Basic principles of working with regular customers. Client base as an effective tool for working with regular clients. Working with existing and new clients

A little earlier, we talked about how and where to find clients who will buy your next masterpieces created by yourself. How many of these clients do you think you can find in a day or a week? Actually, not much. After all, each of us has our own preferences and tastes. But then how to continue your business, you ask? Very simple. Work for regular clients. If you don’t have them yet, hurry up to make your customers one. Don't you know how? Well, then we will teach you.

The following rules usually work flawlessly all together.

First rule.

Know exactly what your client wants and be able to create it. This applies not only to the price and style of jewelry. You should know what kind of jewelry he might be attracted to (for example, does he follow fashion or prefers to wear only what he likes, etc.). Focus on the person, and he will want to buy jewelry from you again and again. This rule can only be implemented if you have the ability to work in various techniques. If you have not yet mastered all the technologies for creating jewelry with your own hands, then do not waste time and learn how to create new jewelry.

Rule two.

Never keep yourself waiting. If you set a date when the jewelry will be ready, take into account all the nuances that may arise during the process (delay in delivery of the finished product, especially if you sell jewelry online, absence of the customer himself, and much more). It is better to set a longer period and hand over the jewelry before it, than vice versa. Those who buy custom jewelry are well aware of time. He will value your time, and you value his time.

Third rule.

A flexible pricing policy in relations with regular customers works flawlessly. Offer your customers a discount on jewelry ordered for the second and subsequent times. This will be a small amount for you, but the client will be pleased. After all, he will receive good quality jewelry at a reduced price. And he will not look for new craftsmen, he will buy jewelry only from you.

Rule four.

Give your client small but memorable gifts. This can be either small jewelry to match the ordered jewelry (for example, studs as a gift for pearl beads), or any small souvenir. Let your client remember you not only when he wears the jewelry you created, but also when he notices your small gift.

Rule five.

Don't forget about your clients. Create a database of your clients (addresses, phone numbers) and remind them from time to time about new jewelry that the client can buy from you. The main thing is not to overdo it. And everything will work out.

Using these rules, you can increase the amount of jewelry created and, most importantly, sold. And the result of your diligence will be a well-functioning business.

The position of account manager is found in various companies engaged in a variety of activities. This could be a trade area, and then the manager will look for new clients and establish cooperation with them. There are also managers in the advertising field, where each client needs its own approach.

You will learn:

• What role does a customer service manager play in a company?
• What are the main functions of a customer service manager?
• What skills should a customer service manager have?

What role does a customer service manager play in a company?

The specialty of a manager working with clients is present in companies engaged in various types of activities. If the company is from the trade sector, then such a specialist is looking for new clients for it. Organizations in the advertising industry often have clients who require a special approach. They always want complete confidence that their requests will be fulfilled. In this case, the manager's job is to give the client a feeling of confidence in a positive result when working with his company.

Depending on what the company does, the job title of such a specialist will sound differently. If, again, the company is engaged in trade, then the position may be called “sales and customer service manager.” At other enterprises - “manager/customer service specialist”, “specialist/service manager”. But it doesn’t matter how the employee is officially registered when hired. The essence of the responsibilities under any name is the same: to make the client feel that a relationship of equal partners has been built between him and the company. Under this condition, the client will cooperate with the company for a long time, and the organization, in turn, will increase income.

Initially, the manager helps the client become interested in the services offered by the company. When interest appears, work continues on its development and retention: achieved results are discussed, further prospects for cooperation are assessed. A successful manager is one who seeks a personal approach to each customer and establishes relationships with them built on trust.

A customer service specialist often holds a leadership position in his company. One of its main functions is to search for new customers and collaborate with them. It is important to find your own approach to each client. After all, if the manager is able to show all the advantages of working with the company, then the buyer will continue to do business with it constantly. The results of cooperation are always discussed together with the manager. He also assesses future prospects for interaction. An effective manager will soon develop his own personal client base.

A customer service manager has the following qualities: politeness, patience, his own approach to each customer, and a high degree of communication. Moreover, the latter quality should be constantly developed. This level of professionalism helps to establish reliable, trusting relationships with clients. One manager usually has contact with a fairly large number of customers. It also happens that a certain manager deals with all the most important partners. He is also called a “key account manager.”

This specialist is also directly related to the marketing strategy pursued by his company. This means that he must not only take part in marketing activities and know his product well, but also collect information about competitors and their services or products. Plus, he must be able to analyze the collected information and draw conclusions based on the analysis.

KPIs for account managers

Give up the usual assessment of staff performance so that managers fulfill KPIs not out of fear of receiving a fine, but out of a desire to make a profit. The editors of the Commercial Director magazine told us how to achieve this.

Main functions of a customer service manager

The functions performed by an account manager depend on the type of activity of the company. Here are the most basic ones.

Working with existing and new clients

The specialist works with an already created customer base, and also expands it and looks for new customers. Communicates both by phone and in person. He provides complete information about the company’s products or services, their cost, terms of cooperation, conducts, and even organizes its shipment if necessary. In addition, the manager for working with corporate clients invites them to various events held by the company, for this purpose he sends out invitations and makes preliminary calls.

Knowledge of the product range

The specialist must know the products his company sells. For regular customers, he offers various discounts and benefits, and organizes exhibitions. He always has demo samples available. The manager develops a strategy for attracting new customers. In addition, he works on reports on invoices issued, payments made, on projects he is working on or has finished working on, and on past promotions.

Conducting market analysis

A customer service specialist constantly analyzes the market for his company’s services or products, determines the profile of a potential customer, his income and needs. Having this kind of information, the manager is able to offer the client more interesting transaction terms.

Studying competitors

In addition to studying clients, the manager should also collect information about competitors. If a conflict arises during the transaction, the specialist looks for different ways to resolve it, including involving a lawyer in the case. However, he must always remain polite and calm, loyal to the customer, because the manager for the client is the main representative of the company. However, even a person who has been cooperating with you for a long time will change you for competitors if he is dissatisfied with incorrect communication.

Communication support

The manager always provides clients with the most complete information, conducts consultations over the phone, and tries to outline the benefits of long-term collaboration. If the customer agrees, the specialist meets with him personally to formalize the contract. If the client is the first to call and is interested in the company’s services, the manager needs to attract his attention and invite him to the office for a meeting.

Expert opinion

What are the differences between a customer service manager and a sales manager?

Dmitry Gordov,

Executive Director of Integra

Renaming the position “sales manager” to the position “customer service manager” was a significant step for us. As it turns out, this is not just a technical nuance in the name. This is a change from the principle “the main thing is to sell and that’s it” to a completely different approach, when a specialist communicates with the customer at the entire stage of the transaction - from making a purchase to discussing issues that arise after the sale. This type of support is logical for a company with a full cycle of services - from construction to support after completion of construction.

A bonus from establishing a long-term and trusting relationship with the customer is the client’s perception of the company as a reliable partner suitable for long-term cooperation. Firstly, it brings benefits to the company. Secondly, the client feels protected because he knows that if additional questions or any problem arises, he can always contact the manager and receive all the necessary information. These reasons completely determine the need to have a competent account manager in the company.

What skills should a customer service manager have?

Applicants for the post of manager/customer service specialist may be asked to provide documents confirming receipt of secondary, higher or any special education.

Depending on the field of activity, the company may require an employee with a legal education, a psychologist or an economist. Some companies take care of increasing the level of professionalism of their specialists, sending them to various seminars or courses. Today, a popular service has become the offer to conduct a coaching session or training in the company’s office.

In any case, the manager is required to have standard knowledge of the basics of the following subjects:

• management and marketing;
• administration;
• knowledge of the basics of legislation;
• interpersonal psychology;
• methods of communication, modern communications;
• full awareness of the goods or services offered and the activities of your company;
• schedule, requirements for employees and work carried out in the company;
• preparing and conducting presentations;
• preparation of contracts, various documents, business plans.

A customer service specialist is sociable, educated, knows how to construct an interesting and competent conversation, listens carefully to the client, has the ability to convince in his words, and is always correct and tactful. The key qualities of a customer service manager are as follows:

• information analysis skills;
• the ability to make instant decisions even in difficult situations;
• ability to communicate correctly on the phone;
• politeness, tact, resistance to stress;
• dedication to work;
• ability to work in a group and follow company rules;
• learning ability and career ambition.

In addition, the manager is outwardly attractive, charming, neat, wears business-style clothes, and first of all respects the interests of the company.

What responsibilities should a customer service manager perform?

A customer service manager has job responsibilities, the list of which is as follows:

1. Communication with the client by telephone, other means of communication or in person.
2. Fulfillment of sales plan, development of customer base.
3. Planning and implementation of actions in order to establish long-term cooperation with the client.
4. Consulting customers about the company’s services, delivery times and payments.
5. Identifying the client’s goals, forming an order based on needs and wishes.
6. Focusing the customer on the maximum volume of goods or services.
7. Consultation on ongoing promotions, discounts, etc.
8. Informing the client about the amount of discounts provided.
9. Assessment and verification of the client's solvency.
10. Personal order processing with further partial transfer to other departments if necessary.
11. Work with a full package of documents, with the initial execution of the contract or extension/re-registration.
12. Working with an up-to-date customer base, constantly updating it with information about orders, payments, etc.
13. Interaction with debtors to repay debts.
14. Searching for new clients, analyzing their activities and possible prospects for cooperation.
15. Displaying goods on the sales floor in the prescribed manner.
16. Activities to create documentation on the range and sale of products.
17. Work with incoming complaints, analyze the reasons.
18. Analysis of the selected market for product sales, preparation of proposals for improving sales, changing the assortment.
19. Preparation of complete information on current competitors.
20. Carrying out promotions, events to increase sales, preparing loyalty programs.

What rights and responsibilities does the position of account manager entail?

Rights customer service manager:

• Take initiative within opportunities and responsibilities.
• Improve your qualifications, attend trainings, seminars, etc.
• Offer possible options for improving the company's activities.
• Know the position and decisions taken by management regarding your department.
• If there is a threat to life or health, refuse to perform official activities.
• Communicate with other departments of the company on work issues.
• Sign documents within the scope of authority.
• When identifying shortcomings in the company's activities, inform management about them and offer options for eliminating them.
• Require the creation of optimal conditions for official activities, for storing documents or material property.

Account Manager responsible for:

• Providing complete information to customers about the product, delivery, etc.
• Implementation of plans for promotion and sales of products.
• Poor communication with clients.
• Correct preparation of the client base, documents, reports.
• Compliance with the standards of official documents.
• Unauthorized use of personal information.
• Execution of the sales plan.
• Independently made decisions and their consequences.
• Failure to comply with discipline, operating conditions, fire and safety regulations.
• Damage caused to the company, employees, customers or the state.
• Compliance with the rules of official etiquette and business communications.
• Failure to fulfill duties in full.

Some misconduct committed while on duty may subject a manager to disciplinary, criminal, or civil penalties. The punishment depends on the seriousness of the offense and the amount of damage caused. Cooperation with the most important customers sometimes requires the manager to take certain actions, which can lead to some damage due to negligence.

A specialist can be punished for the following offenses:

• violation of civil or criminal law during the performance of official duties;
• non-fulfillment and improper implementation of the duties provided for in the documents.

What liability the specialist will bear and to what extent depends on the degree and extent of the harm caused, as well as on whether his actions were intentional or not. That is, a specialist working with both legal entities and individuals, within the framework of his competence, must follow certain rules. If they are violated, he may be held legally accountable.

Job Description for Customer Service Manager

1. Instructions for an employee working with clients should be prepared in a specific form established for official documents. The structure looks like this:

2. Blocks about approval and agreement are placed on the upper right corner of the first sheet. They include the signature of the director and the date of signing. Also, upon approval, they enter data and receive signatures from all employees who took part in the preparation of the document.

The general part of the instructions contains the following sections:

• basic requirements for an employee;
• company documents, which the employee must study;
• organization of hiring, replacement, dismissal;
• position in the enterprise, definition of the head of the manager.

3. The key part is job rights and responsibilities. The more detailed all the information is presented, the easier it will be for the employee to carry out his activities. If the list of key functions is large, then two parts are usually created: one reveals the rights of the employee, and the other reveals the responsibilities.

4. The last point is the establishment of responsibility for failure to comply with official duties. The punishment must comply with labor law standards.

After reading the instructions, the employee must sign and date it.

Account manager salary: 4 levels

The income of such an employee depends on what level he is at:

First level

Since working as a manager requires activity, sociability, and computer knowledge, vacancies mainly go to young people. Some of them start their first job in this place. Vacancies exist for people with different education: higher, secondary specialized. Students are also hired. For newcomers, the income is small at first, but if the employee is ready to work and invest effort, he will quickly begin to build a career and increase his income level.

A customer service manager without experience has an average income depending on the city of residence:

• Moscow – 25-30 thousand rubles.
• Ekaterinburg – 15-20 thousand rubles.
• Nizhny Novgorod – 12-15 thousand rubles.
• St. Petersburg – 20-23 thousand rubles.

Second level

An employee has the right to apply for a higher salary if he has work experience of one year or more. However, he must have the following skills: working in the 1C program, the ability to competently advise the customer, knowledge of how to conduct a telephone conversation correctly, and resolving conflict situations.

The average income of such an employee:

• Ekaterinburg – up to 25 thousand rubles.
• Moscow – up to 40 thousand rubles.
• Nizhny Novgorod – up to 20 thousand rubles.
• St. Petersburg – up to 30 thousand rubles.

Third level

When a customer service specialist continues to develop in his field, he can already be equated to a sales specialist. This employee has two or more years of experience, he knows how to find and establish contact with new clients, and successfully negotiates. When applying for a new job, such an employee can offer his established base of customers, and this will be his advantage.

The income of a third level manager is as follows:

• Ekaterinburg – up to 38 thousand rubles.
• Moscow – up to 60 thousand rubles.
• Nizhny Novgorod – up to 28 thousand rubles.
• St. Petersburg – up to 47 thousand rubles.

Fourth level

A fourth-level specialist can be called a “lead account manager.” He has the highest income. Such an employee’s clients are in senior positions and have a privileged position. This employee must have at least three years of experience, a higher education, preferably a good knowledge of English, especially if the company has clients abroad.

Income of a fourth level specialist:

• Nizhny Novgorod – 55 thousand rubles.
• St. Petersburg – 95 thousand rubles.
• Yekaterinburg – 75 thousand rubles.
• Moscow – 120 thousand rubles.

• Communication with subordinates: how to establish business contacts

How to find the right employee for the position of account manager

The standard way to search for an employee for a given position is to review the submitted resumes, select the candidates you like and interview them. However, this method has very low efficiency.

It doesn’t matter who is doing the search – the company itself, an HR specialist, an agency. This method simply does not work in conditions of increased demand for employees.

For example, if a person applying for a given vacancy was invited to several different companies for an interview, then he will choose among them based on the principle of who will offer a higher salary and where it will be more convenient for him to work. And if you don’t approach the search for an employee with all responsibility, then you shouldn’t count on a good result. The statistics are such that, for example, in Moscow, out of 5 invited people, 1 comes to the meeting, despite the fact that everyone received reminder calls.

It turns out that in order to hold real 5 meetings a day, initially they need to be planned in the amount of 15 to 20. To select the people you want to invite, you will have to look through about a hundred candidates, if there is such a number at all.

As a result, this method of searching for an employee has the following disadvantages:

• Large investment of labor and financial costs.
• Candidates overestimate themselves.
• The choice has to be made not from those who are really suitable, but from those who came for an interview.
• It is difficult to make comparisons between the candidates that have emerged.

However, alas, most companies have not yet realized the disadvantages shown, and not just companies, but even HR agencies or specialists in the field of hiring employees.

It doesn't matter what method you use to interview for an account manager position. The most important thing is to ensure interest in the vacancy, and, as a result, the receipt of resumes in large quantities. To do this, the vacancy must be promoted.

SuperJob and HeadHunter are the two main human resource resources in Russia where you can advance for a fee. Of course, with such promotion, efficiency also fluctuates and depends on many factors: working conditions, attractiveness of the company, etc. Nevertheless, you cannot skimp on promotion, otherwise, with large labor costs, there will still be minimal results.

To get the maximum response funnel right from the start, there are several interview options:

1. Streaming. In principle, these are standard individual interviews, but they are scheduled based on the actual data from the arrival of applicants. That is, if out of 5 people only 1 comes, then it is necessary to schedule 5 interviews at the same time. With this approach, the number of candidates for the vacancy is quite large. A choice appears. However, it is worth considering that here you cannot do without the help of another person who will meet visitors, answer calls, explain how to get to the place, etc. This is a good method of saving your own time, compared to waiting for people who agreed to come for an interview, but in the end did not show up. It is suitable if you want to try to find an employee yourself.
2. Group. A special method has been developed with which such interviews are conducted, since the specialization of many companies is the selection of the desired category of employees. The difference between this method is that it becomes possible to notice and select people with maximum motivation, competence and adequacy from a group of similar candidates. The method works better the more experience and ability the interviewer has to manage a group of people.

Here are some difficulties, that may arise during employee selection.

Firstly, there is a lack of suitable candidates for sales positions. And managers themselves are no exception. Since many companies have a need for such an employee, there is a constant demand for them. Sales employees can come to interviews at different companies and choose from them. Statistics show that there are three vacancies per resume.

At the same time, the same statistics show that 50% of organizations offering jobs leave much to be desired in terms of their parameters, and 80% of candidates are not such good specialists. But the advantage is still not in favor of companies that need employees.

Secondly, a sales manager is expected to do a lot of work for a small salary. After all, the employer often provides a ready-made customer base and does not consider it necessary to pay a lot of money for what he considers an uncomplicated job: just to keep the existing turnover at the level.

At the same time, it is believed that an active sales specialist works more, since he is engaged in attracting new customers, constantly traveling and making telephone conversations. And an employee working with existing clients does not waste time on calls and meetings, he does not have a rush job, so there is no reason to pay him a lot. But since there are few good candidates available, cost and client requests are still taken into account when selecting a manager.

Expert opinion

Don't expect quick results from a beginner

Tatyana Modeeva,

General Director of Acsour, St. Petersburg

A newly hired manager will become useful to the company in about six months. We conducted a study, the results of which revealed that an employee is fully involved in work after 6 months, not earlier. Our company conducts a kind of training, but only after the candidate has mastered the theoretical part. The future seller needs to conclude a deal to sell the product. Our clients are experienced employees.

Such game-based training gives a clear idea of ​​how competently a candidate can advise on the company’s products and provide all the necessary information. If it doesn’t work out, then he has one more, and at the same time the last, opportunity. A specialist is allowed to practice only after he has successfully completed this training.

• Business games for employees that increase productivity

4 stages of training a customer service manager

After applying for a job, a specialist must be immediately trained. Without this, he will work in his usual way. And when trying to teach him the methods accepted in the company, he may assume that he is simply prejudiced against. A customer service specialist goes through 4 stages of training.

Introduction to work, obtaining information about the company

It takes the employee a couple of days to get acquainted with the job. They give him information about the company, about its policies, and introduce him to new colleagues. From the system administrator he receives all the necessary information about the computer programs with which he will have to deal. Typically this is a Microsoft Office package, 1C program, and also a CRM system that is used in a given enterprise. Plus they explain to him which local drives are used for general information and how to use this or that equipment. From the head of the department, the employee receives information about clients and upcoming tasks assigned for implementation.

Obtaining information about the subject of sale. Formation of a customer base

For a few more days, the new employee is explained everything about the company’s products or services. And he immediately begins to fulfill his duties by forming a client base. Otherwise, there may be a repetition of the sad experience of one company in the telecommunications sector, in which employees were given ten days to train. And only after this period had passed did they start working and start making cold calls. And at this stage, many had to leave because they could not cope. Some were afraid, others did not know the rules of telephone conversations. That is, the company's funds were wasted.

As a result, the company had to change its work pattern. Now only two days were allotted for training, during which trainees received information about products, the sales system, and learned cold calling techniques. After this period, they began to look for clients. Those who didn't succeed left. Those who remained continued to be trained. If your company is still working according to the first scheme, then the head of the sales department should modernize it.

Sales training

If the manager successfully completed the first test, then the next stage of training must begin.

The first step will be the appointment of a teacher-supervisor. It’s great if the company has its own trainer. In his absence, this role is usually given to the most experienced employee from the sales department. This is more economical than having a special trainer on staff, but there is not always a guarantee of results. When looking for a candidate for the role of teacher among experienced employees, it is worth choosing someone who works honestly and openly. Otherwise, a newcomer, along with sales skills, may also learn techniques that will negatively affect the company.

The best option in the role of a teacher would be an employee who always strives to help his colleagues. Such a person has already developed certain teaching techniques. It can also be stimulated, for example, financially. He will receive an increased bonus if the student achieves positive results within the established time period. The results of the work should be recorded: how many calls were made, how many applications were received, etc. If the head of the sales department does not see a suitable candidate for training a newcomer, then he does it himself. In this case, he will have to explain and show the following points:

• what a commercial proposal should look like;
• how to correctly draw up all the necessary documents: contract, application, report, etc.;
• the process of entering customer data and correctly filling out the CRM system;
• how to properly search for information about potential clients and maintain a database (in the event that the manager will also search for customers);
• the process of interaction with company departments in cases where it is necessary to sign documents (invoices or contracts), organize the shipment of goods or ask to reserve them;
• how to divide clients into segments;
• how to work with a price list, correctly calculate a discount when preparing an offer to a client, taking into account the volume of goods he orders and the deferred payment.

The second step will be familiarization with the product. If the company has not one, but several products, the new manager is initially given those that provide greater profits for study.

To understand the degree of assimilation of information, the manager takes a survey in written or oral form. It is conducted either by a trainer or a personnel specialist. Additional control may be carried out by the General Director. To do this, he is provided with a written form with answers to the following questions:

• List the characteristics of the specified product, its differences from competitors' products.
• How is the product packaged?
• What are your suggestions if the customer does not have the product he needs in stock, but he urgently needs this product or a similar one?
• If the customer uses such and such, list the equipment options that can be offered to him.
• State the conditions for using the specified product. How can the client get acquainted with this information?
• How soon will the product from the warehouse be delivered to the customer?
• How soon will the product be delivered to the customer if it is out of stock?

In his answers, the tested employee must reveal his understanding of the company’s product range, the nuances of demand and delivery. Answers are usually checked within 3 to 4 weeks.

Getting into a normal work rhythm

After the stages of studying the product range and training calls, the manager can start working, but still under the guidance of an experienced employee. In this case, the supervisor may be a colleague from the sales department with extensive experience and better performance, or the head of the department. He helps analyze and sort out situations with customers.

The manager’s performance will be an indicator of his readiness to start working independently at full capacity.

7 criteria for assessing how effectively a customer service manager works

Criterion 1. Attending events, conferences, various exhibitions

An employee in such a position is required to constantly ensure an influx of new clients, find and maintain contacts of potential customers. To do this, it is worth visiting various exhibitions, events, and conferences. If the company welcomes this method of searching for clients, then the employee should make it his responsibility.

Criterion 2. Competent organization of alternating meetings and calls

Telephone conversations are the main way of interaction with the customer. Meetings with prospective buyers and cold phone calls are best distributed among different employees. But this is not always possible. It happens that a company has a small staff and only a few managers. In this situation, it is worth creating a schedule for alternating calls with meetings. For example, one day make calls and expand your base, the second day – hold meetings.

A qualified and experienced employee will not expect that perhaps the client will ever recommend him to someone else. He himself asks for the contacts of those who, in the client’s opinion, could benefit from his services.

Criterion 4. Number of meetings per week (day)

Active telephone conversations and correspondence with the customer should ultimately culminate in a meeting for him to make a purchase. A qualified manager should fully feel the line when it is already possible to make an appointment. The number of meetings held per week depends on the company’s field of activity. For example, an excellent indicator is 20 meetings per day if the company sells products for everyday life. And 1-2 per day – if the company’s services are from the b2b sector.

Criterion 5. Ability to find contact with the person responsible for making decisions

When a customer service specialist has already held a certain number of meetings with a client, but the contract is still not signed, this most likely indicates that he was unable to reach the right official. However, we should not forget about the ratio of orders to requests in specific areas of activity. For example, a company with consulting services will normally have one contract signed by 10 potential customers.

Criterion 6. Exceeding the plan

The manager should always strive to exceed the plan, bring in more clients and, therefore, increase the company's income, without looking back at the established plan or supervisory control. If a manager tries to conclude some contracts in the next month so that the profit will arrive at the same time, and for this purpose delays placing an order, then such an employee may well stop bringing benefits to the company.

Criterion 7. Ability to create a funnel of opportunities

Indeed, a professional specialist does not remember his failures. Because he realizes: failure today does not mean that the same thing will happen tomorrow. He does not give up, but simply continues to do his job and look for new clients. He knows how to create a funnel of opportunities from an influx of potential customers, and understands that this will ultimately yield results - out of 10 clients, at least 1 will conclude an agreement.

Information about the experts

Tatyana Modeeva, General Director of Acsour, St. Petersburg. Acsour's scope of activity includes accounting, HR and payroll services, consulting on tax and labor legislation. Form of organization – LLC. Territory: head office in St. Petersburg; branches in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Veliky Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Smolensk. The number of personnel is 165 people. Annual turnover – 3 million US dollars (in 2010). Main clients are GNLD, TataSteel, Tele2, Woodward. Length of tenure of the General Director: since 2006

Dmitry Gordov, executive director of Integra. Dmitry Gordov graduated from the Moscow Energy Institute. Completed the MBA program at Warwick Business School. From 1997 to 2010, he worked at the Moscow representative office of IBM in various positions - from a training center specialist to deputy director of the software department. In 2010, he took the position of executive director at the Integra development group. Deals with corporate governance and development issues.

« Integra» is a development group formed by the merger of several diversified companies to implement projects in the field of development of suburban real estate (currently in the Moscow and Tula regions). Official website - www.integraestate.ru

Regular customers are the “golden” reserve. After the first purchase, it should not disappear from. Therefore, you avoid a situation where an unbalanced business model is formed.

With this model, the results from working with regular counterparties turn out to be at an unacceptably low level, since they are simply not given due attention. As a result, the company spends an excessive amount of resources on attracting new ones.

Keep in mind that repeat business with repeat customers is possible even in areas that are characterized by long transaction lengths and long product life.

Loyal customers: where to start to balance your business model

In order for customers to become permanent and continue to bring profit to the company, they must be distributed as follows.

1. Buyer. Made one purchase.
2. Client. Made a repeat purchase.
3. Regular customer. Systematically buys from you and competitors.
4. Adherent. Buys only from you.
5. Brand advocate. Buys and recommends only from you.

Once you have allocated all your current counterparties, count how many there are in each of the categories above. After that, think about what you can do to get them moving in the direction of “permanent.” It will be much easier and cheaper to sell to them than to attract new ones.

All these stages constitute a “sales skirt”. That is, first a lead enters the funnel, becomes a buyer, and then continues to move down to the status of a permanent and then brand advocate, buying more and more often.

To understand how you can increase revenue through regular contractors, we recommend that you calculate the LTV (Lifetime value or customer value) indicator.

Regular customers: how to calculateLTV

The indicator is calculated using the formula:

LTV = S x C x P x T

S - average check;
C - average number of purchases per month;
P - profitability as a percentage of the check amount;
T is the average “lifetime” of a client (the average number of months during which the client remains an active buyer).

By measuring this indicator, you can understand how much you earn on average from your regular customers. The higher the LTV, the more profit you make. The goal is to increase LTV.

There are 3 ways to improve LTV

1. Attract more “good” leads

“Good” customers are those who clearly fit the profile of the company’s target audience. ABCXYZ analysis will help you identify them. It will show who buys more and more often.

2. Convert “not giving a fuck” into “good” customers

This category includes those who made a second purchase and those who systematically buy from you and competitors. Calculate their averages and figure out how to convert them into “good”. Develop a marketing strategy. Loyalty programs, promotions, and test drives would be appropriate. Also, improve the product.

3. Increase your average check

It is necessary to calculate the penetration rate - your share of regular customers. This will give you an understanding of how much is being purchased from you and how much from competitors. Then figure out what you need to do to get them to buy only from you. To do this, you need to ask them a direct question: “What needs to be done to make you buy more from you?” Work in this direction alone will increase revenue from regular customers by 15%.

Regular customers: what is ABCXYZ analysis

It is necessary to analyze the base of regular customers in order to “reach” them to the level of “good”. For this purpose, there is ABCXYZ analysis, which allows you to segment the entire mass of current buyers according to the criteria of volume and regularity of purchases.

What does ABCXYZ analysis give you?

First, you will understand exactly who your target audience is.

Secondly, you will be able to bring individual “lost” customers up to the level of consumption of the target audience

Where to get data for ABCXYZ analysis

You can easily extract all information from the system. There is no CRM system, which means it needs to be implemented urgently. In the meantime, conduct an analysis based on bank statements.

As for retail, the customer mass should be analyzed based on the use of loyalty cards by customers. Therefore, implement a special loyalty program, issue cards and use them to identify customer purchases.

Regular customers: how to control their “dump”

This indicator will help you with this: CRR (Customer Retention Rate, or customer retention rate). It shows how quickly customers leave you.

CRR is calculated using a simple formula:

CRR = ((E-N)/S) x 100

E - number of buyers at the end of the period;
N is the number of new customers acquired during this period;
S is the number of buyers at the beginning of the period.

According to a Harvard Business School report, a 5% increase in CRR leads to a 25-95% increase in profits.

Regular customers: how to get them to buy more and more often

There are several ways available to everyone to retain regular customers.

Emailing

This tool should not be underestimated. If this is the right channel, then it is important to simply configure it correctly. This means sending emails not only with sales offers, but also providing useful information as part of your content marketing strategy. (Read more about this in the article “: cases about the connection with revenue growth”).

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This is a good reason to return to your regular counterparties again and again. The mechanics of the promotion again depend on the operating sales channels. For example, you could send out a promotional offer automatically to your current database. The frequency of such initiatives that “awaken” regular customers should be no less than several times a month.

New products

As soon as you introduce new products into your line, they are primarily transformed into new deals on the current base. This happens because regular customers have a certain amount of loyalty and trust.

Group tasks for managers in CRM

You set employees the task of working with regular customers and, thus, creating activity on the current base. For each manager, a sample is made among regular counterparties and the implementation of all steps is monitored.

Mailings to regular customers with certain transaction statuses

This type of work also creates additional activity in the current buyer base. You work with each individual individually and encourage them to move further along the funnel and then the sales skirt.

We looked at tools for monitoring the base of regular customers, as well as their activation. Balance your business model so that there is no bias towards attracting new customers. Calculate LTV and CRR, and be creative in getting loyal customers to buy more and more often.

High-quality customer service means a quick and positive response to customer requests. A clear communication process, effective customer service policies, thorough training, and innovative approaches to solving problems are also important components of good service. An unhappy customer will tell 8-10 people about their experience, so you need to ensure that only good things are said about your company. Keeping your customers happy with your service will require you to work hard, but it will increase customer satisfaction with your work and promote customer retention, both of which are important prerequisites for business success.

Steps

Creating a suitable environment for clients

Try to please the client the first time he comes to you. Many people believe that customer service is solely about handling complaints, but the task of any company is to ensure that the client does not have any reason to complain. If the client is already disappointed in something, it will not be easy to correct the situation. Develop a system for working with clients, thanks to which they will have fewer reasons to express dissatisfaction.

Decide what your ideal client is. Tailoring service to each unique client is difficult and expensive. Instead, think about what your ideal typical client should be like. Develop rules taking into account the qualities of such a client. Ask yourself the following questions:

Exceed customer expectations. Give your clients not only the bare minimum, but more than they expect. This will impress your customers and help you retain them. If you strive to exceed expectations, you will do something nice for your customers, and they will be more understanding if any problem arises in the future.

• For example, if a customer expects to receive a service within 10 hours of ordering, try to provide the service within 8 hours.

1. Design your workspace to suit your client's needs. Your office or store should be comfortable, clean and something you want to return to. The space should be organized logically so that the client can easily navigate it. Below we provide several examples of successful solutions:

   • Designate a few parking spaces just for customers.
   • Equip entrances and exits with facilities for the disabled.
   • Place clear signs around the premises.
   • Place information brochures, directories, or a store map at the entrance and in stairwells.
   • Place an employee near the entrance to help customers find the right place.

2. Give attention to all clients and make them feel special. Customers love to be served personally. Your company's philosophy should be to put the customer first and treat them like an important person, not just a passerby. For example, clients like it if:

   • Employee introduces himself by name
   • Employee asks customer's name
   • The employee listens to the specific requirements of the client
   • The employee helps in choosing, and does not just talk about all the services or products of the company

3. Double-check the quality of service in the office. Put yourself in the client's shoes. Try checking the quality of service to understand what still needs to be worked on. Here are some ways to evaluate the quality of service:

   • Call the office and check if your voice menu is easy to use.
   • Send an email and see how quickly the response comes.
   • Walk around the store and see if all items are well labeled, arranged in a logical order, and that there are enough items.
   • Write a message to the chat on the company’s website and see how quickly your problem will be solved.

4. Provide customers with self-service options. In-store checkout counters, forums with advice on possible solutions to problems, and automated services will help you better serve your customers. Many clients like these features because they allow them to make purchases at any time, including before or after business hours. If everything works smoothly, customers will be even more satisfied.

   Know what times you typically see an influx of visitors. Find out at what times there are usually a lot of buyers and at what times there are few. During busy times, make sure you have enough staff working. It all depends on the specifics of the business: perhaps you have an influx of customers on holidays, at lunchtime or in the evening or on weekends. Your clients will be happy if the right number of people are working at this time.

   Make sure your prices are no higher than all competitors and meet customer expectations. The price should be commensurate with the quality and should not sharply exceed the price of competitors. Promotions, discounts for regular customers and liquidation of collections will let your customers know that they are loyal to your company for a reason. Always make sure that the products are labeled correctly, otherwise customers will be unhappy.

   Keep your promises. Don't break your promise to the client. Promise only what you can deliver, and then deliver on time.

   • For example, do not promise a client a refund if you are not sure that he can count on this return. Don't promise to give a customer a 30% discount if he can only get 15%.

5. Give employees freedom to make decisions. A well-thought-out customer service policy will make your task easier, but it is also important to trust your employees. Not all situations are covered by internal rules, and sometimes decisions need to be made quickly. Allow employees to decide how to handle a customer complaint or unusual situation.

   • For example, your employee might decide to give a dissatisfied customer two discount coupons even though company policy dictates that only one coupon should be given out. You shouldn’t be angry with the employee - it’s better to believe that his actions helped solve the problem.
   • At the same time, it is important to explain to employees in which situations they can solve the problem themselves, and in which it is better for them to contact a supervisor. A set of rules and recommendations will allow employees to better understand company policies.

6. Reward employees who perform well. If an employee receives something for excellent customer service, he will understand the importance of quality service to the entire company. Reward the best customer service employee once a month. You can also pay bonuses to team members who focus on customer retention.

   • If you identify key metrics and their requirements early on, you can use employee performance to reward their performance. If you survey customers about service quality, reward the employee who scores the most. If you monitor the speed with which employees solve customer problems, pay a bonus to the person who works with problem situations the fastest and most correctly.

7. Teach employees how to properly communicate with customers. Explain to them the importance of having good posture, speaking clearly, being in a good mood, and looking like a professional. When working with people, first impressions play an important role. Train employees to express themselves especially clearly and speak slowly when communicating with customers on the phone.

   Schedule training workshops. There are many ways to learn the necessary customer service skills. For example, you can simulate situations, hire trainers to conduct master classes, and take training on the Internet. Even a two-hour session will help your employees learn something new about customer service.

Communication with clients

Follow the rules of telephone etiquette. Etiquette refers to clarity, timeliness of responses and willingness to satisfy the client's needs. The client should feel that his problem is being taken care of, even if he is in another city or another country. The rules of telephone etiquette include the following requirements:

• Pick up the phone no later than after three rings.
• Make sure your voice sounds friendly.
• Speak slowly, clearly, not too loudly and not too softly.
• State your name and the name of the department in which you work.
• Ask the client how you can help him.
• Help the customer: transfer the call to another employee, return the money for the order, or answer a question about the use of the product.
• Clearly explain what needs to be done to resolve the customer's problem.
• Be honest about what you can do. If you cannot answer a question right away, ask to clarify this question and call back later.

1. Avoid negative language. Clients don't like to be told "no" or "never." Instead of categorical phrases, try to use positive language that expresses your desire to help the client. Be honest, but also emphasize that you are trying to solve the problem.

   • Instead of saying, "I don't know the answer to that question," respond with, "I'll find out who can answer that question. I can call you back in a couple of minutes?"
   • Instead of “It’s not my job,” tell the client this: “Can I transfer you to another department? They will help you.”
   • Instead of “The company will never do this,” phrase your thought as follows: “I will do everything possible to make you happy. I will talk about possible solutions to the problem with the supervisor.”

2. Instead of forcing the customer to stay on the line, offer to call him back. Customers don't like to hang on the line endlessly waiting for an answer. If the phone keeps ringing, agree with the client that you will call back as soon as possible. Assign someone responsible for calling the client at the appointed time. Thanks to this, the client will not lose his temper and lose valuable time.

   Respond to customer inquiries within 10 hours. Processing time for requests is one of the most important factors in working with clients. Reply to all questions or complaints within 10 hours.

Website optimization

1. Place a detailed section with questions and answers on your website. Customers love to have online resources at their fingertips where they can find answers to their questions. This will free up your phone lines and email inboxes from unnecessary calls. A well-written Q&A section will save you and your clients time. This section can describe everything from how you do business to the specific features of the product. Every question should have a clear, understandable answer without technical jargon. The questions will depend on the specifics of your business, but most often the following questions are included in this section:

   • What documents do I need to have with me to purchase this product?
   • What is the difference between the regular and premium service package?
   • Are there discounts for bulk purchases?
   • How to activate this application?

In today's fierce competition, every customer is worth its weight in gold. Newspapers, magazines, billboards along the roads, television channels - everything is aimed at a potential buyer. It is regular customers and established contacts that provide profit to any business, so it is especially important not only to find a buyer, but also to retain him.

The key to success and development of the company is working with regular customers, as well as with those who have purchased something from you at least once. Although many managers understand this, this is where you can often find examples of inappropriate treatment of their clients.

Why does a regular customer suddenly leave? According to statistics, more than half of customers go to another seller and change suppliers only because they are not given adequate attention or are completely uninterested in them. And the buyer likes the product, and the prices are quite reasonable, but the buyer is not interested, so he leaves. In a brick-and-mortar store, this may simply result in disinterested salespeople chatting to each other.

The foundation for clear and coordinated work with regular clients is the client base. This is a centralized list of all clients, also called the company’s central file. The central file is the company's largest asset, which is why it is necessary to pay the closest attention to the creation, storage and proper use of this resource. Assign this mission to one of the managers as an additional function with additional payment. It is important that this person is creative.

Here is a list of responsibilities of the employee who will be responsible for working on the central file:

1. Collection of data from sellers about all orders (you can use data from accounting for more accurate work).

2. Maintaining the central file in working order: addresses, telephone numbers, contact persons must be entered correctly, and changes in them must be displayed on time. You also need to record information about preferences, characteristics (even the hobbies of the client himself, his wife, children, if possible). This will simplify work with clients in the future.

When you have formed a sufficient base, start sending out regular mailings based on it. What should be included in the newsletter?

These can be small messages with special offers, news from your company, or invitations to any events. This could be information about new prices, some promotions, various congratulations, etc.

Thus, to successfully work with regular clients you need,

first, create a central file if it does not already exist,

secondly, regularly monitor how work is being done on the central file, whether it is used at all, and whether communication with clients is initiated.

How to control work with the client base? Find out how many new clients you got last year, and how many repeat requests you had. Ultimately, it is important to record whether there is a positive trend in the transition of new customers to the category of regular customers, and how often they make repeat purchases.

Analyze how much time and money is spent on attracting new customers. Here you will need the following figures: the budget spent on advertising over the past year, information on the number of events - exhibitions, seminars, presentations, etc. - the purpose of which was to increase the customer base.

Compare this data with the number of events that were aimed at getting customers to make repeat purchases - promotions for regular customers, discounts for repeat orders, holiday greetings, souvenir gifts, educational work with staff to increase friendliness and interest in customers. What were the costs of such events? Does the company devote resources to building customer loyalty?

Besides, information on purchase refusals, returns and complaints should be recorded. It is very good for refuseniks to simultaneously fill out forms with the following points:

1) what you didn’t like about the product or service;
2) what you didn’t like about the staff’s work;
3) what was annoying at the time of sales.

As a result of collecting information, it will be revealed why clients leave you and do not continue cooperation. Thus, you need to constantly invest in your consumer - only then will he bring you a guaranteed income.