Great customer service is an integral part of any successful company. While it’s important to provide personalized service all the time, begin the year by celebrating the first “Get to Know Your Customers Day” of 2021.
What is Get to Know Your Customers Day?
Get to Know Your Customers Day is observed on the third Thursday of each quarter in January, April, July, and October. The day is a reminder of the importance of reaching out to customers and providing exceptional customer service. Businesses of all sizes should get to know their customers by name, understand their shopping needs, and make them feel valued.
Additionally, following an unusually difficult year, this day offers a time for businesses to express empathy towards their customers. David Peterson, the Senior Director of Marketing & Strategy at HealthMarkets, particularly understands the need to be compassionate toward clients: “Now more than ever, it’s important to exhibit empathy with customers. We are coming to the end of a very difficult and unique year where we have experienced a lot of loss, fear, and uncertainty. No matter what industry you are in, showing your customers that you care and that you are there to help them is more important than ever.”
Why Is It Important?
While getting to know your customers may look different than it did in small brick and mortar stores many years ago, it does not make it any less important.
According to Michael Stahl, the chief marketing officer at SERVPRO, “I think 2021 will continue to force marketers to focus even more so on the customer experience – especially the virtual and/or digital experience. So many companies and brands have been moving or have moved to various digital platforms already, but this past year truly amplified the need to ensure you can reach your customers where, when, and how they want to be reached.”
Overall, taking the time to learn and understand your customers’ unique needs allows you to grow as a company. Customer feedback provides you with valuable information to improve your company and generate more business. Strong client relationships build trust and loyalty, ultimately resulting in repeat sales
How Can Your Company Celebrate?
While there are many ways to celebrate Get to Know Your Customers Day, take time to reach out to individual clients following a difficult year. Adjust your business accordingly to better accommodate the customers you serve.
For example, Peterson states that “when the pandemic hit and people started losing jobs and health insurance, [Healthmarkets] made quick changes to our online shopping tool so that anyone could answer a few questions about their situation and have possible solutions presented to them – even if those solutions weren’t products or policies we sold. We did this because we knew it was the right thing to do to help people when they needed it most.”
Similarly, “for [SERVPRO] we quickly realized at the onset of the pandemic that we had an obligation to help those in need, and we created a new service line dedicated and focused on just that. Ensuring we continue to promote how we can be there to help others when disaster strikes – whether that is a health pandemic or a house fire – will remain a priority for our team and how, where and when we market our services,” shares Stahl.
Beyond restructuring your business, there are simple ways that your company can celebrate this valuable holiday. Harvard Business Review suggests using a “HEART” framework to build relationships with your customers:
- Humanize your company: let customers know that you understand the difficulty they may be facing.
- Educate about change: communicate any changes to your operations including new hours, closures, or ordering options.
- Assure stability: ease clients’ minds by promising to provide the service and products your company is known for.
- Revolutionize offerings: “Chaos presents innovation.” Let customers know how you will be serving them in new ways.
- Tackle the future: establish and communicate a timeline for when your company will reevaluate their operations.
Strengthen Customer Relationships Beginning January 21st
Fostering customer relationships should be a priority for any company. With internet commerce and big-box stores taking over, personal attention to patrons is often lost. Take additional time on January 21st to step-up your customer service following a challenging 2020. Collect client feedback and begin the new year with their individual needs in mind. Both your company and its patrons will undoubtedly reap the benefits of getting to know your customers.
