“Wow! We had so much fun.” That’s what you want to hear as your customers leave your business. It’s a great feeling knowing that guests enjoyed their time with you. Your next task is to get them to come back again AND bring their friends, right? If you own a rental business, B&B, or tour company then this is likely one of the many things you think about every day. Beyond offering excellent customer service and a great product, let’s explore how you can ensure that your customers will want to come back and see you again.
Genuine Approach
In my experience as both a customer and a business owner, I am always drawn toward the genuine approach. This means relating to your customers, being sincere and gracious, and spending time getting to know them. In your line of business, this should be a fairly simple task as your customers are usually there for a vacation or a getaway. They are likely more open and relaxed during their stay. If they leave your place of business feeling good about the experience, then this will resonate with them, and they will want to return.
Reach Out
After your customers depart from your business, make a point to send them a message thanking them for their visit. Using an online booking system, like WebReserv or BookingCentral comes with automatic thank you emails that you can set up to send a day or two after departure. This is a nice gesture that customers will appreciate. In addition to this, however, continue to reach out to them even after their departure. Make a point to send emails and newsletters to your customers throughout the year, too. Your booking system will keep your customer information, so you can easily download a list of contact emails of previous customers.
All customers were NOT created equal
When reaching out to your customers, don’t assume that all folks are alike. Be observant of the type of customers you have. It’s likely you have a mix of varying generations of guests that come to your place of business. Understand that some customers like a more personal interaction. This could mean a hand written note thanking them for their business, or perhaps a quick phone call (Yes!). For others, they may like a text or an email. You can make notes on a previous booking with details about your customer interactions.
Offer special discounts
A great and reliable way to get repeat business is to offer a special discount that is catered just for your repeat customers. Many businesses will offer discounts to ‘new customers’ only, but that is often a turn off to customers that have been before. Go beyond the norm, and offer a ‘loyalty discount’ or ‘special access discount’ to previous customers. With a booking system like BookingCentral, you can easily set up these types of discounts. Once you create the discount, add the special code to the thank you email. They’ll see it as soon as they depart, and encourage them to book again for their next trip. It could be something simple as a 10-20% discount for booking again within the year, or a fixed amount discount that is equal to one of your popular add-ons, such as a tube to go along with their boat rental, or a kayak rental along with the cabin booking.
In general, a little bit of effort on your part means a lot of happy customers that will return and do business with you again and again. Plus, they’ll tell your friends and family, so not only will you get repeat customers, but you’ll also get new customers. Happiness all around!
Looking for a new booking system? Reach out to our team of experts today to learn about WebReserv and our newest version, BookingCentral. We offer the most user friendly booking system that is filled with features that you need to successfully run your business.
Leave a Comment