All successful businesses are built upon satisfying your customers and retaining them. This in turn helps encourage first-time customers to come back, builds a strong customer base, and can make you stand out from your competitors.

Here I highlight 4 ways you can build customer loyalty and help turn your key customers into regulars.

Call your clients regularly.

In the digital age of emails, texts and instant messaging, the humble phone call often takes something of a back seat in our choice of communication methods. This is why a well-timed phone call can show that you have really taken the time and effort to reach out to your customers. Schedule periodical calls with your customers to share updates about how things are going and to ask how happy they are with your services on a scale from 1-10, 10 being best.

Phone calls provide immediate two-way interaction and it never fails to surprise me how much you can learn from just one great conversation with your customer. This might include new opportunities for you to help solve your customer’s problems or how you can improve so that they stay with you.

Become an authority in your field.

Striving to be the best company in your market should be at the very top of your agenda. Demonstrating your vast knowledge and expertise shows your customers that you are at the top of your game and ahead of the pack. If people, see you as the leading brand in the market it will inspire confidence in you and they’ll be much more likely to stick with you.

When speaking with your customers ensure that you demonstrate your knowledge with an element of authority but be honest about what you do not know. Any attempt to blag an answer to a question or skirt around a topic you don’t really understand will only undermine you.

Be Decisive

Your customers need to see that you have expertise in your field and that you are confident about what you know. Anticipate potential questions and do your research so that you have quick immediate answers right at your fingertips.

Reply to your emails promptly. You should always reply to your emails within 24 hours. If possible, within one hour. It is much more effective to reply saying that you received an email and that you will reply as soon as possible instead of waiting several hours and responding with a long detailed email. Quick response times show that if something important comes up you are always on top of your inbox.

Manage your customer’s expectations

You need to be doing this from the very first interaction that you have with your customers. Get a clear understanding of what they expect to get out of your products or services and what results they expect. You need to state clearly what you do, how you deliver your services and what the end results will be.

Most of your customers will not come back to you if their initial expectations have not been met. It is better to under promise and over deliver. On average, unhappy customers share their experience with 20 people or more while satisfied customers share their experience with three or four people.

Working to better your customers overall experience is a vital part of improving their loyalty. Really understanding your offerings inside and out, understanding your customers and having exceptional knowledge and expertise in your field, will serve you well. Displaying the above with proactivity and decisiveness will help keep your customers happy and buy form you time and time again.