3 Experts Give Their Number #1 Tip On Customer Retention

Tip #1: Unparalleled Customer Service

Jason Cahill from Next Level Laser Skirmish in Geelong, Australia says simply "Give them the best experience."

Customers have very high expectations. Successful battlefield operators need to delivery consistently, the highest levels of customers service for their gamers. Going that extra mile or as the Landrover tag line goes "Above & Beyond" is vital.

Fostering a good relationship with your existing customers builds a community around your brand. It shows your gamers that you care about them.

Tip #2: Keep Top Of Mind

Todd (aka Cypher) Robinson from Spec Ops Live Play in Riverbank California, USA says "Harass them. No joke. I have a gift. Our clients give it back to us, too."

"We create some great memories that happen [on the battlefield], during briefings and break time," he said.

Helping your players to re-live the fabulous experience they had at your facility is a key to customer retention. Remind them! Keep in touch.

The famous Dan Kennedy believes in keeping in touch with customers. Some may say he is an over-sharer. His strategy is to send out a monthly print newsletter, weekly email newsletters, post Birthday, Thank-you, and Christmas cards, publish special reports, educations audios, and much much more! And he's just getting started. Now say that is customer harassment... 

Tip #3: Build Confidence By Communicating

As well as running Battlefield Sports our manufacturing arm, we also run a nationwide rental service, Laser Tag in a Box.  "We strive for great customer service every time. We try and personalize the experience for our clients. For example, we always ask for the name of the birthday child. That way we can wish them "happy birthday!".

Successful battlefield businesses are built on confidence. There are lot of ways to build confidence in your brand. Communicating consistently is a great way to start building that confidence.

"For every booking we send a confirmation email. We also use text messages to follow up customers reminding them their event is soon. Our bookings office is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm for calls. Plus, we also have online chat. We also have an after hours smartphone number for troubleshooting. This way, our customers can communicate with us," said Nicole.

"We want our customers to feel appreciated, welcomed, and supported."

In Summary

The difference between battlefield businesses that grow and those that don’t is customer retention. Sure, customer acquisition is important but customer retention is more profitable. According to the Harvard Business Review it is 5 to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing customer.

If you are using the Battlefield HQ software you can run a report by date range to discover which customers are your V.I.P.s. Loyal customers are those who book more often and often spend more than brand new ones. And you as the battlefield operators want to encourage them to keep coming back, again and again.

Source: HBR