November 2009 TCS Inside Lane Customer Satisfaction & Communication = Customer Retention & Loyalty — Tire Power by TCS – Tire Software

Archive for November, 2009

Customer Satisfaction & Communication = Customer Retention & Loyalty

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

We all know it is easier and cheaper to retain a customer than it is to acquire new ones. Customer loyalty is a direct result of your company’s customer service and overall marketing efforts.

The key to retention is “Customer Satisfaction”

satisfaction A dis-satisfied customer becomes a liability. Not only are they not going to purchase from you again, they may go out and say negative things about your company.

If you have a problem, deal with it right away. You will gain more respect from your customers than a company that is slow to react. Building a life-long customer increases the reputation of your company and attracts new customers through word-of-mouth.

Remember, if you do not look after your customers someone else will.

Communication builds relationships and repeat business

With regular communications your customers will be informed and it allows you to build a bond and keep them coming back.

There are many ways to communicate with your customers. Sending your marketing message via Email is one of the quickest ways and you can know instantly which customer read your message and when. It is also far cheaper than printing and mailing.

Service reminders, promotions and discounts are not the only thing you have to communicate. You have a wealth of knowledge from the tire and automotive service industry that people need. Let them know why they should change their oil or rotate their tires. Good information is invaluable in building your relationship with your customer.

Now let your customer do the marketing

Once you have built customer loyalty they will naturally tell others over time. This will happen faster if you offer a referral program.

The best referral programs are simple and easy to use for your customers. It should be offered as a reward for your customer. It does not have to be expensive; you could simply offer a premium service at a regular price.

Be sure to contact and reward your customer right away. This gives them immediate satisfaction and encourages them to refer your company again.

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Growing & Strengthening Your Brand

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Part I: Updating Your Logo

On the internet image is everything: The web is a truly visual experience. The appearance and usability of your company’s website shapes a visitor’s perception as to the quality and reliability of your business as a whole. One could argue that having no website would be less harmful to your company’s reputation than an out-of-date and or broken/limited functionality website. The flipside, of course, is to present your visitors with pages that are visually appealing, easy-to-use to make a strong positive impression. This is an important element of building a lasting business relationship and ultimately greater success for you.

A good logo is a key element of your business’ presence. It conveys information about your business on an almost subconscious level. If you logo looks old, unbalanced, and thrown together those negative concepts will invariably carry over to the perception of your services and abilities. A strong logo exudes confidence and says you care about your appearance.

Many customers have logos that worked fine in the last century during the paper age. Now in the digital era, it is possible to communicate more information more effectively with your logo via limitless colors, exciting effects and even animation.

Case Study: CBI

CBI’s original logo served them well. The company is proud of its 40-year heritage, but the logo looks its age. As part of integrating the web to expand their footprint, CBI asked TCS to modernize their logo.

We start by tracing the shape and extruding into a 3-Dimensional object. A treatment is also done on the text to make it more readable and balanced.

Through the use of lighting, textures and post processing effects we now have an updated logo! The original brand identity has been preserved, yet the look and feel is updated.

Having the logo as a layered file or 3D object allows us to easily place it over different backgrounds. It can also be scaled as needed for any application: from small imprints on business cards and brochures to large-size reproductions for company vehicles, billboards, banners, etc.

Having a 3D object file built also allows for exciting options like animation! A short sequence could be useful for promotional materials including the company website.

Another Example: David’s Discount Tire

David’s original logo was supposed to show 2 D’s (for David’s Discount) intersected by a tire. Unfortunately, not many people got that.

An updated logo lets customers know David’s is utilizing the latest technology to better serve them! The double-D effect is strengthened while moving the tire concept the D’s themselves. A bit of perspective and a shadow makes the logo appear to pop off the page.

Once again, now that we have updated logo files we have options on how to display it. For the purpose of a sales invoice, a logo over white is appropriate for attractive and ink-thrifty printing.