“The tactic here is that you give customers value now, and recover that investment over the course of their life. This is known as customer lifetime value.” – sweettoothrewards.com
We know that customers love to feel special, important, valued, and exclusive. It would be great, to make them feel so from the start – make the on boarding of new customers a celebration. It is proven that customers, who have pleasant and memorable experiences early on in the association with a company, are more likely to remain with it and become loyal. New customers, who do not feel welcome, form poor first impressions about a company and even if they associate with the company, they would never really engage or be loyal to it. On boarding of new customers should be a structured process and one that would translate to the start of a customized relationship with the customer. The on boarding process is critical to the success of the relationship. A customer may be buying a product or service from the company because of a need and may be since they did not find a better option, and may not stay on too long if they get something better. The on boarding process of new customers shows them that the company is ready to serve them and that the fulfilment of their needs is paramount for the company. This initial welcome and feeling of being valued paves the way for a strong relationship leading to an emotional connection along the way.
When on boarding new customers, it is important for businesses to understand that customers do come with apprehensions and overwhelming them with too much information at this stage could lead to what is known as buyer’s remorse leading customers to be scared off. New customers must feel confident that the company’s prime interest is the success of customers rather than about finding opportunities to sell. Customers must recognize the value in the association and feel engaged right from the start of the association. New customers must feel energized and valued to make the relationship work and be willing to carry it forward. The time of on boarding your new customers is when companies can make a great and lasting impression. Making the effort and giving time to this vital process is one of the best investments a company can make in its growth – a strong foundation would ensure that the new customers become long-term profitable ones over time.
A structured on-boarding of new customers provides a roadmap and a glimpse into what they can get from an on-going relationship with the company. New customers would be able to gauge the culture, experience, culture, and vision of the company in more depth during this process and therefore it is in the company’s best interest to provide a proper on-boarding. New customers must also be able to use this time to get a better understanding on the proper use of the products and services they have bought and must not need customer service to explain to them. In any case, with too much of a time lapse, customers can get frustrated early on and may decide to quit even before the association picks up velocity. The on-boarding process for new customers ensures the initial apprehensions are alleviated and questions are answered. The customer service teams play a critical role in the on-boarding process for your new customers. They are the ones who would know how much information for customers would be just enough and what customers could need at this stage, to put them at ease. It would be wise for the company to listen to what their front-end service personnel have to say and incorporate their experience and knowledge into the on-boarding for new customers.
The on-boarding process of your new customers is the stage that helps remove any obstacles that could hamper or slow down the building of a relationship. We know that engaged customers last longer and this longevity promotes profitability – the on-boarding process is the stage where the company can start the ‘process of engagement’. New customers, who feel delighted at this stage and experience value, are more likely to want a long-term association with the company. Companies need new customers all the time and so it is highly imprudent to make the effort to gain them and then not do enough to keep them for a long time. The experiences customers have at this early stage would define the course of their journey with the company. Does your company have a streamlined and well-defined on-boarding process for new customers? What goes into making this process a success?
A large number of people within a company would be managing some part of the relationship with customers. It is imperative therefore, to ensure that each person be introduced to new customers and that the customers know whom they may contact in case of any need. This is helpful for the members of the teams too – it is a good time to reiterate the expectations from them and to find out whether they are properly trained and equipped to handle the new / changing expectations. As mentioned in a previous exposition, technology now plays a vital role in managing customers. With so much data and information on customers, using technology and systems is a great way to help new customers do business with you without hassle and inconvenience to them. The use of technology also makes processes smoother, faster, and more efficient, thereby cutting down costs, time, and effort required to provide great service. Customers too are extremely tech-savvy and expect the same from the company they do business with – a great way to impress new customers is by ensuring that they have the information require available to them everywhere and every time.
Most customers form an association with a company expecting only the basic of good customer service, top quality products, and benefit. However, it would be great if a company put in effort to amaze them in small yet impactful ways. For example – by remembering personal details about a customer, a company could perhaps ensure that the customer has their favourite beverage and eats ready for them during the on-boarding process. This is not something that would cost the company much, but would be a gesture that lets the customer know that the company cares about the little things too. Give your customers – both new and long-standing, reasons to be pleasantly surprised and they would reward you with profitability and other benefits. Such gestures ensure that customers remember your company in a positive way and would be happy to speak well of you whenever they get a chance.
The on-boarding process for new customers is a great way to show them personalization and the customized approach of the company towards them. The company must make every effort to ensure that the process is smooth and allows the customer to move from their current practices to the new way of business, with the least possible trouble. The easier a company can make it for new customers, the higher would their satisfaction be and the more inclined they would be to cooperate. The transition must be seamless and akin to the ‘buddy’ program that companies have for new employees. Assigning a dedicated human resource to each new customer, makes them feel important and welcome and would make them willing to share feedback and insights even in this early stage of the ‘relationship’. As the association progresses, these customers would be glad to help in the development of products and contribute to the success of the company.
The on-boarding process of new customers is an extremely critical stage in the ‘journey’ of customers. Companies depend on customers for sustainable revenue, and the longer customers stay with them – the more profitable and beneficial they become for any company. Customers need and deserve meaningful experiences throughout the lifecycle with a company, and by ensuring this happens when they are new, will enable a company to reach new heights and gain huge benefits from each association.
