When was the last time you got a great deal on your home insurance for sticking with the same provider for five years, or received a free gift from your bank simply for putting your money in their hands since you started work? In a society where the gain is focused around new business, loyal clients often get overlooked.

It’s often said that it’s cheaper to retain an existing customer than secure a new one, so it makes good business sense to reward customer loyalty, especially as going above and beyond for your customers is more likely to result in repeat business.  Yet the average business can lose up to 20% of its customers a year, as a result of failure to nurture valuable relationships.

So here are our top tips for customer retention:-

• Stay in touch – emails, follow up phone calls, thank you cards and gifts all demonstrate a personal touch. It doesn’t have to be costly to acknowledge your clients, make them feel valued and reinforce the reason they are doing business with you.
• Make it personal – you don’t always need a special occasion to send a well-considered gift to your clients to say ‘thank you for choosing us’.
• Get to know your customers – take an interest in your customers and their business or personal goals. For example, if they’ve just moved house, consider sending a box of personalised luxury chocolates with a printed gift card on moving-in day.  If your service has been top notch, there’s a good chance they’ll pass on that card as a referral.
• Own your mistakes – when things don’t go to plan, honesty is the best policy.  Being up front with your customer ensures they know what to expect, and how you intend to put things right

Using gifts to retain clients

A personalised gift – however small – is a great way to remind a customer to purchase your products or services again.   With alternative suppliers constantly competing for their business, a carefully considered gift can show your customers just how much their business means to you.

Why choose luxury chocolates?

Chocolates make a fantastic client appreciation gift as, not only can you reinforce your business identity through the use of branded packaging, but you can deliver something with a personal touch – an attribute often overlooked in our virtually-connected world.

Chouchoute has created a stunning selection of handmade luxury chocolates, beautifully presented in a wide choice of gift boxes, branded for your business. So to retain the loyalty of your clients simply request a quote or give us a call on 0121 314 3472.