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Customer Service vocabulary · Customer Service Basics

Customer retention

Meaning in customer service, with examples

nounCommon term

In customer service, customer retention means: Keeping existing customers so that they continue buying from or using a company, instead of leaving for a competitor.

In Turkish: müşteriyi elde tutma, müşteri tutundurma, müşteri kalıcılığı

How it is used

Many companies have a retention team that speaks to customers who want to cancel and may offer discounts or better plans. It is measured with the retention rate. Keeping existing customers is widely seen as cheaper than winning new ones.

Example sentences

  1. Customer retention is our main goal this year, not new sign-ups.

  2. Calls from customers who want to cancel go to the customer retention team.

Common collocations

  • customer retention rate
  • improve customer retention
  • retention team
  • retention offer
  • churnThe loss of customers who stop using a company's service or cancel their subscription during a certain period.
  • customer loyaltyA customer's wish to keep buying from the same company, even when competitors are available.
  • cancelTo stop an order, booking, subscription or service so that it does not happen or does not continue.
  • goodwill gestureSomething a company gives a customer, such as a discount or a small refund, to show that it cares, even when it does not have to.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Customer Service Basics

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