Customer data: the way you get it is everything

As a business, knowing your customer and what they

want is crucial to the continued success of your company. It gives you an insight into what to add, change, or take away from your product or service to ensure your customers are getting exactly what they expect and want from your company. Collecting customer data is the best way to do it, but it has to be done right. Here's how to get customer data the right way.

• Focus on loyalty campaigns. There's a reason why stores have a reward program, which usually includes a card customers use to save them money; it's also a valuable tool to collect customer data on products they buy, how much and how often. In turn, this data can be used to track and analyze what products customers buy most and at what time of the year they buy it. This can instill more trust and loyalty with your customer base, ensuring their experience with your company is a positive one.
• Conduct customer surveys. This is a valuable asset on how to get customer data the right way, without being nosy and in-your-face. If your business is mainly done online, a short survey of five-ten questions after a purchase can reveal important, valuable information. Utilizing survey software on your websites can be a valuable tool. If most of your business is from a brick and mortar store, customer survey cards can be tossed in the bag with a customer's purchases or on the receipt itself, with a coupon for a percent off their next purchase.
• Utilize Google Analytics. This is an efficient, yet private way to collect customer data. When a customer checks out your website or even purchases your product or service, analytics can track important information about that customer, from how often they check out your site, how long they stay, what pages they visit, and if they purchase a product from your site, to where they live and more. It's an excellent time-saving tool to understand your demographic.
• Install Live chat. This is probably the best way to collect customer data when there is a one-on-one relationship with a customer and customer support. Most customers don't want to talk to an answering machine or wait for an email; they want help now.

Implementing these tools on how to get customer data the right way enables your company to more effectively reach your target audience with the right message at the right time. This allows your marketing team to build and cultivate strong ties with your customers, ensuring their loyalty for years to come.