We’ve all heard the adage that retaining customers costs less than finding new ones. Naturally, that difference varies depending on your business. But, this handy infographic from Invesp makes the point pretty clearly. Yet, business focus a lot of resources on the sales funnel. Often, closing the deal is the end of the process. Prioritize customer retention and you’ll save time and money later.

Helpscout suggests thinking of customer retention as the inverse of the sales funnel, with the two of them forming a sort of “customer support hourglass.” This way of thinking makes customer service as important as sales and marketing — a mirror image, in a way.

Mapping the “Other Funnel”

You need to form a picture of how customers move through the “other funnel,” or the bottom half of the hourglass. Track how customers move along the retention path to figure out when and where you lose them. Do they get frustrated with lack of support? Do they simply lose interest and move on to something else? Or, do they enjoy their experience and tell their friends about you?

Four Keys to Keeping Your Customers

Just as a good salesperson understands where in the sales funnel a potential customer is likely to fall off, a strong support team can analyze post-sale behavior. Four key steps, at critical post-sale milestones, keep customers on board. You will even find they can advocate for you and become your best advertising.

1. Head off buyer’s remorse.

Make sure the customer is comfortable and capable of using your product right away. Think about the satellite TV installer taking the time to teach the customer how to use the remote control. Your product may be less hands-on, but make the right resources available immediately. Offer tutorials online, or create a blog with continuously updated, useful information. The more the customer understands your product, the more use he or she will get out of it.

Advocacy starts even at this early stage. People may happily proclaim to their colleagues and Facebook followers that they just made a smart purchase. Don’t make them liars.

2. Support ongoing usage.

Reach out to the customer at a set interval following the purchase, perhaps two weeks or a month. Don’t make it a sales call. Simply check in to find out how the person is doing with your product. Prepare to answer any questions or problems that arise. Then, ensure that the customer knows how to reach you in the future. Offer contact options that are most convenient for the customer, whether it’s by phone, e-mail, chat, social media, or some other method.

You may follow up again, perhaps when you push out updates to your software or a new accessory for your product goes on sale. Time your contact with potential stumbling blocks for the customer.

3. Point them toward their next purchase.

The marketing, sales and customer support teams can really work together here. Between feedback sales teams hear and the ongoing questions customer service reps get, you will learn more about your customer. Your marketing team might plan things like customer loyalty programs or direct communication with past customers. As someone who talks directly to customers regularly, you can contribute valuable information to those plans.

Continue to seek information. Monitor social media to find out what other needs your customers tend to have. Give customers the opportunity to talk to each other, too, to discover how others are benefitting from your products.

4. Give them reason to spread the word.

The best customer is one who does your marketing for you. Enlisting product evangelists is practically effortless if you’ve done everything else right. Some advocacy will happen naturally if you’ve done all of the above steps well. In addition, you might incentivize advocacy by offering “refer-a-friend” discounts or other bonuses. Let your customers know that you appreciate their positive talk. People like to be heard. Even retweeting a compliment someone gives your product make that customer feel good and reminds them that you’re paying attention.

With teamwork and practice, you will figure out how best to implement these four keys to customer retention. You will rely on the strengths of your unique business, and the talents of your team, to keep happy, loyal customers singing your praises for years.

IMAGE: Geralt / CC0 Public Domain