Whether you’re reaching new customers on the phone, via email, or by mentioning them on social media, your customers might think that reaching out won’t help them (because — let’s face it — it can feel like that’s often the case when it comes to getting in contact with most customer service departments).

To help you thrive, here are three ways to help your business to reach new customers faster.

Be translucent and outgoing.

It’s very important to be transparent when you converse with your new customers — specifically if it’s about a mistake or blunder caused by you.

When using your sympathy and gratitude powers, don’t waver to explain the circumstances, apologize for the matter, and communicate what happened — and how it won’t happen again. If it could happen again, be very clear on that so your consumer can as prepare as possible in the future.

Please your customers every time you can.

We’re big supporters of delighting your consumers, and a large element of pleasure is the surprise component.

Make sure to take time sporadically to surprise your consumers. You don’t automatically need to surprise them with a gift or an offer (although those can absolutely be nice). Sometimes, something as simple as a thank you card, company swag, or a shoutout on social media can go a long way towards building kindness and an emotional connection with your consumers. And a passionate connection can occasionally be a bigger predictor of loyalty than replies to customer satisfaction surveys.

Go where your consumers are.

As a buyer, nothing irritates me more than when I send a Twitter DM to a brand to whine about something, and they answer back with a number I can call to voice my distresses. I’m already experiencing resistance dealing with an issue with their product — I shouldn’t have to wait on hold to hear from a customer support agent, too.

It’s your job to make it as relaxed and painless as possible for your consumers to get the replies they need to use your goods or service. To do this, you should have a solid plan in place for providing service across an assortment of channels where your customers naturally reach out to you.