Building bonds with customers is very important as building bonds help facilitate repeat business, well satisfied customers, and those customers spreading the word and increasing your business.

Although you might not be sure on how to form a bond with your customer it doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Create superior products, services, and experiences for your customers and potential customers. This first one should be the easiest for any business owner to achieve or you wouldn’t be in business.

2. Ask for input from the whole company to effectively plan and manage customer satisfaction and retention process. As the owner you are sometimes out of the loop so ask those that deal directly with the customers and others in the company in general, because we are all consumers, how and what they think the company should do to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.

3. Organize a database of information such as customer needs, preferences, contact information, purchase frequency, and their satisfaction with that purchase. Creating this database will help you better serve your customers and increasing their satisfaction because you’ll know their needs. This will also help you make any changes for the better that need to be and tell you what you are doing right.

4. Be easily accessible. This I think is the most important. Be sure that you are easily accessible to all clients and prospects. By easily accessible I mean anytime within business hours they can reach you by email, fax, or phone. This will create a customer bond in the fact that you are there when they need you whether it’s to complain or praise you were able to address their concerns, questions, or praises is always appreciated and can in fact win you points even with an upset customer.

5. Look into reward programs. All customers and even potentials like to feel appreciated. So, show your appreciation and build a bond with your clients by running a rewards program tailored for your business and business type.

6. Listen to the customer. Customers just want to be heard and know they have been heard. So, do customer surveys and within reasonable limits try using a customer suggestion or two. Make the customer feel heard and you will grow strong customer bonds.

Building customer bonds can be tricky since all customers are different, but doesn’t have to be overwhelming or difficult. Have a great weekend and on Monday start planning how you can be building those strong customer bonds.