6 strategies architecture firms can use to retain customers, Building designer tips, Online loyalty advice

How Architecture Firms Can Retain Customers

23 Aug 2021

When planning their advertising strategies, it is commonplace for company owners to promote their services and target new clients to grow their business. Statistics suggest that you may want to focus more on customer retention instead. Acquiring new clients will cost your business five times more investment than retaining existing clients.

Reaching out and building customer loyalty by even 5% has the potential to raise your profits by an astounding 25% to 95%. Although the present-day trend is to direct 44% of marketing allocation toward acquiring clients and 18 % on client retention, companies are losing their bottom line. So, what can you do to get the maximum returns from your marketing efforts?

How Architecture Firms Can Retain Their Customers Guide

Deliver Up to Customer Expectations

Your most effective marketing strategy begins with delivering great projects that match customer expectations. And more! Contemporary building owners expect high-performance building designs that deliver maximum occupant satisfaction.

They also require a 90% safety rating and efficient climate control. Other features high on their list of priorities include energy efficiency, integration with remote-controlled devices, complete customization, optimum space utilization, and excellent illumination. Exceptional office layouts for maximum employee productivity also feature on their must-haves.

Responsiveness to Customer Complaints and Queries

Since architecture is a service-based field, you absolutely need to develop a robust customer service system. Ensure that all queries and complaints are answered and addressed promptly. The lack of timely response makes customers feel unvalued and feel like their business is not a priority for your company.

Avoid these situations by developing an efficient customer communication protocol with deadlines of 24 hours or less. Responses should be sent out even if you don’t have concrete answers to their queries. Sending out a “We’re on it!” response reassures clients that their relationship with your company is valued and respected. Go the extra mile if you have to and resolve all complaints as soon as possible.

Ramp Up Advertising During the Holidays

The Holidays are an excellent time to connect with your clients and show how much you appreciate their association with your company. Holiday greetings also remind them of the high-value projects you completed for them, so they’ll get back to you with further assignments. You’ll place an order for customized architecture cards that carry your company name, logo, and slogan. Also include contact information along with a personalized message. Taking the time to personally sign cards intended for prestigious clients is sure to earn you loyalty points.

Get Proactive with Customer Accounts

Assign personnel to closely monitor ongoing projects and maintain open lines of communications with your clients. Look out for any signals that may indicate lower customer satisfaction levels and anticipate issues before they arise. Use a survey maker to get clients to talk about their experiences with your company and what you can do to improve your services.

Remember to use short, easy-to-understand questions with multiple-choice answers that won’t take more than a few minutes of each client’s time. Implement the changes they recommend, and you’re sure to retain customers and even get referrals to friends and family. Happy customers not only ensure long-term relationships and more projects, but they’ll also provide word-of-mouth advertising which is indispensable for a company’s success.

Provide Incentives for Loyalty

Since an architecture firm provides professional services, devising incentives can be challenging since you can’t offer discounts, sales, redeemable points, and markdowns similar to retail stores. Get creative with marketing strategies like providing bundled services or partnering with vendors to acquire building materials at cheaper rates. Make sure to customize the incentives according to the requirements of individual projects. Give your customers all the reasons to rely only on your company for their building and construction needs.

Harness the Power of Social Media

Use social media accounts to build connections with customers and entities relevant to your industry. Publish posts regularly establishing you as an authority in your field by providing expert advice and recommendations. Build trust by discussing groundbreaking ideas and how-to articles that provide value to the readers. Your social media pages should be the go-to source for any architecture-related information.

Understand the value of customer retention and work on building it for long-term success.

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