Customer service is something every business, big or small, needs to focus on if it wants to succeed.

Not only does great customer service make for a stronger online reputation, but it also turns your customers into loyal, lifelong fans who keep coming back time and time again, and encourage their friends and family to work with you. Here’s how:

8 tips to turn your customers into lifelong fans

#1. Provide value

Find additional ways to provide value and do more for your clients. The difference between great service and average service is anticipation. The ability to anticipate your customers’ needs and then proactively communicate solutions is what separates average service from next-level service.

Customers have baseline expectations when they work with your business. Your goal as a brand is to try to deliver more value to your customers than they expect. This can be as simple as asking, “What can I do to exceed your expectations?”

#2. Do something different

There’s a lot of competition out there, and it can be difficult for a customer to see why they should keep choosing you over your competition if you are offering the exact same thing. The key to creating raving, lifelong fans is to do something different — something worth talking about and becoming a fan of.

Sometimes, even something small and personal, like sending a handwritten thank you note after a service or calling to ask how you did, can set you apart from your competition in a big way. Make it part of your process to ensure that it gets done every time.

#3. Have empathy

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes, and be empathetic to the individuals you’re serving. Empathy keeps the customer relationship genuine — it keeps you sensitive to who they really are, what they need, what their actual problems are.

Think about a brand you’re loyal to or a local business you’ve worked with for years. What about their service keeps you coming back for more? As a customer, what kind of customer service stands out the most to you?

#4. Make it personal

When you get into a routine of doing the same thing over and over again, day after day, it’s all too easy to be robotic about it. The best way to break out of the funk and differentiate your service is to put your own personal touch on it.

The personal touch is what people are going to remember — what’s going to make them want to tell their friends and family about it, and keep them coming back to you again and again.

#5. Focus on your existing customers

Too often, small businesses get so caught up in trying to get new customers in the door that they forget about the customers they already have. This is an expensive mistake, as your existing customers are the ones most likely to become your biggest and most loyal fans.

Keep your customers coming back for more by making it a point to serve them to the best of your ability, staying in touch with them and providing them with curated offers. There’s nothing more frustrating than seeing a company you’ve been loyal to for years offer new customers a special deal that isn’t available to you.

#6. Ask for feedback

When you want to provide better service to your customers, your best bet in figuring out what they want or need is often simply asking them!

Asking for feedback demonstrates that you care about the customer experience you’re providing, and that you want to make it even better. Best of all, when you get feedback in the form of online reviews, it can help to make your brand more trustworthy and visible online.

#7. Take notes

In this day and age, people expect great service — so much so, that it has become a prerequisite for success for modern-day businesses. There are a lot of businesses out there providing great customer service, and you can learn a thing or two from them if you pay attention.

The next time you get great service, whether it be at a restaurant, from a plumber or over the phone, take notes about what they did right and what made the interaction stand out to you, and think about how you can adopt something similar in your business.

#8. Turn negatives into positives

Mistakes happen. We’re all human, and we all mess up from time to time. And even when your service is spotless, you aren’t going to be able to please everyone 100% of the time.

Even the best businesses get negative feedback from time to time, or run into situations where customers aren’t happy. It’s these situations that are actually your biggest opportunity to show off your customer service chops. Listening to feedback and correcting mistakes go a long way toward turning negatives into positives.

Providing great customer service is just the first step toward creating lifelong fans and building a strong reputation for your business. Start managing your reputation with Marketing 360® Reputation. See our plans and pricing.