Every year on the third Thursday of January, April, July, and October, businesses go the extra mile to delight their customers on Get to Know Your Customers Day. Customers are certainly the lifeline of any business so setting aside four days each year to get to know them, as opposed to just one, indicates the importance of keeping customers top of mind. And, we’ve all experienced being that customer, multiple times per week or even per day, when we purchase goods and services. Every Get to Know Your Customers Day brings new opportunities for businesses to better understand their customer base and increase their trust and loyalty.
History of Get to Know Your Customers Day
While the origin of Get to Know Your Customers Day is unknown, the significance of its purpose is fully understood. Businesses thrive on the repeated patronage of their customers. Get to Know Your Customers Day is the quarterly reminder that prompts companies to understand the needs and opinions of their customer base.
Study after study clearly links a business’ success to the opinions and loyalty of its customers. Customer behaviors driven by both positive and negative experiences are predictable so taking time throughout the year to gain their perspectives is critical to success.
Customers who experience excellent service and are loyal to a brand, service or business are willing to pay more for that service or product.
On the contrary, bad customer experiences lead to not only the loss of a single customer but, more frequently in today’s digitally social world, damage to your company’s reputation. Consider these statistics of customers who have experienced poor service:
47% will stop buying from a company.
91% will stop without even complaining.
76% believe it is easier now than ever before to take their business to a competitor.
62% will share their bad experience with others.
It takes as many as 12 positive customer experiences to outweigh one negative.
Customers are more likely to take their business elsewhere due to poor service than they are over priced.
Once a customer is lost, it costs more to find a new one. Providing excellent customer service fosters customer retention and customer referrals so make the most of this opportunity to get to know your customers today.
Get to Know Your Customers Day timeline
Claes Fornell, also known as the “Father of Customer Satisfaction” founded the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a monthly economic indicator of customer satisfaction.
The term “call center” was first included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1983; before this, these centers were referred to as “answering services”.
AT&T’s introduction of the 1-800 number enabled customers to dial call customer service toll-free.
Coca-Cola issued the first-ever discount coupon for one free glass of Coke to be redeemed at local pharmacies in Atlanta.
Using a trial-mark bottle, Watkins Liniment, included a label on its medicated ointments with “if not fully satisfied, your money cheerfully refunded”, believed to be the first money-back guarantee in the United States.
Customers By The Numbers
68% — the percentage of consumers who are willing to pay more for a brand with good customer service.
86% — the percentage of one-time clients who become long-term customers with good customer service.
89% — the percentage of consumers more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience.
93% — the percentage of customers likely to make repeat purchases with companies who offer excellent customer service
78% — the percentage of customers who will continue to do business with a company with excellent customer service after a mistake.
5% — the percentage increase in customer retention that can increase profits between 25% to 95%
3 out of 5 — the number of customers who feel loyal towards a brand due to its customer service.
83% — the percentage of customers who feel more loyal towards brands who resolve their complaints.
8% — the percentage revenue grows by as a result of better customer service.
80% — the percentage of companies that use customer satisfaction scores to analyze customer experiences and improve them.
Get to Know Your Customers Day FAQs
What is the #1 customer review website?
Google My Business receives over 158 million visitors each month.
Which company has the best customer service?
With an ASCI score of 86, Chick-fil-a restaurant holds the #1 spot for best customer service; their employees have been repeatedly considered the most polite employees in their industry.
What is the #1 frustration customers share?
According to Harvard Business Review, the most frequently cited customer frustration is customers having to repeat themselves.
Ways to Celebrate Get to Know Your Customers Day
Recognize employees your customers love
“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first” – Simon Sinek. Your customers know whether your employees love working for you because it shows in their ability to deliver excellent customer service. Celebrate Get to Know Your Customers Day by recognizing employees who are recognized by your customers. They are the ones developing the kind of customer loyalty that entices customers to keep coming back!
Reserve time to train employees
Delivering exceptional customer service doesn’t simply happen. Companies consistently recognized for outstanding customer service dedicate time and resources to training their employees on how to delight their customers. When reviewing top performing customer service teams, 88% of the highest performing companies make significant investments in agent training compared to only 57% in underperforming companies. Today would be a great day to refresh employees’ customer service skills or roll out a new customer engagement plan.
Take inventory of your best customers
Do you know who your best customers are? If not, you should! Now may be the time to invest in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system designed to track history with your current, past, and future customers in order to drive retention and increased spending habits.
5 Ways To Get To Know Your Customers Today
Build a community
With the proliferation of social media outlets, more companies are creating online communities for their customers to learn about products, share experiences and provide feedback.
Hire your customers
Who is more passionate about your brand, products or services than your best customers? Invite them to interview for open positions within your company.
Feature customer experiences
Use customer stories, experiences, and testimonials in your advertising; share how long they’ve been loyal customers.
Respond to feedback
Be sure you are providing feedback to the feedback; whether it comes through online review, written letters, calls or emails, it is vital to your business for customers to hear back from you.
Survey customers
Today would be a great day to engage quarterly with a group of customers to get to know them better – what they need, what they like, what keeps them coming back for more of your product or service.
Why We Love Get To Know Your Customers Day
We want our business to grow
Creating an excellent customer experience increases the chances that a customer will want to do business with us again. In order to create these experiences, we have to understand what our customers want and what drives them to make repeat purchases. When we get this right, our business will flourish.
It’s easier to retain customers than to find new
Customer loyalty brings customers back for repeat business. It is much easier, faster, and more cost-effective to devote time to retain existing customers than it is to recruit new ones. Plus, loyal customers are more likely to recommend your products or services to their friends. Today, remind your loyal customers how much you appreciate them and look forward to serving them for years to come!
Ultimately, we’re all customers
Since we are all customers to numerous businesses, we can appreciate the efforts of our favorite companies to create those excellent customer experiences. Maybe we’ll even get a special coupon from our favorite stores today!
Get to Know Your Customers Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | January 21 | Thursday |
| 2022 | January 20 | Thursday |
| 2022 | April 21 | Thursday |
| 2022 | July 21 | Thursday |
| 2022 | October 20 | Thursday |
| 2023 | January 19 | Thursday |
| 2023 | April 20 | Thursday |
| 2023 | July 20 | Thursday |
| 2023 | October 19 | Thursday |
| 2024 | January 18 | Thursday |
| 2024 | April 18 | Thursday |
| 2024 | July 18 | Thursday |
| 2024 | October 17 | Thursday |
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