As the saying goes, "leave well enough alone." Sometimes it is by trying to improve that we achieve the opposite effect, and when trying to build customer loyalty to bring customers back to our service department or sell them a new vehicle, all we do is annoy them to the point of never seeing them again. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid this serious mistake.

What can be interpreted as harassment usually starts with excellent intentions. You wish to communicate with your customers, to make sure their vehicles undergo the recommended maintenance; you contact them again regarding their satisfaction with us, etc. But when these efforts are too frequent or inappropriate, they are badly perceived.

The solution lies in determining a sensible number of contacts. You have to know what was done and what should be done: when, why and how to communicate with our customers. A chart of all the initiatives carried out by the departments will help to visualize times of excessive contacts or periods during which they are forgotten.

If each communication effort is analyzed to identify people with real needs, then it is unlikely that customers will feel "invaded". They will perceive your call or email as a considerate, relevant and justified service.

Before contacting a client, make sure that the purpose of the communication is examined and defined. Prepare a scenario that will be followed and set up the structures for analyzing these calls. Do not allow improvisation, even if the people contacting your customers are talented. Analysis, coordination, segmentation and moderation are the main characteristics of an effective loyalty-building strategy!