I was thinking about a recent post on how to complain (and get results), and took a jaunt over to Peter Davidson’s blog, which I like. I remember that, with a nod to a past post from Josh Ledgard, that Peter wrote some time ago on his BeConnected blog about how to be a good customer.
“Sarah Eaton over at my sister blog BeTuitive talks about being a good follower. That got me thinking. I talk about developing tools and systems that help you know more about your customers. In a sense leading your customers. As a customer are you a good follower?”
His Eight Ways to Be a Good Customer (click for more details):
1. Participate in Customer Intuition Systems
2. Speak Up
3. Offer Constructive Criticism
4. Link To Them
5. Comment on Their Corporate Blog
6. Respond to Surveys and Questionnaires
7. Refer a Friend or Colleague
8. Buy Their Product, Service or Experience
Also linked to Peter’s list was this post from The Church of the Customer blog, which looks at hwo to prepare yourself for good customers: here at the top three points, visit the blog to read all eight ways:
1. Have a customer communication system – Allow customers to update their contact information easily on your website. Send a regular email newsletter to your customer list, no less than once a month.
2. Acknowledge customer correspondence – Send handwritten notes to customers thanking them for their letter. No one wins points for form letters with <name inserted here>.
3. Reward constructive criticism – Encourage customers to provide constructive feedback. Make your contact information (phone number, email address, etc.) easy to find on your website. Send customers a small gift for taking the time to send their suggestions.
