A customer recently placed an online order for a company that she had been doing business with for years.

Of course, given the current supply chain issues, the delivery was delayed, but inside the package, there was a note written by the CEO.

It was a fairly lengthy note detailing the issues the company had been facing this year, but it also credited their employees and their customers for helping to see the business through the crisis.

The letter addressed any possible customer concerns with the steps the organization had been taking to mitigate the issues and also took the opportunity to advertise a new online resource that they had created for schoolchildren. 

The note highlighted the issues they were facing, the steps they were taking and who they credited with keeping them in business.

Transparency is not overrated. Customers want to know how they will be affected and what you are doing about it. That the organization appreciated and recognized the efforts of its employees and customers, was icing on the cake and creates a reason in the mind of a customer to remain loyal to the business.

Keep customers in the loop, make them feel a part of your business operations and, in fact, make them a part of your business operations. Include their experience with your organization in your business strategy and they will include your business in their online orders.