What is a Customer Lifecycle?
A customer lifecycle refers to the stages a customer goes through from their first interaction with a business to becoming a loyal repeat client. In the restoration industry, the customer lifecycle begins when a potential client seeks help for property damage, continues through the restoration process, and extends to post-service follow-ups and ongoing support. Managing this lifecycle effectively is key to building long-term relationships, driving customer satisfaction, and encouraging referrals.
Successful businesses share one quality that is often obvious to customers – a positive customer experience. As restoration business owners (or managers), it’s critical that we design a positive customer lifecycle so that our customers experience the same outstanding experience every time they seek out our product or services. While the customer lifecycle may be designed different from company to company, there are some key proven concepts that work.
1. Raise Awareness For Your Restoration Company
We’ve all seen a deal that is too good to be true. While some of us may see right through the offer, the offering was still enough to capture our attention, even if it were for a brief moment. If we expect to sell a product or service, we have to first capture the attention of a consumer with some sort of hook.
It’s very common with successful customer lifecycle journey to receive residential mailers with eye-catching images and value coupons. Some companies attend local events and set up a booth with an enticing backdrop, give out promotional items or strategically advertise on banner ads at local ballparks. Other companies sponsor creative local television or radio ads with exciting offers. All these examples are designed to successfully capture the consumers’ attention, while showing your company’s expertise in handling restoration emergencies. (Read our blog “7 Property Restoration Marketing Strategies Your Company Needs to Adopt” to learn more about marketing strategies for restoration companies.)
2. Capture Leads During the Consideration Phase
Within successful customer lifecycle journeys, call-to-actions are the most effective tool when gathering basic consumer information. Simply sending someone to your website is good for general information, but if there is no way to gather their contact information on the website or a strategy to get the prospective customer to call you, then you have no way to nurture those that have been ‘hooked’. In essence, you could be spending your marketing dollars on a strategy that won’t positively impact your restoration business’s revenue.
There are many creative ways to capture leads, and much of it depends on your end goal. For example, a contact form on your website is a great way to capture basic information about the prospective customer, but remember that less is more – requiring too many fields may turn off a lead from completing the form.
Many companies create quality content, such as insightful guides, detailed eBooks, product or service videos, designed to help inform potential customers. Consider creating gated content that would directly appeal to those experiencing a restoration emergency. These resources should be offered for free with the intention to capture the consumer’s em
ail address or phone number for follow up at a later date. Whatever your hook may include, be sure to find
a way to capture your leads for follow up – it’s worth your time now and in the future.
3. Nurture Restoration Prospects
As previously stated, a critical aspect of a successful customer lifecycle journey is that a point of contact is established, such as a phone number or email address, so that you can provide ongoing phone conversations or text/email campaigns to continuously educate and nurture a prospect prior to making a sale.
There’s a balance between too little or too much contact, so before turning on the fire hose and flooding the prospects with information, determine what their needs and situation may be. There are many marketing software platforms (like CoreLogic Restoration CRM) that provide tools for this very purpose, and in many cases automation can be introduced that allows the prospect to control how frequently they are contacted. You will need to determine how much nurturing is necessary prior to setting up a campaign; in general, the higher the dollar of sale, the longer the nurture process.
4. Convert Sales
Almost nothing is worse than a pushy salesperson. While pushing leads into a purchase may ultimately result in a sale, a high percentage of those customers will never return with repeat business. It’s imperative for a successful customer lifecycle journey to find an effective way to turn your restoration prospects into customers. Successful restoration companies provide strong offers and overcome objections, all without becoming the pushy salesperson. There are positive sales techniques that revolve around providing a comfortable customer experience.
There’s a key phrase that has become a focal point in many companies regarding sales – “Under-promise and Over-deliver”. Most sales are built on relationships and trust in one form or another, which is primarily built on consumer experience from the magnet and Nurture stages. When it comes time to close a sale, all aspects of what is being sold should be clear and defined, and in most cases should also align with what has been offered in the previous stages of the customer lifecycle journey.
5. Deliver and Satisfy
One of the most important parts of a successful customer lifecycle journey is the delivery of a product or service. Without successful delivery, repeat business would not exist. The ‘Under-promise and Over-deliver’ principle is a proven method for success, and while it may expend additional energy on the part of your business, you are building trust and brand loyalty. You don’t necessarily want to under-promise to point that the consumer doesn’t see any value in your proposition, thus having no sales opportunities to begin with, but it would be well worth your time to provide an experience or result that exceeds what the consumer was anticipating from the Magnet or Nurture stages – or at the very minimum, meets it. Never overpromise and then not deliver; in today’s world of technology and social media, a reputation or customer experience can make a huge impact, for good and for bad (‘United Breaks Guitars’).
6. Upsell Your Restoration Customers
Happy customers make great repeat customers, and a great opportunity for an upsell. Consider your product offerings, and determine if there are ways that you can provide more services to your happy customers. This could come by way of additional products or service offerings, warranties, etc. Develop a long-term upsell strategy designed to grow the value of your customer over time. Be creative and see what opportunities you may have to open a new revenue stream for your business. You may be surprised at what you find.
7. Get Restoration Referrals
Happy customers give the best referrals. It’s proven that positive word of mouth provides some of the highest close rates for sales. If your restoration company has not considered including a referral program within your customer lifecycle journey, it may be to your benefit to take a look at what you can offer. Some restoration companies offer discounts off future product and service purchases through providing referrals; some offer prizes, gift cards or products for referrals that become customers. There are many ways to structure referral programs, and while a successful implementation of a referral program may require an investment upfront, often the payoff in the end greatly outweighs the initial investment. Where appropriate, referral introductions (face to face, via email, etc.) can go even further.
If a customer has a positive experience, they will seek out that same positive experience the next time they are in the market. If the same positive experience occurs again, they will begin to relate your brand with that positive experience, and ultimately you begin to build brand loyalty. Designing a positive customer lifecycle can be a lot of work. It requires a well thought out plan, and consistency over time, but if designed right, it almost always pays off in the end.
Enhance Your Customer Lifecycle Journey with CoreLogic Next Gear
Creating a strong customer lifecycle is crucial for restoration companies aiming to excel in a competitive environment. By implementing these strategies, you can enhance the customer journey at every touchpoint, boosting loyalty, driving repeat customers, and generating referrals.
Optimize your processes and customer engagement by utilizing CoreLogic Next Gear’s specialized tools. Tailored for restoration companies, this robust software provides features such as automated lead management, CRM, and job tracking, all designed to enhance efficiency and boost customer satisfaction.
Request a demo today to discover how our industry-leading solutions can help you optimize your customer lifecycle and grow your business. Stay ahead of the curve by joining our expert-led webinars, where you can enhance your skills, learn new strategies, and keep your business competitive in the restoration industry.
