Customer Follow Up: Why It’s Important and How to Master It

Why is follow up so important to customer service?

A follow-up call isn’t about trying to sell additional products or services. Instead, it should be used to check in and ensure customer satisfaction.

Following up and showing continued interest informs the customer that the purchase was in his or her best interest. Trust is built because he/she knows you don’t have to gain anything else since the sale already happened.

Following up can also help:

1. Boost sales: People tend to choose companies with which they feel a connection. If you take the time to check in on customers and make sure they’re happy, they’re more likely to like your business and more likely to make future purchases.“Once your salespeople build a trusting relationship, they should ask for referrals,” says Linda Ray on Chron.com. “Set a schedule for your salespeople to contact former clients on a regular basis to keep your business’s name in front of them and build on that goodwill they started with the initial follow-up call.”
2. Increase size of customer base: Customer engagement can inspire people to remain loyal to your brand.

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Best ways to follow up with customers

Is your company struggling to find ways to effectively follow up with customers? Here are a few tips to consider:

1. Set expectations: Make an effort to be proactive to influence how customers perceive their happiness. If a resolution is necessary, continue to engage with that person in a timely manner.
2. Focus on the after sale: Show that you’re interested in more than just the sale. Prove the customer is also important to your company.
3. Note anniversaries: Remember certain milestones and anniversaries of customers doing business with your company. These make for great times to contact those customers.
4. Special offers: Consider sending special offers to customers.
5. Stay personal: People often work with businesses they like and trust. Consider being more conversational if it aligns with your brand.

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More specifically, here are methods to use to follow up:

1. Phone calls/texts: Phone calls are often easier and more personal, but if you have phone numbers for customers, these can be great ways to obtain feedback and resolve any issues.
2. Mail/email: Sending a letter via mail or email that’s personalized to the specific customer can also show you care. However, it’s often more difficult to hear back from the customer.
3. Social media: Social media could be used to encourage customers to complete reviews and surveys.

When reaching out to customers, consider avoiding yes or no questions and instead ask open-ended questions to get the best insight about their experiences. The more you know, the easier it will be to adapt for future transactions.

If there happens to be an issue (perhaps your company made a mistake or didn’t offer the best service), you might consider small apology gifts to show how much you appreciate the customer and what you’re willing to do to make things right.

Importance of follow up in customer service

Customer service and engagement are crucial to the success of one’s company.Here is why a proper follow up is important in customer service:

• Improves negative experiences: Not all sales go well, and sometimes a customer walks away unhappy. Following up shows the person how much you care and may even change their thoughts about your business. They just want an authentic experience and will go elsewhere if necessary.
• Offers insight: Further engagement can show you what a customer is now looking for from your company. You may realize improvements that could be made as well as what a customer wants to happen before he/she buys again.
• Adds to thoughts on value: A customer may be happy with the product but very unhappy with customer service. This alone could deter the person from choosing your company again. Customers also tend to share experiences with others, so fixing the root of the issue is important.

Follow up email for customer satisfaction

A generic email stating you’re only following up isn’t enough, as you won’t get the message across nor the feedback you want from this type of casual email.

Emails should be sent in the following instances:

• After a meeting
• After an event
• After leaving a voicemail
• After sending a follow-up email
• After a sale

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Examples of catchy subject lines from HubSpot to spark high open rates are:

• Any updates for us?
• It takes two to tango
• Let’s cut to the chase
• How can we improve your [business goal]?
• Discussing your future goals today
• Ideas for your launch

Make sure not to allow too much time to pass between a sale and a follow-up, as the quicker you spark communication, the more likely the person is to have a favorable opinion about your company. Also, if a customer has reached out to your company directly, try to make an effort to respond within 24 hours. This proves your dedication.

It may help to keep some template emails drafted so you can pull from one of those and edit accordingly to help save time when writing customers.

In addition, pay attention to open rates and click rates then adapt techniques accordingly.

Helpful app for customer follow up:

CloudApp is a platform used for instantly sharing videos and images for professionals. Every file is safely stored in the cloud and accessible via our native apps or through the web using our password-protected cl.ly short links.

CloudApp allows companies to efficiently communicate directly with customers without the need for unnecessary paper ticket systems.

For example, you can use screen recordings, GIFs, or screenshots to explain support issues, share your gratitude, request feedback, etc.

Did you know that 53% of Fortune 500 companies use CloudApp?

Here’s some feedback from clients:

 

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We believe in the power of CloudApp to achieve customer follow up and satisfaction.

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Make your customers feel important with effective and timely communication. “Why spend 15 minutes typing a long email when you can capture and share ideas from your screen in 15 seconds?”

Another bonus of CloudApp is it’s a great tool for in-house use between co-workers as well. Share ideas and concepts quickly through visuals. Win-win!

Customer follow up software

CRM systems, or customer relationship management systems, are used by companies to provide customers with the best possible experience by ensuring those companies have all necessary information. The goal is to keep all information in one place to make it easier on everyone involved.

Zendesk helps by offering several useful features for companies:

1. Companies can have a complete view of all work done with a particular customer over time in a CRM database.
2. Sales and marketing management techniques can be effortless and tailored to each customer.
3. Monitoring tools provide a comprehensive view of customer satisfaction.

With CloudApp’s Integration for Zendesk Support, you explain your point via visuals, you can share it in a Zendesk support ticket.

Your staff will no longer have to explain how to solve issues or inquire about a customer experience via phone or email. You can now use visuals. Add your videos or screenshots into a Zendesk Support ticket in just one-click.

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Are you interested in gathering feedback from a customer? Rather than requesting they visit a website to provide feedback, give the person exactly what he/she needs in the support ticket.

Work at the speed of sight and obtain the information you want from your customers right away. You no longer have to mail a letter and hope for a response.

Follow up frequency

Are you curious as to how often you should follow up with customers? One fun idea is to ask customers to fill out a form where they choose how often they’d like to be contacted on a scale from 1-10. Some customers may want more frequent communication while others may be fine only speaking a few times/year.

Don’t forget: Say ‘Thank You’. These simple words are very important and can’t be overused.

Is your company ready to improve the way it follows up with customers after sales? CloudApp is a beneficial tool to communicate and share feedback instantly.Sign up today for a free CloudApp account. Use it to build brand loyalty among customers and encourage future sales.