Customer follow up is so valuable. It is important, not only to service your existing customers, but to generate a new customer base as well. It takes a ton more energy to find a new customer than it does to service an existing customer well, so continue to do your best to balance both.
In terms of a follow up system, there are many out there to choose from. The most important thing is to choose one that you will USE regularly and comfortably. There is no magic to the system, the magic happens when you work the system.
If you work well on the computer, there is a software system called ACT that really is good for follow up as you can schedule your calls and they pop into your computer daily. You can even get really high tech and have the data transferred into your Palm Pilot. ( I use my outlook office program in the calendar, I just set a reminder)
Franklin Planners also has software for your PC and Palm Pilot.
If you are more of a “hands on” paper person, you can work simply with a 79 cent spiral notebook. Just log your calls daily as you make them and if follow up is required, put the names and numbers into your calendar.
Another system you can use is a 3 ring binder and filler paper. Go to your local office supply store and get dividers – January through December and 1 through 31. Whatever month you are doing your calls should have the 1-31 tabs behind it. Each day, log your calls on filler paper – a piece of paper for each contact. After making any applicable notes, if follow up is needed, then place the piece of paper behind the month when you are to follow up with a note that indicates approximately what date that month you are to follow up. When you move to the next month, move the 1-31 dividers and sort your contacts by date behind the 1-31 date dividers. That way as you move into that month, you know each day who you will be calling and no one falls into the cracks.
You can use the same system above with a card file and index cards.
To balance new vs. old customers, consider designating days of the week for the type of calling you are doing. You might say that Monday is the day to phone team members, Tuesday is new customer prospecting, Wednesday, service existing customers, Thursday hostess coaching and recruiting appointments and Friday is a paperwork/catch up phone call day.
Hopefully, one of the above systems works for you. If anyone else writes in with other suggestions, we will be sure to post!
