ‘That’s wonderful, thank you’, you know now they actually are satisfied and will return as a long-term customer because they feel you have empathised and cared to make things right, and so they feel safe with you and will therefore, likely use your business again, or refer others to you.
3. Be compassionate.
Being able to see the issue empathetically requires compassion. Compassion means we come from a place of caring. Only from a kind-hearted place can we reach empathy because to put yourself in their shoes means caring about how it feels to be in their situation.
You can show compassion in many ways. One example is being flexible in your approach.
Having rules keeps your brand professional, fair, and streamlined, but a brand that builds long-term empathic customer relationships, also brings the human side into it.
Flexibility and adaptability to your customers’ needs are necessary aspects of your hands-on approach because doing the right thing in that moment when dealing with another human being is more important than following the rules.
You know what’s best for your business, and you know what a sensible approach would be.
For example, during 2020 I emailed all clients who had coaching sessions they had paid for that had recently expired or would soon expire, letting them know that I was extending the expiration date on them all until a certain date, to account for the coronavirus pandemic and how it had disrupted people’s lives and focus. I didn’t need to do that, but it felt like the right, compassionate thing to do given the circumstances.
So bring compassion into every interaction, demonstrating that you want to understand and serve their needs, within reason.
4. Stay connected.
In this distracting world of information overload, you can do two things by staying connected with your customers. One, remind them you are there, ready and waiting to help them with their needs. Two, remind them that you really understand them and their needs.
Frequently connect with your customers, existing ad prospective, however appropriate to do so in your industry. Think about social media, newsletters, blogs, and videos.
This means you connect with them in a way that’s not intrusive as they come to you when they want to see you and be reminded of your brand and what you stand for.
Think about content you can share that will demonstrate you ability to empathise with them. Think about content you can share that demonstrates that you want to help them solve their issues and cater to their needs. Empathic customer relationships are built before they get in touch with you. People are watching from the sidelines. Make sure they see empathy and compassion rather than relentless selfies and self-obsession.
5. Let them know your door is open.
So whilst the last point was about connecting empathically with customers even before they’ve knocked on your door, or so to speak, this final point is about showing them that you have empathic foresight.
And this final point is also about making them feel comfortable, cared for, loved even, and safe – and humans need to feel safe. If they don’t feel safe, their body will prepare them for the fight-or-flight response, and you know which one they’re going to pick. Flight.
So pre-empt their anxiety and subsequent distance from your business, by letting them know that your door is always open for them.
This shows you get them and are thinking several steps ahead. You realise that they may want to come back to you one day and might not feel comfortable doing so because they haven’t used your business in a while and wonder whether that might create an awkward dynamic between you.
Letting them know that they are warmly welcomed back in a week, month, year or ten years, tells them that they can come back anytime and be greeted with open arms, figuratively speaking, though for your business, perhaps literally. You know what’s best for your business, and you know what the best approach would be.
Sometimes, people need to be told it’s okay. It’s okay for them to contact you out of the blue, with questions. It’s okay for them to come back to you for your services even if they haven’t been in touch for a while.
It’s okay that they disappeared without a word but are now getting in touch again because who knows what happened in their life when they suddenly stopped connecting with your business.
There’s stuff going on in people’s lives that even their nearest and dearest ones don’t know about. Showing empathy for this will go a long way towards building your brand as a company that cares, understands, and provides a safe haven.
Bring Your Humanity
Connect with your past, present and prospective customers in a way that shows your humanity, and people will remember that you made them feel valued, and hopefully happy and relaxed, too. Business is about people first, before selling products, providing services, satisfying needs and optimising solutions. Be a thoughtful human being so that, when relevant, it’s your brand your customers think of first, and it’s your business they come back to thanks to how you made them feel.
References:
1. Holt-Lunstad, J., Robles, T. F. and Sbarra, D. A. (2017). Advancing Social Connection as a Public Health Priority in the United States. American Psychologist, 72(6): 517–30.
2. Kelly, S. D., Kravitz, C. and Hopkins, M. (2003). Neural Correlates of Bimodal Speech and Gesture Comprehension. Brain and Language, 89(1): 253‒60.
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