Customer Follow Up - Why Do It and How to Do It

When I think about customer follow-up, the first thing that pops into my mind is when waiters come to my table and ask me if the food was good. Maybe that's just me, but that example is one of many follow-up practices we encounter daily.

However, there is more to customer follow-up than just simple questions. Many successful companies have been doing it for years now, and there has to be a reason why.

This article will focus on why businesses engage in that practice, and more importantly, how they do it. We aim to provide you with all the necessary details so that you can revolutionize your customers' experience.

So, no more stalling. Let's get into our topic right away!

The Importance of Customer Follow Up

Let's go back to my example with waiters. More often than not, there is really nothing wrong with our food when we go out to eat, so we might feel that the waiter's questions about our food are unnecessary.

However, by simply asking that question, the waiter shows us that the restaurant cares about our experience and our enjoyment. And sometimes, that is more than enough to make us feel appreciated. So, all in all, that practice will improve our experience with the restaurant.

Improving customer experience is very important for business, and customer follow-up can help you do that. Also, it can help you with fulfilling customer expectations. Namely, checking in on your customers will match or exceed the expectations they had about your level of supportiveness.

In turn, that will ensure that the customer comes back again and again to use your product or service.

Another critical aspect of customer follow-up is that many will remember you for a long time if you deliver excellent customer service. Not only will they remember you, but they will recommend you to their friends and family. And that's great for business.

Also, you can use customer follow-up questions to plan what you are going to do next. For instance, you could ask customers what they expect from you next and then do it.

It is a great way to ensure that customers will receive your following product or service well and that they will buy it.

Last but not least, doing customer follow-ups will increase the quality of your communication with customers.

They'll know that they can rely on you and that you are available to them. So, customers' loyalty will definitely change for the better!

How to Do Follow-Ups Successfully?

Now, you might think that customer follow-ups are just questions you need to ask every now and then, and that's it. Well, we're here to tell you that they are not. More specifically, it would help if you kept a few do's and don'ts in mind for your efforts to be effective.

First things first, you need to be consistent and follow up immediately. As technology and living standards progress, so do customer expectations and demands.

For example, no one has the patience to wait for an answer for several hours anymore. People expect quick responses, and you need to deliver. So, doing immediate follow-ups is not an option anymore; it is a necessity.

The next thing you should do to make your customer follow-up successful is to use the communication medium that your customers prefer. I mean, customer satisfaction is the most important, right?

Nowadays, there are multiple communication mediums available to stay in touch with customers. The choices are endless.

So, the best thing to do would be to research which medium your target audience prefers. You can do so by conducting a survey or making calls and asking how your customers want to hear from you in the future.

Lastly, it would help if you were friendly and polite. Make sure to advise your employees and everyone that communicates with customers to be polite and understanding. Always hear out the customer and try to understand their situation as best as you can.

As we mentioned, you can communicate with your customers via several platforms. Those include emails, phone calls, and social media. According to Commbox, Chatbots were the most favorite communication channel for users in 2020.

Thus, it would help if you considered getting a chatbot, like Ideta's, for example.

Best Questions You Can Ask For a Successful Customer Follow Up

Now you can't just ask any question. It would help if you found queries that will give you meaningful information and not be annoying for customers. So, we compiled a list that contains twenty customer follow-up questions like those. Let's take a look!

1. What is your main goal for using this product or service?
2. What is your biggest concern regarding the product or service?
3. Have you experienced any changes after you started using our product or service?
4. How did you hear about our company?
5. Have you used our product or service before?
6. How can we make our website better?
7. In your opinion, what is our website missing?
8. Is anything stopping you from using our products or services?
9. What are your main questions or concerns about our products or services?
10. How are you planning to use our products or services?
11. How would you describe your experience with our products or services?
12. Do you deem our products or services to be worthy of their price?
13. What convinced you to buy our products or services?
14. Are you satisfied with our products or services?
15. How would you rate our support?
16. What do you like the most about our products or services?
17. How likely are you to promote our products or services?
18. What do you like the least about our products or services?
19. Is there anything that we can add to make your experience better?
20. Is there anything that you would like to add? This question should always be the last on your list, and you should leave space for the customers to be able to write as much as they want.

Tips for a Better Customer Follow Up Process

More often than not, you might end up being too busy to follow up consistently. That can happen, especially if you are a small business and do not have employees to do customer follow-ups for you. But, fret not. There are tools that can help you with your follow-up process.

To make your life easier, you can automate your follow-up process with tools like Zapier and Mailchimp. Another excellent tool for automating the process is Chatbots.

With the help of Chatbots, your customer follow-up process will flow smoothly, and your customers will receive the attention they need at all times. They will work for you in the background, allowing you to focus on other essential tasks.

I will mention Ideta's Chatbot here again, as it can do all of the work for you, and you can set it up in no time.

All you need to do is figure out which questions you receive the most and program the answers into the Chatbot. After that, you can sit back, relax, and let the Chatbot do its magic.

Examples of Follow Up Emails You Can Use

Since a significant portion of correspondence with customers and coworkers happens via email, we will provide some examples that you can use when communicating with customers. Also, we will tell you in which situations you should use said examples.

After a networking event

Email subject line: Let's work on [problem to solve]

Hi [Name],

It was great meeting you at [event]! It was fascinating hearing about [something they said they're struggling with.]. I'd love to help you with [the problem you can solve] so you can [the benefit they want to achieve].

Are you available next week to chat?

Please email me back and let me know when works for you.

Looking forward to hearing from you,
[Your Name]

This email is an excellent example to follow up with someone after meeting them at some networking event.

It shows that you remembered the person's problem and are here to help, so feel free to take some inspiration from this when the situation is right.

For a follow-up

Hi [Name],

I hope you're doing well. I didn't hear back from you about [previous email you sent].

Have you been too busy to get back?

Have you found another [service/ product]?

Is now just not the right time?

Let me know if you'd prefer me to reach out at another time or if you've found another [professional services] and no longer need my services.

Thanks,
[Your Name]

Now, this is an example that a lot of you might need. This email refers to a situation where the person you are contacting has stopped responding to your previous emails.

It is a polite way to ask them why they have not responded to your email and if you should count on their business in the future.

Metrics to Track for a Successful Customer Follow Up Strategy

Every strategy should be monitored and controlled. You can use metrics to keep track of how successful your customer follow-up strategy is. Also, the metrics will provide you with a lot of helpful information that you can use to improve your follow-up strategy.

Metric number one is tracking follow-up response time. It is vital to know what your response time is and if it needs improvement. By monitoring your response time, you will learn how long it takes you or your employees to answer a customer's question and if that response time is good enough.

The next metric you should track is the follow-up reply rate. This metric will show you how many of your customers receive a follow-up response and how many don't.

Of course, it's always best that each customer is tended to, but sometimes that may not be the case. After tracking this metric, you will know if you need improvement or if your employees or Chatbot are doing their job right.

Another valuable metric to track is the follow-up word count. No one wants to receive a 500-word essay on how to solve a simple problem.

This metric will show you if your responses are concise and whether you need to have shorter or more extended answers. The ideal word count is between 75-100 words; however, if you don't need to go as long, anything above 25 words is acceptable.

Conclusion

Customer Follow Up can prove to be a powerful tool in your toolbox if done correctly. You can find everything you need to start and build a successful strategy here.

All you need now is to take the first step! So, if you want to have delighted and loyal customers, then don't hesitate and start your follow-up journey as soon as you can!