When someone has just bought from you, that’s a golden opportunity to start building a customer relationship. Take advantage of being top-of-mind and see where it can take you – and ensure you’re offering the best after-sales service to this brand-new customer.

Thanking someone for a purchase is usually the start of a cadence of aftersales interactions, all of which serve to make contact with the customer, check in on their customer satisfaction levels and see if there is anything else your brand can do for them in the immediate future.

But to do this well, you need a formalised aftersales service process – and this means putting some real thought into the interactions you want to have with your new customers.

What exactly is aftersales service? – In essence, it’s how you treat the customers you’ve already sold to, and how you go about interacting with these new customers, supporting their needs and ensuring that they go away as satisfied advocates for your brand.

Why is that important? – Regular, stable customer sales are based on building good relationships with customers, and making sure they buy from you again – and dissatisfied, disillusioned or angry customers are not going to buy from you for a second time. Because of this, offering the right level of after-sales care is as important as the effort you put into building up sales leads.

Here are some key ways to offer good aftersales service:

• Have a great customer service culture – if a new customer has a query, or a problem, you need to make it as easy as possible to get in touch. Whether this is via a phone helpline, email support or online chat support, it’s important that your customer service is friendly, helpful and creates the right impression of your brand. If new customers leave with a good feeling, that can be the start of a long and valued relationship.
• Check in – checking that a customer is happy with their product/service is always a good idea. They may be a brand-new customer, or they may be an established buyer of your products, but you want them to know that you care. Check in, ask the right questions and see if there’s any added value you can add as the icing on the cake.
• Set up an after-sales email – once a sale is made, you need to have a cadence of emails in place to send to your new customer. These will include things like congratulating them on buying the product, asking them for feedback, checking in on their ongoing product needs and sending them exclusive customer offers. 
• Publish helpful content – writing helpful content for your audience is an excellent way to offer them extra value. Whether it’s helpful blog posts, long-form guides with practical advice, or a monthly email newsletters, you can boost your content marketing and bring some incredibly useful ideas, tips and hacks to your existing customers. 
• Offer exclusive treats, discounts or bonuses – we all like to feel special, so creating exclusive customer offers is one way to make your audience feel valued. Offer them discounts, give them early access to new services, or send them treats when they reach certain milestones as a customer. An annual birthday discount, or savings for long-term, valued customers helps to reinforce your brand values and keep customers delighted.
• Send out something in the mail – customers can be delighted by the simplest things, such as a handwritten thank-you note sent with an online order, or a free cupcake treat sent out on their birthday. In a world that’s increasingly digital and automated, simple, personal, real-world gifts and interactions can speak volumes, and help you to stand out and maintain your competitive advantage in your sector or market.