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Best practices 11 min read

What is customer retention? 11 examples and strategies to retain customers

Customer retention is cheaper than customer acquisition. Here are a few ways to improve your retention strategies.

By Sarah Olson, Senior Associate, Content Marketing, @seolson5

Last updated September 16, 2022

Businesses work hard to attract customers through a mix of marketing, social media and brand strategies. You have invested a lot of time and effort (and probably money) gaining your customers’ trust. It only makes sense that you want to hold on to them. That is where a strong focus on customer retention comes in handy. To improve customer retention, you have to look at your entire customer experience. The customer experience involves everything customers think and feel when they encounter your brand. Customer-facing interactions, such as support ticket resolution or how a brand communicates its values, are a few factors that can affect a buyer’s relationship with a brand. You will keep more customers by creating a seamless experience that makes them happy every step of the way. However, if your business falls short of customer expectations, you risk losing those customers before you even have a chance to make things right.

What is customer retention?

Customer retention definition

Customer retention refers to a company’s ability to turn customers into repeat buyers and prevent them from switching to a competitor. It indicates whether your product and the quality of your service please your existing customers. It is also the lifeblood of most subscription-based companies and service providers.

Customer retention strategies are the processes and initiatives businesses put in place to build customer loyalty and improve customer lifetime value.

Customer retention is different from customer acquisition or lead generation. It focuses on customers who have already signed up for a service or purchased a product from you. But retaining customers is about more than just transactions—it is about relationships. Research shows that customers view their relationships with brands similarly to their relationships with friends. Customers like brands that are reliable, authentic and aware of what matters to them. Focus on buyer relationships with your existing customers to boost their brand loyalty. These shoppers will continue to choose your brand even when presented with other options. With this loyal base, your brand will be more likely to weather explosive markets.

Why is customer retention important?

Keeping your current customers happy is generally more cost-effective than acquiring first-time customers. According to the Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer can be five to 25 times more expensive than holding on to an existing one.

Acquiring a new customer can be five to 25 times more expensive than holding on to an existing one.Harvard Business Review

You do not need to spend big on marketing, advertising or sales outreach. It is easier to turn existing customers into repeating ones, since they already trust your brand from previous purchases. New customers, however, often require more convincing when it comes to that initial sale. Customer loyalty will not just give you repeat business. Loyal customers are more likely to give free recommendations to their colleagues, friends and family. Creating that cycle of retained customers and viral marketing is one way your company can cultivate customer loyalty for long-term success.

Customer retention benefits

  • Cost savings: Customer retention is generally more cost-effective than acquiring first-time customers
  • Positive word of mouth marketing: Loyal customers are more likely to tell their friends and family about your brand
  • A better bottom line: Increasing retention rates by just 5 percent can increase revenue by 25 percent to 95 percent

Key customer retention metrics

  1. Customer retention rate
  2. Customer churn rate
  3. Customer lifetime value

How do you measure your customer retention rate?

The customer retention rate is the percentage of previous customers who remained loyal to your business over a period of time. To calculate it, pick a period of time you want to measure and then identify the following:

  • Number of customers at the start of a given time period (S)
  • Number of customers at the end of that period (E)
  • Number of new customers added over the duration of that period (N)

Then, you can calculate your customer retention rate (X) with the following formula:

Customer retention formula

((E – N) / S) * 100 = X

Customer attrition rate

A less direct indicator of customer retention is your attrition rate—the percentage of customers lost during a period of time. Companies that struggle with customer retention usually have a high attrition rate.

Customer attrition rate formula

(Y/X) *100 = Z

Low retention rates or high attrition rates could be bad signs. They may signal that something about your customer experience is not going well. But do not panic—there are several changes you can make to turn the attrition around.

Customer lifetime value

Customer lifetime value measures the total revenue you can expect from a customer, during their lifetime. It helps a business discover its most loyal customers. customer retention

6 strategies to improve customer retention

  1. Deliver fast support
  2. Personalize interactions
  3. Invest in employees
  4. Meet customers where they are
  5. Gather customer feedback
  6. Incentivise loyalty

Improving customer retention means improving the customer experience. In fact, 77 percent of customers surveyed in our 2021 Customer Experience Trend Report report being more loyal to a company that offers a good customer experience if they have an issue. 72 percent are willing to spend more from a company that offers good customer experiences. And 50 percent say that customer experience is more important to them now compared to a year ago. customer retention If you make interactions more convenient, personal and rewarding for your customers, they are likely to be more loyal in return.

1. Respond to customer support queries quickly

Data shows that quick first replies result in higher customer satisfaction. Our 73 percent of customers surveyed in our 2021 Customer Experience Trend Report said that speedy support resolutions are key to a good customer experience.

73 percent of customers surveyed in our 2021 Customer Experience Trend report said that speedy support resolutions are key to a good customer experience.

Ideally, speedier replies will go hand in hand with faster resolutions. But even if you can not solve a ticket right away, it still pays to respond to the customer ASAP. A quick reply can be a short message letting the customer know you have received their question. Better yet, provide an estimate for the time it will take to solve their problem. Customers are more willing to wait if they know you are actively working towards a solution. Setting time frame expectations upfront helps with that.

2. Use context to deliver personalised support interactions

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). They can also view their previous conversations.

3. Simplify customer service workflows

Helping your agents can help your customers, too. Simplify customer service workflows so tickets get to the right departments and representatives. This makes the support process easier for agents and faster for customers. Create multiple support request forms and conditional ticket fields. This will provide customers with a personalised form that only asks for information related to their problem. Then, streamline the process with support software. This will instantly direct different types of tickets to specialised agents. Once you streamline and speed up ticket resolution, you will make agents happier and retain more customers.

4. Offer omnichannel support to reach customers where they are

Do not limit your support channels to one or two select methods. Use omnichannel support to empower customers to choose the channel they like best. Omnichannel experiences are likely to increase customer retention. This is because you are decreasing the effort it takes to make a purchase or contact support. According to our 2021 Trends Report, 50 percent of high-performing companies have an omnichannel strategy in place, compared to just 18 percent of their lower-performing peers.

50 percent of high-performing companies have an omnichannel strategy in place, compared to just 18 percent of their lower-performing peers.

Zendesk enables customers to contact support any way they please—web, mobile app, email, phone or chat. Customers can then continue the interaction across any other channel. customer retention Beyond support, some retailers also use omnichannel experiences to connect their customer’s online, mobile and in-store visits. For example, UGG uses Zendesk to manage their “Click and Collect” and “Click and Reserve” programs. These services let customers buy boots online and have them shipped to their local store or reserve stock in-store before purchasing.

5. Consistently gather customer feedback

Customer feedback is one of the most valuable tools you have to increase customer retention and reduce attrition rates. If you want to know what is and is not working for your customers, it helps to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Customer feedback is one of the most valuable tools you have in order to increase customer retention.

Give customers a voice by conducting more surveys. Customer satisfaction surveys can be as simple as asking for a “thumbs up or thumbs down” after you resolve a ticket. But it is also useful to ask more specific questions, such as:

  • How would you describe your experience with our product?
  • What is not working for you, and why?
  • Which of the following channels do you prefer using for customer support?

Be sure to ask questions that get to the heart of customer effort. For example, customers often prefer self-service because of the convenience. So you might use surveys to see if your customers like your self-service options or if you are making it too difficult for them to find the answers they need. Supplement your surveys with feedback from customer service team members. They are closest to customers and can identify common complaints and general preferences.

6. Incentivise loyalty

Rewarding customer loyalty is a good way to increase customer retention. Customers like it when brands appreciate them and give them reasons to stick around. Strong incentives include loyalty programs, discount codes or special offers. These will motivate customers to continue buying from your business. There are several types of loyalty programs, from points-based systems to tiered rewards. Loyalty programs also help your company collect more detailed customer data. The more purchasing data you have available, the more personalised rewards and offers you can provide to your customers. A loyalty program can not only reward shoppers, but also provide a positive and customised experience based on sales insights. Both components are crucial to customer retention. customer retention

Customer retention examples

1. Offer a seamless online experience (Amazon)

One of the most basic customer retention examples is meeting customer expectations. And customers today expect online experiences that are on-par with or better than, in-person experiences. In fact, 65 percent of customers want to buy from companies that offer quick and easy online transactions, according to our Trends Report. And 49 percent gave Amazon the highest marks for service for that reason. Are there pain points in your online experience? How can you make things easy for customers?

2. Make every customer feel like a VIP customer (Four Seasons)

Luxury hotels are known for their heritage of high-touch, exclusive customer service. The Four Seasons is able to expand that feeling of luxury to every customer through its combination of technology and white glove service. Guests can use Four Seasons Chat to message staff through channels such as WhatsApp for any inquiry or service, including requests for restaurant recommendations and reservations, ordering room service, arrival or early checkout and even ordering a private jet.

3. Build empathic customer relationships (Zappos)

If there is one thing the pandemic showed us, it is that empathy is key to building lasting customer relationships. In fact, 49 percent of customers want agents to be empathetic, according to our Trends Report. During the pandemic, Zappos started a hotline where customers could call or chat with its support team about anything, even the best Netflix shows.

4. Be proactive (Dollar Shave Club)

Customers expect brands to anticipate their needs and get in front of issues before they even happen. That is why proactive service is so important in retaining customers. Dollar Shave Club welcomes website visitors with a chatbot to answer common questions before a customer has to reach out to customer support or abandons their cart.

5. Support causes your customers to care about (Bombas)

54 percent of customers want to buy from companies that prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion in their communities and workplaces and 63 percent want to buy from companies that are socially responsible, according to our Trends Report. Bombas donates a clothing item to a homeless shelter or homelessness-related charity with every purchase.

Improve your customer retention strategy with better customer experiences

Improving customer retention and building customer loyalty does not happen overnight. It will take time and effort to grow your relationship with your customers and earn their trust. Exceptional end-to-end customer experiences are the best way to earn customer trust. Provide great service and make customers’ lives easier and they will likely turn into advocates for your brand.

Start investing in your customer experience today with a free trial of Zendesk.

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