Customer Retention: Definition, Metrics and 8 Strategies

May 12, 2022by RIuMayELEGRI0

And, of course, customer retention KPIs can also help businesses proactively improve customer retention. Metrics to track here include site traffic, conversions, and abandoned cart rates—as well as your customer retention rate. An easy way to improve the customer experience—and therefore your customer retention rate—is to respond quickly to customer feedback, questions, and requests. It often takes five to 20 times the amount of resources for businesses to obtain a new customer than to retain an existing one.

Surprising your customers will inspire them to leave honest feedback about your product, and brand. In other words, when you appreciate people, they feel excited about their work. When GrooveHQ increased customer retention by 5%, this led to a 95% increase in profits. Trust me, retaining your customers is a key aspect of your business. Without a doubt, converting leads to customers is a hard process – but your efforts can pay off if you focus on the ultimate goal – retention.

When they reach out again later with a similar problem, your team will know which team member the customer spoke with and what they’ve already tried. Customer retention is a familiar challenge for growing companies, but managing churn has become especially difficult as inflation drives up prices and, with it, customer expectations. When it comes to purchasing products online, about 92% of consumers regularly or occasionally read customers’ reviews first. According to Capgemini, more than 60% of customers finds it interesting when they are presented with their purchase history. Look around and you’ll notice that successful digital companies got to where they’re, not only because the founder was smart and influential, rather, it’s because the customers participated. Whenever you find one, don’t ignore it or feel reluctant about it.

It is more cost-effective to retain your customers than to find new ones. For example, in the graph below, each store has 100 customers buying a $10 item each month. Take a look at the case study of Dropbox to see how true that is.

A less direct indicator of customer retention is your churn rate—the percentage of customers lost during a period of time. Companies that struggle with customer service retention usually have a high churn rate. Customer retention helps facilitate the growth and stabilization of your customer base and company revenue. By increasing customer retention solutions their customer retention rate (CRR), companies can increase profits by over 90%. [1] By consistently delivering value, companies fulfill their brand promises which elevate credibility, trust and brand sentiment. You can also improve your customer retention rates by announcing new products, deals, and other updates on social.

By following standard operating procedures, we were able to ensure that our customers’ tenth visit was just as good as—if not better than—their first. So the return buyer incentive wasn’t just a way to keep people coming back—it was also an upsell. Bundled with the discount, it made people more likely to try other services too. Your Net Promoter Score tells you if your customers are likely to recommend your business to a friend or colleague. The higher your number, the more likely you are to see return customers—and have those return customers spread the word.

Customer retention is a company’s ability to turn first-time customers into repeat buyers and prevent them from switching to a competitor. It indicates the quality of a product or service and the degree of customer loyalty. Retention is best achieved by overcoming barriers to switching, maximizing the value of products and services, meeting customer expectations, and enriching the customer experience. The best customer retention strategy includes initiatives and processes designed to build lifetime value (LTV) of products and services to secure customer loyalty. It helps structure the fulfillment of brand promises through the consistent delivery of value. First, acquiring new customers is 6 to 7 times more expensive than keeping existing ones, since you have to do the legwork to engage and convert these clients.

customer retention strategies

Retaining customers is very important because of the inherent constraints of its audience size. Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Rather than learning by themselves, customers are taught by a company representative who personalizes the training according to their needs. Every few weeks, Five Below switches up a large portion of their inventory.

Because our services were visual, this one was a little easier for us. We made sure we gave our customers manicures that people would notice and comment on—every compliment gave our clients the validation they needed that they’d found their nail place. In fact, our referral program was one of the most successful retention and expansion strategies.

customer retention strategies

The gesture probably wasn’t all that unusual, but the fact that it came out of nowhere likely left a strong impression on you. It’s no wonder then that consistently good service is one of the biggest drivers of repurchases and recommendations. As a bustling online retailer, chat has played an essential role in deflecting call volume by 40 percent and allowing agents to carry out multiple conversations at once. A quick reply can be a short message letting the customer know you received their question.

  • When it comes to customer service, you can’t afford to be lukewarm.
  • The commitment of your customers will be firm when trust increases.
  • Generally, an annual churn rate of between 4% and 7% is seen as manageable.
  • 72 percent are willing to spend more for a company that offers good customer experiences.

Later on, we’ll define customer retention programs, explain the most common types and show you examples of how to implement them within your organization. A communication calendar is a chart that keeps track of customer queries. It tells you the last time that https://www.xcritical.in/ a customer has reached out and alerts you when existing customers haven’t interacted with your brand. Use this template to store and analyze qualitative and quantitative feedback to better understand and reduce your churn rate — and increase retention.

Customers feel frustrated when they have to explain an issue over and over. Exhausting, repetitive interactions make customers more likely to leave. Give support agents the tools they need to easily pull the customer information and elevate the conversation. Zendesk’s streamlined workspace gives agents customer context to deliver a personalised experience. For example, agents can see relevant customer information (such as language, contact details and notes).

customer retention strategies

Experiential marketing has long been used as a way for brands to create positive sentiments with customers, and tapping into their sentiments is worth a try. However, the biggest lesson is in its customer satisfaction surveys. R&G Technologies clients have an opportunity to express what’s doing well and what isn’t. This allows the company to identify unhappy customers before they churn. While the company was committed to providing excellent customer service, that standard became harder and harder to meet as more customers purchased their bikes. Rider Support Lead, Kyle Harder, notes this challenge in the graphic below.


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