GiftCard Partners Blog

Managers: Focus Your Attention on Customer Loyalty

Written by Deborah Merkin | 07/27/2017

Customer loyalty is the engine that keeps any business growing. If you can’t rely on your existing customers, it’s likely your business is headed for trouble.

Related: The Price of Customer Loyalty in Real Estate

On a daily basis, customer service managers are often tasked with the responsibility of making sure each customer who interacts with their business has a great experience.

The two most important issues a manager usually has to contend with is an unhappy customer about to switch brands and how to convince them to stay.

Sway Customer Loyalty Through Great Service

We’ve all been there: you're dealing with an angry customer either causing a public scene, or they're quietly threatening to leave and never come back.

Sometimes, customers will even go so far as to leave a nasty review, even though you’ve been their brand for years. 

You’re at risk of not only losing a customer, but in the age of online review sites, one incident can put other customers’ loyalty at risk. This could be a high-stakes situation for your brand reputation.

According to a recent report by InContact, eight out of 10 customers will switch brands if they had a bad customer service experience.

How does your brand and staff come back from that dark customer service experience? By providing great gifts and incentives to dedicated customers.

Need help finding the right gift card incentive? 

Contact us today for a free consultation.

 

Provide the Right Incentive

Offering a timely reward, whether it’s smoothing over a negative customer service experience or showing appreciation for long-term loyalty, is crucial.

Incentive Magazine recently surveyed 464 corporate gift givers, finding that nearly 60 percent use gift cards in their programs.

Whether the gift card allows customers to buy more from your brand or is provided through a Visa or American Express prepaid card, the flexibility gift cards offer is the key to their success.

The survey revealed the most common type of cards given to customers were dining and restaurant gift cards, with more than 48 percent of respondents using them.

However you reward customer loyalty, make sure that you find a balance between giving gift cards to offset bad service and using them in a positive way to reward and incentivize.

Using the right incentives, often gift cards, at the appropriate time strengthens your customer loyalty and service.

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