After-sales follow up

Following up your sales demonstrates your commitment to customer service, builds your customers' loyalty and helps generate repeat sales. Follow up steps include:

• contacting customers after purchase to ensure they are happy
• providing repairs, refunds and warranties
• creating opportunities for customer follow-up such as sales alerts.

The following techniques will help you and your sales team build an ongoing sales relationship with your customers and encourage them to refer your business to others.

Follow up with good customer service

Customers remember businesses that provide good customer service. The simple step of following up a sale to ask what your customer thinks of your product will make them feel valued. They are also more likely to tell others about your business.

Good customer service steps include:

• letting your customers know that the goods have arrived
• following up to ensure goods have been received
• providing updates on delivery or service arrangements
• checking up on a new installation
• referring customers to your online services.

Build customer loyalty

Most consumers appreciate personalised care and attention. Remembering your customer's name, or a previous interaction with them, helps your customer feel they 'belong' to your business.

Remember your customers and pay attention to their needs and interests. For example, refer back to your customer's last purchase or interaction and ask them a question about it.

Use these loyalty strategies to strengthen your customer's devotion to your business:

• Offer rewards for new customer referrals.
• Start a loyalty club and offer discounts to members.
• Send birthday cards and seasonal greetings offering gift promotions (consider religious sensitivities).
• Invite your customer to open an online or in-store account with your business.
• Invite your customers to keep in touch through social media channels.
• Offer incentives for product recommendations or new customer referrals if they are satisfied with your product.

Generate repeat sales

Use every opportunity to tell your customers about sales, promotions and services you provide. Help your customer feel that they benefit by receiving preferential treatment and inside information from you. You can generate repeat sales by:

• telling your customer about specials or promotions you are running
• selling gift cards and arranging gift orders
• sending periodical updates to advertise sales, offers and promotions
• offering product demonstrations that may be of interest to your customer
• drawing customers' attention to related products that provide them with different or additional benefits.

Also consider...

• Be aware of laws regarding spam if you are emailing your customers.
• Be aware of telemarketing laws if you are phoning your customers. Learn more about legal and ethical selling.
• Find out how to manage online customer reviews.
• Make sure that you know how to protect customers' privacy and information.
• Learn how to manage customer complaints.