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 Dan’s comment: This post continues on from 50 of the world’s best entrepreneurs weigh in on how to make customers happy. Here are the other installments

11. Set expectations properly

Ben Krueger – Authorityengine.comBen-Krueger

Properly set expectations for what the client is going to receive. We do podcast launch and ongoing publishing services so it becomes very important that the client has the proper expectations of what’s included in the service, what’s not, how it all works before we ever do any work for them.

This ensures that they’ll be happy with the service because we are a good fit for their need, as opposed to trying to fit clients into a system that isn’t the best for the problem they face.

Then at each step of the way, we properly set the expectation for what’s next in the project, what tasks we are completing for them, anything we may require from them, materials to make any work they must do as easy as possible, and any dates that are required.

This is what I’ve found makes the happiest clients. Setting proper expectations during the initial sale whether via a sales call or your checkout/purchase process.

Tweet: Set expectations properly. Ben Krueger on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

12. Answer asap

Barbara Fernandez – rawrockchick.comBarbara-Fernandez

When they ask me questions, I answer personally asap.

For really good questions I then write a blog post around my answers, and email them to let them know that they inspired me to write the post.

Tweet: Customer Service, Answer asap. Barbara Fernandez on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

13. Fast communication to answer questions immediately

Michael Erickson Facchin – SearchScientists.comMichael-Erickson-Facchin

Never have a client wonder what you are working on.

At Search Scientists, we pride ourselves on lightning fast communication to answer questions immediately, and transparent project planning. Our clients have access to a record and plan of every task that has been and will completed in their PPC accounts.

Tweet: Fast communication to answer questions immediately. Michael Erickson Facchin on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

14. Send them a handwritten letter

Brandon King – Smartinternchina.comBrandon-King

Send them a handwritten letter thanking them for choosing you. In an era of digital everything, there is something uniquely enjoyable about receiving a handwritten thank you letter in the mail.

Expressing your appreciation with a thank you note makes you more relatable and more memorable. Plus, it reminds you of why you probably started a business in the first place- to help people.

Tweet: Send them a handwritten letter. Brandon King on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

15. Solve frustrations with free content

Benjamin Altman – Charismaoncommand.com/bonuschapterBenjamin-Altman

We sell informational products. So one day we decided to poll our email list for the top questions / pain points that they have, and then rather than just create products around it, we picked the #1 frustration they had and made a professional quality one hour video detailing how to overcome that pain point.

It was essentially giving away a $100 video course module for free. It didn’t make us any money, but it generated a ton of goodwill for us with our subscribers. People loved it.

Tweet: Solve frustrations with free content. Benjamin Altman on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

16. Hire “Happiness Heroes”

Tim Sae Koo – tintup.comTim-Sae-Koo

Happiness drives everything we do on the customer-facing side at Tint. We hire “Happiness Heroes” instead of sales or support people, because we want customers to experience the same level of responsiveness and care even after we’ve made the final sale.

A big part of keeping our customers happy is making it really easy for them to get in touch with us.

We use a number of tools to make sure that happens:

  • We try to chat with anyone visiting our website who might have a quick question,
  • Desk helps us make sure our support tickets are resolved quickly,
  • We use Intercom to stay in touch with our customers (we check in with them frequently to make sure they understand our product fully, are getting the full value out of it, and aren’t experiencing any difficulties.)

Sometime we ship our customers free swag too – like a Chromecast so they can get their screens up and running easily.

I think people are often surprised by how quickly and personally we respond to them – we get a lot of customers remarking on how rare or special it is. Which is surprising, because being responsive, personal, and available is such an easy way to make sure your customers love you.

Tweet: Hire “Happiness Heroes” Tim Sae Koo on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

17. Buy them books

Stuart Langridge – topspotmalta.comStuart-Langridge

Whenever I read something that seems more than interesting, but really profound in the business world, I buy a copy for each client. Most normal books retail for around $20 or so, so the expense isn’t too much.

Typically, the books relate to marketing or business and so I send the book with a note explaining why they ought to have a read. Usually the note relates to “making more sales”. Who in business doesn’t want more sales?

Tweet: Buy them books. Stuart Langridge on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

18. Thorough communication is key

Joe Hughes – contractordynamics.comJoe-Hughes

Our clients pay a good sum of money every month and a lot of the work we do is behind the scenes (online marketing), so it’s important that we make the sometimes-invisible service visible.

We do this with detailed weekly and monthly progress and planning reports for each client. The reports are informative, but they also remind clients what their money is being used for.

Tweet: Thorough communication is the key to customer happiness. Joe Hughes on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

19. I put in the effort. There is no shortcut for quality

Bronson Taylor – growthhacker.tvBronson-Taylor

On Growth Hacker TV I’ve recorded over 150 episodes with startup growth experts, and it would be easy to just go through the motions at this point.

Instead, I do as much research on my guest now, and put in as much energy during the interview now, as I did on day one.

So how do I make my customers happy? I put in the effort. There is no shortcut for quality.

Tweet: I put in the effort. There is no shortcut for quality. Bronson Taylor on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

20. Providing surprise bonus gifts

Christopher Sutton – easyeartraining.comChristopher-Sutton

For each of our eBooks and training albums we have created two or three valuable bonus resources that will help our customers get even more out of the product they’ve purchased. Examples: extra musical examples, a planning worksheet, a bonus chapter, a “cheat sheet” summary of the book, etc.

Rather than advertise these on the product page to boost conversions we keep them as a surprise! After purchase, the customer gets a 4-7 day email sequence specific to the product they bought, providing more information and delivering these surprise bonus gifts.

Tweet: Providing surprise bonus gifts. Christopher Sutton on Customer Happiness via @helloify CLICK TO TWEET THIS

Got your own happiness tips?

Leave them in the comments below. We are looking to do a final top 10 with suggestions from you.

John Conkle

John Conkle

John is a startup entrepreneur who believes in the power of community. He has two podcasts and people say he enjoys reading a little too much. Before founding a startup he worked at a tech accelerator in Santa Monica.
John Conkle

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