As a business owner, it's likely that you're acutely aware of just how important your customers are to the success of your business. However, even the most experienced businesses tend to ignore the fact that the relationship that you have with your customers is, and always should be, a two-way street. You're aware of what your customers provide you with. After all, your business owes its very existence to your customers and the fact that it is where they have decided to spend their money. However, you might not have considered how important it is that you provide your customers with the things that they need. In fact, many businesses fail to understand what it is that their customers need from them entirely. In order to help you avoid losing connections with your customers, here are some of the things that they need from you that you might not be giving them.

Help and Support

It's easy to think of your interactions with customers as a one-time transaction, especially in sectors like retail. However, if you're dealing with customers on a more frequent basis, you need be there to offer them help and support even after their initial purchase. You need to do this through strong customer service. If they have an issue, then you need to not only be there to listen but also provide solutions that will help them. If your customers don't as though you're making an effort to support them when they have a problem, then they are going to be far less likely to interact with your business in the future.

A Way to Offer Feedback

It doesn't matter how hard you try; there will be occasions when you make mistakes, or there will be things that your customers don't like about your business. The worst thing that you can do is to hide your head in the sand and try to ignore those kinds of things. In fact, you should do the complete opposite. Embrace criticism and feedback from your customers. Have a look at this peninsula group complaint list. Not only does it show that customers are comfortable leaving both positive and negative feedback, but it also gives the business a chance to respond to it. Feedback always gives you a chance to more fully understand the way that your business can improve things for the sake of your customers. 

A Sense That They're Valued

If your customers don't feel like you care about them, then there's no reason for them to care about you. It doesn't take much to let your customers know that you value them, you've just got to be willing to put the time and effort it. Often, businesses spend so much time trying to bring in new customers that they forget about existing ones which makes it that much easier for the competition to snatch them away. Even things as simple as offering rewards and discounts for long standing customers can make a big difference. It lets your customers know that you haven't forgotten about them and that their support is important to you. Both of which can make them feel far more emotionally invested in your business.