Every interaction that a customer has with a company can influence their willingness to continue and grow that relationship. It is important to remember that every touchpoint with a client can make an impact, so consider how you can improve each interaction, no matter how small.

1. Be Empathetic and Express Appreciation

Not every business considers the importance of treating their customers with the experience that they would want. Whether that be through offering an empathetic response to an issue or expressing genuine gratitude, these make the difference between a one-off interaction and long-term relationship.

2. Make Connections

By offering services that are considerate of consumer needs, whether you are building connections with the client or making connections between their problems and possible solutions, you can build long-term commitment.

3. Communicate Honestly and Openly

Communication can be an area that can easily damage any relationship, and with consumers, transparency and honesty go a long way. If the client has an issue with your business or you have caused an error, it is important to own that an honest response. While it may not feel great at the moment, it is important to take that chance to show the customer that you honor them during even the hardest of conversations.

4. Solicit Feedback

Feedback provides your customers with the opportunity to report back on their experience with your business. By soliciting feedback on an ongoing basis, you will find yourself with consistent data to improve the customer experience and your customers will find themselves with the chance to be heard and valued.

5. Go Above and Beyond

While it should go without saying, customers notice when businesses go above and beyond to improve the experience. Whether, that is with a letter to express gratitude or something more tangible, like promotional materials, customers will remember where they have an experience that goes above and beyond.

6. Be Accessible

Offering your customers options that are easily accessible can impact the long-term relationship between customer and business. Over time customers will not want to continue an inconvenient relationship, so companies should strive to be accessible to their customers, whether that be online, geographically or communication.

7. Create Personable Experiences

In a day and age where we communicate digitally, it is even more important to offer a personable experience. People want to feel like they are communicating with and connecting with other human beings, so as you create systems and procedures, make sure to ensure they are personable and based around human needs.

While establishing a positive customer experience can feel complicated, there are many ways to adjust your current practices to embrace a more personable, positive and customer-focused experience for all.