When the economy slows to a crawl, you have to be quick on your feet. That means revisiting some of the basic principles upon which superior customer service is built. You may think, for example, that communicating to your customers and best prospects in a cordial, concise and compelling way — whatever the medium — is rather obvious. But you’d be surprised at how few companies, both large and small, actually follow through. As a refresher course on how to keep your customers engaged in real time, here are some surefire tips to put into practice:

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1. Communicate with clarity. Time is money. Do not overwhelm your customers with messages that contain no clear intent, value or relevancy.
2. Understand your clients. Learn everything there is to know about your clients’ markets and pay attention to their lingo. Determine how they communicate to their customers and offer strategic communication services that leverage the content and resources they already have in place.
3. Educate your clients. As soon as you see industry news of interest or news about a competitor, pass it along. Let your clients know that they’re always top of mind. You will be viewed as a well-read business partner.
4. Make your clients feel warm and fuzzy. Why not send a birthday card to every key client contact? A customer retention strategy doesn’t have to break the bank: Fruit baskets, for example, or other healthy snacks sent “just because” can go a long way.
5. Call and say thank you. In today’s fast-paced business environment, where communicating by cell phone and email is all the rage, take a moment to call your customers from a clearly audible landline. Tell them you appreciate their business.
6. Offer “complimentary” services or “limited” specials. When budgets are tight, everyone loves a bargain. For service-oriented industries, extend an existing contract for a limited time, with an explanation of the “complimentary” dollar value. Note that the offer is for loyal customers only. Product companies can offer extra items, or coupons, for “dollars off” a future order.
7. Give back. Explore a cause-related marketing tie-in. The added benefit: press coverage featuring your company as a valued corporate citizen.
8. Empower your team. Let your employees know that good customer service is everyone’s job. Reward star performers for going the extra mile. Ask your rank-and-file colleagues for suggestions about how the company can improve the way it does business.
9. Promote. Promote. Promote. If your company has exhibited “best practices” in a certain arena, share the information with your customers via an e-newsletter, complete with a short case history. As a call to action, encourage customer questions so that you can recommend innovative solutions.
10. Evaluate your customer service standards. Develop a simple online questionnaire asking customers how you rate in today’s competitive marketplace and what they value most about your service. Share your “report card” with the entire company, keeping in mind that third-party endorsements from satisfied customers are worth their weight in gold.  Then take the constructive feedback and act on it.

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