Customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. There is research to suggest that just 20% of your current buyers will be responsible for 80% of your future revenue. You can't know who will become that vital 20%, so your employees should be trained to create a connection with each and every customer, working towards retaining more consumers for the future of your business.

The most effective way to do that is to create a personal connection with everyone who visits your business. Here are five ways to do just that.

Provide excellent customer service

First and foremost, delivering excellent customer service is one of the best ways to build a personal connection between employees and consumers. It is unlikely that an unsatisfied or affronted customer will return to your business after all.

To make sure all of your customers receive this quality of service, every business owner should train their staff to speak and act professionally. This includes using positive speech, such as replacing “I can’t” with “I will look into this”. Body language is also integral to the delivery of professional service, from standing up straight to holding eye contact and smiling.

Create a loyalty scheme for customers

You can also create a loyalty scheme for your customers, rewarding their purchases with exclusive offers and deals. This has been proven to create a meaningful connection between consumers and employees. In fact, 71% of consumers agree that this is a significant part of their rel..., and 27% of consumers agree that this emotional connection results in them spending more money.

As well as building a relationship with a brand, loyalty programmes are an effective way to make sure that customers return to your business. So much so, research shows that these schemes can make customers 77% more likely to keep buying from a business.

Value their time as much as their money

In order to build a personal relationship, your customers should feel valued for more than their purchases. As a result, each interaction should be thought of as more than an exchange of money, but a conversation between two or more people.

The main way to do this is to ask uplifting questions. This can be something as simple as asking how their day as been or asking their opinions regarding your service. Either way, it’s nice to be appreciated, and it can be difficult to build a bond without scratching deeper than the surface.

Ensure your staff present themselves professionally

The way that your staff present themselves is important for the reputation of your business. Once they walk onto the shop floor, whether that’s literally or metaphorically for online stores, their actions and behaviours influence your customers.

If you’re a brick-and-mortar store, uniforms are the first thing that consumers notice. They help them to identify who to ask for help, ensuring their desires are met in a timely manner. Name badges are integral to uniforms, helping them jump straight into a conversation.

Give your customers exactly what they want

Last and certainly not least, make sure you’re giving the customer what they want. Everyone wants to feel understood. So it’s always good practice for your employees to recognise each consumer’s needs, delivering results and building trust between them.

To do this, you can build a buyer persona and use this within your marketing strategies. These profiles enable your employees to understand the desires of your average consumer, such as their age or buying habits and estimated budget. And over time, utilising this approach can increase return on investment (ROI) by 60%.

Every business owner should work towards improving consumer relationships. Not only does it ensure your customers return to invest in your company, but it also means that your work has made a difference in someone’s life, whether you’re just starting out or this is your life-long project.