For any business, it is essential to maintain and nurture positive relationships with customers. It doesn't matter whether you are a global bank or a small high street retail store, the same universal truth applies.

A good relationship keeps your customers coming back for more. They will remain loyal to your business, continually increasing your turnover while also helping you to accrue new customers through testimonials and recommendations.

Yet so many businesses focus too strongly on the quantity of their customer relationships rather than the quality, and as a result they suffer when it comes to customer retention and satisfaction.

So what can you do to improve your customer relationships and experience the resulting business benefits? Here are a few tips to get you started.

Communicate well

The key to any good relationship, whether personal or professional, is effective communication. You need to show your customers and clients that you can be there for them at all times to provide advice, information, and support. Every customer is different, so the method of communication may change. Some may prefer to converse via email or text messaging, while others may prefer a face to face meeting or telephone call. It’s important to use your judgment and communicate in whichever manner the situation demands. Always be clear and upfront with your customers, as people value transparency.

Ask for feedback

The only way to know if your customer is truly satisfied is to ask them for feedback. This way you can work towards improving their experience with your brand, and helping them to get more out of your product or service. It will also enable you to better serve your future customers based on this information. If you have lots of customers, the easiest way to get constructive feedback is to send out a survey, either by email or as a post-purchase pop-up on your website. You can then collate this data and use it to improve your offerings. If you have a smaller number of loyal customers, you could ask them for feedback in a face to face setting or ask them to write a short review or testimonial about your business.

Use a CRM system

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is one of the most effective ways a business can improve its client relationships. It provides a database to compile information on each and every customer and lead who has interacted with your business. As well as containing demographic information, it also shows you any action they have taken on your website, including pages viewed, time spent browsing, and content they have downloaded. Your client management software enables you to tailor your messaging to individual customers, using the information you have on them to send emails and recommend products based on their unique needs and values. This can greatly improve customer retention and satisfaction.

Build trust

Every good relationship is built on trust and this is no different in a business setting. To ensure a customer buys from you and remains loyal in future, you need to show that you are a trustworthy and reputable authority. Don’t start bombarding them with sales messaging right away, and instead begin by focusing on educating and adding value. This will pay off in the long run.