There are a number of reasons why customers may decide to abandon your product or service. But if you don’t find out why—and fast—you’ll never know how to keep new customers from sticking around in the future. That’s why FORTUNE asked eight successful entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
Q. My customer retention rate is declining. What’s the first thing I should do?
1. Assess the Situation
Ask yourself what their reasons are for leaving. Is your service or product frustrating or difficult to use? Is it too expensive? Is there a superior alternative out there? Then, create an approach to address the most common concerns. You can learn a lot from a simple, honest conversation or email exchange with a customer who is leaving. —Volkan Okay Yazici, Stonexchange
2. Pick Up the Phone
In my businesses, I’ve found that picking up the phone and calling clients goes a very long way—it trumps email any day of the week. Ask people how things are going, what you can do to help, and what problem areas they have that need your attention. You’ll learn so much about your product offering and company in a very short period of time, and customers will really appreciate the one-on-one attention. —Alex Miller, Upgraded Points
3. Check Your Data
Look at your available data to see when, where, and why the decline happened so you can pinpoint a particular set of actions or communications that put customers off. While you can ask them why they decided to leave, it’s important to sift through your data for any patterns in the decline and better understand the problem from inside the organization. —Angela Ruth, Due
4. Survey, Discuss, and Take Action
Use periodic customer satisfaction surveys and discussions to find the reasons behind your churn rates. Hire account managers that have experience with account/crisis management. Set realistic expectations on what you are capable of doing so that you have the ability to wow them. Under-promise and over-deliver. —Deepti Sharma Kapur, FoodtoEat
SOURCE: FORTUNE
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