Equipment Manufacturers: 8 Ways To Build Customer Loyalty
You may have heard the saying that “80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers.” An active aftermarket program can help boost your sales as well as establish a loyal customer base. Given that third-party vendors are becoming more price competitive, many equipment manufacturers struggle to retain customers after the warranty expires. This article provides eight resources to retain your customers and keep them satisfied.
8 WAYS TO BUILD CUSTOMER LOYALTY
1. COMMUNICATE
Repeat customers are responsible for generating 40% of a business’s revenue. Frequent communication with your customers establishes rapport and keeps your brand fresh in their minds. Take the time to send friendly reminders or send out a monthly newsletter to ensure you are at the forefront of their minds.
2. GIVE CUSTOMERS THE POWER
Customers expect to have access to the information they need – when they need it. You can do this by providing customers with more control over obtaining parts or repairing them whenever and wherever they want. Make technical documentation, product manuals, training materials, and other parts-related details readily available.
3. PERKS GO A LONG WAY
Do you have a frequent shoppers card at your local grocery store or gas station? Even coffee shops do it. For example, if you buy a certain number of drinks, you can earn a free one. Consider setting up a reward system to ensure your customers become repeat ones.
4. KEEP IT RELEVANT
While customers want information at their fingertips, they want the information that applies to them. Documoto can help you separate your documentation into customized virtual shelves, and assign user access so that customers only see the parts catalogs and manuals applicable to their equipment.
5. MAKE ORDERING AND REORDERING—EASY!
Close the gap between quote requests and order processing by making online ordering straightforward. E-commerce enabled integrations can boost aftermarket sales while keeping customers satisfied. One of our customers started receiving 95% of their dealer orders electronically after switching to Documoto. Features like saving a cart for future use, reordering previously purchased parts with just a few clicks, and creating part kits for specific repairs, can be great time-savers for your customers.
6. STOP PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY START
Customers expect the manufacturer to fix things quickly when equipment breaks down. If the wrong part gets ordered, this slows down the process even more. Maintaining an accurate database with the correct prices, diagrams, and parts numbers prevent these errors from occurring and ensures that dealers and customers get the right part the first time.
7. COLLECT CUSTOMER INFORMATION
When you’re able to monitor user data, you get a better feel for exactly what your customers want, what problems they’ve been experiencing with their equipment, and how you may be able to help. Whenever and wherever you can, track user data. Because we recognize how crucial this data is in helping aftermarket teams plan and adapt their support to serve the customer better, our solution offers inspection reports to provide transparency.
8. PAYMENT PLANS
Many of your customers run their operations based on seasons. Giving your customers’ payment options affords them the ability to manage monthly payments and helps them bring in cash during an otherwise slow time of year.
Discover the benefits of building customer loyalty using Documoto’s solutions. We offer an array of services that can help your internal operations as well as develop your brand. Check out our Storefront Solution to learn more.
