Do you welcome your customers on board after closing a sale? If not, you may be missing one of the most valuable opportunities you have to secure a profitable future relationship with that customer. After all, you have invested heavily in acquiring their business, a small investment in the post-sale welcome process will help realise that investment and maximise the potential lifetime value of your new client.

Building a base of loyal customers is more likely to drive higher revenue and increase profitability than winning new custom. It is well documented that the costs of acquiring a new customer are significantly higher than the costs of retaining an existing one. The goal, then, has to be to establish a good strategy to convert those new relationships into loyal, repeat customers. We’ve broken down the importance of a welcome call campaign, with some tips on getting set up.

Why do you need a welcome campaign?

The welcome campaign is a method of relationship nurturing that marketers adopt across many different channels to establish a personal connection and open a two-way dialogue at the very start of an engagement. It establishes a customer-centric approach that feeds a profitable long-term relationship for both parties.

At a time when loyalty is hard-won, the initial post-purchase phase presents a window of opportunity in which to create a strong, positive first impression. Contact at this stage, when a new client may feel vulnerable, ensures that they are comfortable with the product or service they have purchased and lays the foundation for a positive customer experience.

At this early stage you can close any gaps in current data held, secure marketing consent and capture insights around your customer’s goals and needs to ensure future communications are personalised and relevant. By placing a phone call to the customer at this stage, not only can you deepen your knowledge very effectively in a short space of time, you can really make them feel valued, with a personal touch that other channels can’t deliver. In the age of digital communication, a phone call will really make you stand out from your competitors.

Considerations for a successful welcome campaign

If you’re looking to conduct a welcome call for new customers, there are several key factors to consider for success:

Set clear goals for your campaign

Before you look at the practical elements of setting the campaign up, step back and consider your overall goals. What do you want to achieve from the call programme? Here are a few key points to consider:

• Introductions: has the customer engaged with you directly before?

• Assigned points of contact: who else might you need to introduce the customer to?

• What type of feedback are you looking for?

• Are there any gaps in your customer data that can be enriched over the phone?

Timing is everything

The timing of your call will depend on your business and your proposition. It should, however, always consider whether your customer has had enough time to digest their experience with your brand, whilst being mindful that, if their experience has not been what they expected, you may find out sooner via channels that can be challenging to rectify, such as social media or reviews.

The best way to consider your welcome campaign is in several stages:

• An introductory call is a good way of reminding your customer that there is a human on the other side of the product or service they have engaged with, which presents the opportunity to build rapport, nurture the beginnings of customer relationship and simply thank them for their business.

• You can then allow a short period of time before conducting a follow-up call to check in on your customer’s experience so far and gauge their satisfaction, answer any queries they may have and potentially solve issues that could have otherwise escalated.

• If, for any reason, your customer has experienced an issue, you should consider an additional follow-up call as part of the welcome programme to ensure that any problems have been rectified and nurture their satisfaction levels further.

Meaningful connections

Creating a meaningful two-way dialogue with your customer establishes trust and rapport so that they will feel comfortable reaching out to you with queries or issues, allowing you to step in and act fast when needed and minimise the risk of a poor experience or damage to your brand’s reputation.

In addition, a customer that feels you are genuinely interested in their feedback, is more likely to engage with you and share their thoughts. A phone conversation allows you to build closer rapport, understand the emotions behind any feedback, and respond in real-time, increasing overall levels of satisfaction. This deeper level of insight can also help you identify opportunities for your teams to cross- or upsell additional products and solutions, based on a better understanding of your customer’s evolving needs.

We all understand the impact of a first impression and there are some very simple steps you can take at the start of a customer relationship to maximise the quality of the experience for both parties. Adding a human touch at this point in time increases the value of the interaction and presents an opportunity to stand out. If you would like to discuss how our specialist voice-contact services can add value to your existing programme or are considering a new programme, get in touch today.