How to Position Your Business as an Invaluable Partner

Every crisis is a test of your company’s client retention ability.

It might seem remarkable that not every business is equipped to maintain its clients in the face of a crisis. However, if you are already an invaluable business partner, you might be better positioned to keep your clients during an emergency.

If you are wondering how to do it, you have us to help you out.

In this blog post, we will be giving our top advice for keeping your clients during a crisis.

Provide Exceptional Customer Care

If you do not go above and beyond in catering to your customers’ needs, you are not invaluable to their business.

Customer care is critical because it shows your clients that they can count on you to be there when they need you the most.

Clients depend on your service or product to succeed in their business. Therefore, when there is a problem with your service or solution, they need immediate help.

If you are not answering their queries, customers feel frustrated.

And why shouldn’t they?

After all, they are paying good money for your service, and if they are having an issue, they deserve your attention to continue conducting their business operations.

According to a continuous study by Microsoft, 58% of American consumers switch companies because of poor customer care. [1]

What is the use of a partnership if one partner is never there for you when you need them the most?

If your clients feel you start avoiding them the second they complete a purchase; they will churn and stop doing business with you.

You will be doing your direct competitors a favor.

To make your business an invaluable partner to your clients, ensure you are providing seamless customer care.

If you are stuck on how you are going to do this, here’s our best advice.

Be Consistent with Your Customer Support

There is nothing worse than inconsistent customer care.

Pledge to answer all customer support requests in a set time and stick to those deadlines rigorously. If you do not know the answer, go ahead, tell the client and let them know you will research a solution for them. Give yourself a deadline for responding.

A study by SuperOffice found that the average response time for customer support is 12 hours. [2] It is essential to focus on providing fast and responsive customer service so your clients do not have to wait for ages before you can fix their problems.

Ask Your Customers for Feedback

Asking your clients what you can do to improve the service you provide benefits you twofold: it shows you care about their opinion and gives you a sense of direction.

Once you know what your customers want from you, you can focus your efforts on providing that.

On the same note, let us talk about building trust with clients.

Make Your Clients Trust You

You cannot expect companies to do continuous business with you if they do not trust you. Nowadays, businesses you can trust have become a rare commodity. Wouldn’t you agree?

When you eventually find a company you can rely on, I am sure you will work hard to nurture your business relationship with them because you realize they’re a vital business partner.

Similarly, your business should aspire to do the same. That is, become a partner your clients trust to do an excellent job.

Trust vouches for quality.

Once customers start trusting you, you will not have to prove quality repeatedly; your reputation will speak for itself. After all, established brands do not have to go above and beyond to prove that their services or products have high standards for quality.

Having a reputation for reliability improves retention.

Reassure clients that they can trust you in a crisis. When clients trust you, they will stick to your advice.

For instance, when you have a product or service add-on that can improve their business, clients that already trust you will not need much convincing to give your suggestion a try.

You might wonder how to foster client trust.

The answer is: by proving yourself time and time again. Remember, client trust is not a fundamental right but a privilege. You must earn it.

Be as transparent as possible with how you do business. Instead of overselling your services and products, communicate what your business can do for its clients as clearly as possible.

One of the best ways to do that is to post client reviews and testimonials. After all, 72% of clients say [3] positive reviews foster business trust.

Provide Additional Value for Free

Never hesitate to go the extra mile for your clients.

When companies provide additional value for free, they show true dedication [4] to their clients.

This feature makes them invaluable, especially in times of crisis.

If your business was in a tight spot, who would you prefer to cut off: companies who keep going the extra mile for you or companies that treat you like just another number?

Providing additional value is one of the best ways to make your business stand out. It is even more crucial for companies and businesses that rely on recurring payments or subscriptions.

Here is why.

Businesses that provide ongoing services rely on (monthly) user subscriptions and payments for their income.

Rather than basing their income on a large number of one-off purchases and transactions, they generate revenue by regular payments from a steady client base.

And users can cancel a tool or service with a click of a mouse. They can do it the moment they realize your business doesn’t provide enough value. Your clients can easily find a similar company in the market and continue without you.

Providing additional value is the best way to position yourself as a reliable partner and retain customers for the long run.

You can provide value via free webinars, product discounts, access to additional features, free trials, or customized offers tailored to your client’s unique needs. These methods have proved to reduce customer churn. [5]

Whatever your niche is, you must dedicate yourself to providing additional value to your client, free of charge.

Be a Part of Their Success Formula

You do not have to fear losing clients if you’re directly contributing to their success.

If your clients depend on your services to keep their business going, they will stick with you even in times of crisis. [6]

For example, if they hired you to attract qualified leads for their company, they will keep using your services as long as you help them gain leads that convert to paying customers.

After all, by dropping your services, they would cut down their potential business opportunities.

So, one of the best ways to keep your clients is to be responsible for their success.

To get there, you need to think about how your business can help your clients succeed. This feat starts with a change of mindset.

Stop thinking about what you need to do to succeed and adopt a client-centered mindset.

Ask yourself: what does my client need to succeed? And how do my resources help them achieve success?

When you secure a terrific return on investment for your clients, they can safely rely on you repeatedly.

That way, they will keep on investing because you’re a part of their success formula.

Conclusion

Client retention is not a one-off thing; you must prove your value repeatedly. But if you stick to these practices, your clients will know they are lucky to have you on their side.

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Ashley Wilson is a content creator writing about business and tech. She has been known to reference movies in casual conversation and enjoys baking homemade treats for her husband and their two felines, Lady and Gaga. You can get in touch with Ashley via Twitter.