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We all remember the corny oxymoronic statement – “Kindly hold as we forward your call to our customer support executives…All our customer support executives are busy right now attending to other customers…Please remain on the line as your call is vital to us…” Now, a large section of customer care experts has always criticized automated feedback systems, since according to them once businesses automate their interactions with the customers, actual customer feedback gets lost. Hence when you have a recorded message saying – “Press 2 for this” or “Please rate your experience with us by entering 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 on the phone” – customers on the other end of the line are most often than not compelled to interact with inhibitions or in a limited format. Therefore, even though under this circumstance the customer responds to the questions the company asks, nevertheless, the feedback system does not provide the customer the real chance to tell what he/she wants.

So! Is the automated feedback system outright bad?

As one of the most prominent and experienced digital marketing agency in Kolkata – we say no. This is because, while automated feedback system has its share of pros, as an entrepreneur, business owners must also need to understand that consistent dependence on systems makes us grow out of touch with customers and with time eventually lose them (in spite of this is just not what that we want).

So- how can businesses create customers for life?

Well, it is only by - Delivering exceptional customer service! In a recent interview, Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group) spoke to a leading writer for the magazine about customer experience/service and how it helped Virgin America enjoy its allegiance of several clienteles for so many years. Read further as we bring you some of the exclusive tips from that interview on customer retention provided by Sir Branson in the course of the interview:

1. Hire People with The Right Attitude

Are you aware of the fact that Virgin America hires just about one out of a hundred people who apply? According to Sir Branson, his company follows a very strict selection procedure where applied candidates are checked on attributes, such as – friendliness, competency, and commitment to providing superior customer service. He quotes: “we take people who see life as “glass half-full”. Furthermore, he adds – “When a company hires good human resources, other great people want to work there, too”. As Sir Branson puts it - “...technically, we are an airline company offering good customer service but ideally, it is the other way round”.

2. Consider Your People as The Greatest Asset

Sir Branson quotes in the interview – “…the features and amenities Virgin America offers are all part of the package. While attractive packages attract customers to fly with us, it is eventually the quality of the interaction they have with our employees that encourages them to return.” This in other words implies that is exactly why the founder of Virgin America demands brands and businesses to focus on building quality interactions between their staff and customers, which is the only way for an average company to step to a higher pedestal and supersede the competition.

3. Empower The Employees

According to Sir Branson, he quotes – “…once you have hired the right people, it is important that you render comprehensive training to them to enable them to deliver effective customer relationship management service.” With these words, he implies giving stress on providing the right training for the right people. Provide the employees with rightful recognition and appreciation. The founder of Virgin America further says - “At Virgin America, team members are not only trained to satisfy customers but they are also publicly rewarded when they do.” He points out, as an example of an instance of fog delay in San Francisco, when he personally praised the flight team as they offered complimentary cocktail service to waiting onboarding customers. According to Sir Branson, it was an exemplary creative solution to keep the customers happy while they were waiting.

4. Emphasize Visibility

Referring to the words of Sir Branson - “…. if an entrepreneur is always on the move, meeting new recruits and employees and asking honest feedback from customers – there is nothing like it.” And this is exactly what he does too. He is never stuck behind a desk. Rather most of the time he keeps himself engaged asking for passengers’ opinions and suggestions and noting them down. He firmly believes that any leader’s creativity can only be nourished when they come out of their confined glass cabins, and spend time talking to customers about their experiences or asking their employees for brainstorming better ideas to provide the next best customer service.

5. Get Engage in Social Media

Virgin America responds 24/7 to nearly every customer’s question and comments on Twitter. In the interview, Sir Branson recall an event when a passenger Tweeted on a weekend about leaving an important folder in the seat pocket. Little to the passenger’s expectation, Virgin America replied back within a few minutes. According to Sir Richard Branson, this quickness in responding to customer issues is what exactly makes customers feel that his company does not only use social media platforms to pitch marketing messages and campaigns but they use social media as a means to get engaged with customers in genuine and helpful conversation. And he suggests every company must do so.

Conclusion

Now that you have found an idea as to how you can retain and win the loyalty of your customers if you are someone googling “digital marketing companies near me” – contact us and we will surely help your business to find new customers, retain the existing ones and aid you in reaching your goals.