5 steps to understand your customer better than anyone else.

Communication is key to understanding and building a strong relationship with your customers. The rise of social media has changed how we converse with each other especially when it comes to customer relationships. As a Hawkr merchant, you operate online and don't necessarily interact with your customers physically. So you must be wondering, how does one go about this the right way? Well, let us share with you 5 tips on how to communicate with your customers actively & effectively, so that you understand them better than anyone else.

1. Provide a great customer service experience

We all know that first impression is always key in making a brand new customer be a returning customer. This is true when it comes to customer service on how to welcome new customers to your establishment. This is indeed a no-brainer in every business especially when it comes to the F&B industry but you would be amazed that a lot of people still can mess this first step easily.

Think of it this way: a customer will only return to a brand or business if they have good experiences with it.

So how do we go about it the right way? Here are some pointers:

Since you are running your business from your home & not a restaurant, having to converse with your customers has to be handled delicately since most of the conversation is in text format. Customers are ain’t able to see you and your products physically, thus you need to be as accommodating as possible for them to have a good lasting impression on you and hopefully they may become returning customers.

There is a caveat to accommodate every single customer but more on this later.

2. Ask the right kind of questions

Once you have gotten that new customer to try out your products, is feedback time! When getting feedback from them, we tend to think that it should only be about your products and nothing else. This will always lead to sallow answers like this example:

Merchant: “Hi how is the food?”

Customer: “It tastes good”

This doesn’t give actual feedback to know whether the product is really good to the customer or not. Though some customers do elaborate on their answers, not everyone does this and so finding a better way to ask the right questions is needed. Instead of asking a simple vague question how about asking a question like this instead?

Merchant: Hi there would you likely come back to order again?

This prompts them to have a much deeper and more meaningful conversation than a simple “hi & bye” kind. What this accomplishes is that the customer would feel that you have a personal interest in them and this, in turn, would allow you to know what kind of person they are. Here are a few questions you might want to try asking:

Give them an impression that you are interested in having a more open and interactive conversation whether they can share their opinions freely.

3. Understand your customers better

Now that you have started laying the groundwork for building a friendly conversation with your customers, it’s now time to start getting to know them better. Talking about topics outside of merchant & customer relationships could potentially start a direction in which you & your business can benefit greatly if you understand your target audience better.

Try asking about things like:

This in turn would offer you insider knowledge on who & what kind of customers they are and could start helping you profile & segment them into categories where you would be able to market certain kinds of products based on their personalities & interest. Not only that, taking a personal interest in their well-being and getting to know them could potentially turn them into loyal customers or even friends.

The objective is not to talk about marketing to them about your latest product, but more about listening and being the next friendly person they can speak to.

4. Accommodate but not complete concierge service

Now here comes the most important part of the whole customer experience ordeal when you got returning customers & friendly customers interacting with you on a regular basis, how to keep them happy and returning constantly.

Most would think: “I should continue to cater to all their demands just to have them be loyal.” This is far from the actual truth. While yes, you are making them happy by serving them based on all their demands, the question isn’t are they happy but are you happy to make those changes?

Customers can turn into the most demanding customers that want you to cater to every single request they make when they are used to you obliging to every single change that they request. While this may not be noticeable in the beginning, it will soon manifest itself once they start:

This is when the relationship you have with your customer is no longer beneficial and has become a master to servant relationship. Unfortunately a vast majority of home cooks merchants suffer from this issue and are not able to get out of the loop. So how do we try to mitigate the problems of having to deal with these customers? This is where one should learn to be accommodating but not complete concierge service. What do I mean by it? Let’s dive into this delicate subject, shall we?

A. Don’t pander to everyone, especially the most demanding of customers

While previously I talked about offering your customers a great customer experience, there is a fine line between providing relevant catering service & being a butler. Is understandable that you may have a few customers which you want to treat special but how big is that number? From 2 it may go to 3 then 5 then 8 and then 10 and so on. The more you give special treatment to people just because you like them could unintentionally set yourself up to be nearly everyone else's servant. Do your best to be as neutral with your customers even to your favorites. This will cost less hassle in the future when you don’t have to remember so many of your customer's requests or conditions if everyone was treated equally to what you sell to them.

B. Taking only the relevant ideas that are aligned with what you’re doing

It's great to listen to new creative ideas that your customers would like for you to tackle but do note that customers for the most part do not know what they truly want. They may suggest to you what they may like, but it doesn’t always translate to actual sales down the road. What you can do to get meaningful ideas from customers especially when it comes to new creations is:

Try to filter every new suggestion that your customers give to you to know which ones are worth pursuing.

C. Make small tweaks for customers, not big changes

When your customers say comments like: “It tastes really good, but the chicken was kinda dry today.” You don’t necessarily have to recreate the whole dish just so that the customer can be pleased. Making a few adjustments without overdoing things will get the job done better than making huge changes. What do I mean by this? Well instead of recreating the whole dish, perhaps you could add or reduce the number of ingredients needed to make that dish not as dry as it was before. While you may be tempted to add maybe an additional item that goes along with the dish, is not necessary to do as that would satisfy the customer short term but imagine doing this for every single comment that they make in the long term? This would unintentionally breed entitled customers as you would always go out of your way to redo everything and add more items just to make them feel special.

Let me share with you an example base on a true story from yours truly.

I used to be a barista and I’ve had my own fair share of customers who had their “preferences” in what kind of coffee they would like to have. They would comment about the taste and started giving me outlandish suggestions on how to improve their drink the next time they would order from me. Rather than giving in to their whims, I started writing a list and breaking down what kind of customers they were, and what flavors & tasting notes they prefer. It was a simple list that had words like Demanding, Not demanding, Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, etc. From there I begin to tweak the amount of coffee being added in, how big or small the grind size of the coffee was, how much water or milk is needed, whether should I add any sugar syrup, how much foam is needed for the milk, and so on.

The next time these customers came in, I let them try their tweaked coffee and they were all amazed that it was a huge difference & thought that I must have added or made big changes to their coffee. When I told them all I did was made slight adjustments and I didn’t need to buy extra ingredients nor do I need to recreate their coffee, they were all shocked and thanked me for getting their flavor right before heading off. From then on, my customers always come back getting their personalized coffee without me going out of my way to make drastic changes and spending the extra money to buy additional ingredients just to cater to them.

D. You do not need to keep asking the same question like: “how does the food taste today?” after every single time they’ve ordered from you

This is very true for every merchant. How do you know if today’s product was good? So you keep chasing for feedback hoping it was good or better than the previous day before. While it may be helpful for new customers, is not sustainable in the long run. Imagine asking the exact same question over & over & over again to your customer every single time they ordered from you. All you get from the customer could be the exact same answers over & over again. Imagine you being that customer who has to deal with the merchant having to keep repeating the same question just to see if you like the meal or not. Doesn’t it feel annoying? This also may unconsciously make the customer feel like you are uncertain about your own product and doubt your own skillsets. Learn to not ask the same redundant question all the time. Take pride in knowing that if the customer has been returning and not giving any feedback, is probably because your product already speaks to them in their bellies. If they are unsatisfied, they will let you know.

E. Learn to say No and stand your ground

This may be a hard thing to do if you are a person who is always saying “Yes” to your customers. Is ok to say “No” and have the customer feel a bit disappointed but understand your situation, rather than you going around pleasing everyone and feeling exhausted & burned out. Customers have only one concern and that is their own tummies. If you feel your customer is asking too much from you to fulfill their own needs and not being considerate of your own welfare, learn to say “No” and stand your ground. This can be anything from having a ridiculous customizable product to even using a third-party service to help you with your business. Customers can see reason if you are firm with your beliefs and your stance on what you do. If they do not want to see and support your cause just because you can’t be their own personal chief (which you are not) & cater to every single demand, perhaps then they are not the right kind of customers that you are looking for. At the end of the day, customers don’t always know what they want and it is totally fine not to entertain them, which brings us neatly to my next point which is.

F. It’s ok to have the most demanding customers leave you

Toxic relationships exist everywhere including in the F&B sector. When a few customers start becoming overly demanding and start hurling hurtful words just to get your attention, it is time to move on. This is where many merchants are hesitant. You fear losing revenue & reputation and so you start doubling down and catering to them forever stuck in a vicious cycle. This is a form of Stockholm Syndrome, where you try to find the good in your demanding customers while you continue to suffer from their ongoing abuse. Why compromise so much just to get customers to return to you? This is not healthy because you would only cater to these toxic customers rather than those who value you and therefore, grow your business. You deserve better and should find other customers who see the value in your creations and support you all the way through. It's alright to let go of these customers, don’t let their money and their comments control you. There’s plenty more in the sea for you to acquire.

5. Keep the conversation going

So now that we have gone through the hardest part, what do we do with our non-problematic and loyal customers? Is time to keep them engaged and perhaps start a tight-knit community moving forward. With all the topics that I have covered previously, is now time to start using them in creative ways in order to engage with your community base.

A. Continue to engage with them from time to time

Having a constant, open dialogue is key for long-term loyalty with your customers. Just a simple casual conversation about their life, lifestyle changes, new interest & or disinterest, can go a long way in keeping them reminded about you and the work that you do. This will give them a lasting impression that you are a person who they can trust and should be supported from time to time. The more you show genuine care for a person, the more likelihood that they will reciprocate those feelings back.

B. Let your customers be in the know about up & coming creations

People tend to forget things as time moves on and life carries us to new adventures. Your customers need to be reminded often that you exist and you’re still hard at work creating & delivering to satisfy their cravings. What better way to remind them than to announce your new flavored products? Aside from having a constant dialogue, show your customers that you are always thinking of new ideas & creations so that they got something to look forward to. Here are some examples that you could try:

Being transparent and getting your community to be involved will make them more likely to contribute to your overall success in your new products as they are now invested in playing a part in your creative progress.

C. Host a community event where your customers can earn a discount or a prize

It’s always interesting and exciting when someone announces a friendly competition where winners can win something unique that is worth their time and effort. Why not try this with your customer base? Hosting a competition event where winners are able to earn prizes is a sure way to keep your customer base active and would also provide other benefits as well such as:

The goal of these events is to see how your customers interact with you & your brand. Try to keep it exciting with the rewards worth their time & money, and customers would sure be invested in wanting to participate in the next event.

D. Do something special for your loyal customers once in a while

Customers always love to be appreciated and given some attention. This is especially true for customers who don’t make frequent requests and mostly are satisfied buying your products. Do you know what this means? It’s time to show your appreciation & say “Thank you!” Do a little surprise for them when they least expect it. Offer a little extra portion that the particular customer would like, send a personal message to them on their Birthday date, or even offer to throw in a discounted cost or a free item during a special event that the customer is celebrating.

Just doing this alone will help in maintaining your relationship with your customers as they see you as someone who truly appreciates them not just as a customer but perhaps even a friend.

But remember to do it sparingly, as too much of a good thing could unintentionally spoil them.

Your true goal of engagement is to build an emotional connection between your brand & customers. By doing this it will turn your customers into fans. It’s not a one-way street, but an ongoing conversation.

There we have it, those are my top 5 steps on how to understand your customers better than anyone else! Always keep your conversations open, friendly, positive, accommodating but firm, and of course ongoing. Don’t let your customers control your brand to the point that it restricts your own growth. This will help ensure that every single interaction feels like a genuine relationship that is mutually beneficial. You are the one who decides whether your brand moves forward and choose who will follow you through. This will help ensure that every single interaction with your customers feels like a genuine relationship that is mutually beneficial.

If you would like to have further discussions about this topic personally, you can always hit us up on the chatbot. We love to hear your thoughts & problems and hopefully give you meaningful advices.

Thanks for reading my TED Talk essay, I’ll be going, buh-bye now!

-Justin