Building Customer Relationships

Hello and welcome back to my blog! In today’s post, I’ll be focusing on the important role relationships play in building customer loyalty and how companies can build connections with their consumers in the midst of a digitally consumed world. As part of our assignment over the last few weeks, we had to read a new textbook, The Relationship Economy, written by John R. DiJulius, which I will be pulling information from periodically throughout this post. With that out of the way, let’s get into it!

Being Present

The biggest skill companies can have that will help them be successful on both a personal and professional level is being able to quickly make meaningful and lasting connections with others. Since you only have one shot to make a good impression, making customers feel supported, cared for, and going out of your way to make them feel valued is a great way to build connections with people. DiJulius explains in his book that to serve others, you must be engagingly present. Whether it’s in person, virtually, or over the phone, it is important for employees and businesses to “provide a positive experience on every interaction” and to build deeper connections by asking thought-provoking questions that can be used to get to know someone at a more personal level (DiJulius, 2019, p. 204). 

The Power of Active Listening

DiJulius also goes on to say that it’s not enough for businesses to just encourage employees to have positive and engaging interactions with their customers (DiJulius, 2019). It is important that they show it through their actions and put in effort to actively listen, help, and make their customer feel seen. This is typically done by making eye contact, smiling, offering enthusiastic greetings, taking time to engage in conversation with them, and sharing knowledge about the business/ products (DiJulius, 2019). Active listening and being empathetic are two key components to building strong connections with customers. Customers are real people desiring a solution; therefore, the more time you spend empathizing with their problems/ needs and showing true interest in their experience, the “more they will value their relationship with you and the product and services that you offer” (Active Listening Is Key to Great Customer Service, 2024, para. 3).

From a customer standpoint, I feel like active listening and enthusiastic greetings go a long way in building positive connections. Whenever I have the chance to shop at Altar’d State, I’m always met with a smile and a nice employee asking me about my day and letting me know up front about sales going on in the store. They are very attentive to my needs, and offer suggestions based on my purchases or what I bring into the dressing room, and take the time to ask me questions about my style, and suggest options that fit that accordingly. After every visit, even if I don’t find something that I want to buy, I am always eager to return because of the enjoyable, positive experience I receive from interacting with their employees and being in their overall store environment. 

Citations:

• Active Listening is Key to Great Customer Service. (2024, June 19). Verint. https://www.verint.com/blog/active-listening-is-key-to-great-customer-service/

• DiJulius, J. R. (2019). The Relationship Economy. Greenleaf Book Group.