Do you run a business that relies on loyal customers? If so, then you will undoubtedly have steered some focus to understanding their needs and offering them what they want. While they are all individuals with individual preferences, here are 10 of the most common requests customers have for the businesses they use.

1. Excellent quality products - Above all, customers will come to you for the product they're buying and, as such, they need to know that they won't be let down by the quality of the product you sell them.

2. Services of the highest standards - If you provide services, rather than products, then you still need to take the same approach to standards. If the client or customer is handing over money, then make sure they get exceptional value.

3. Knowledgeable staff - Whether it's in store, on the phone, in social media environments or by email, customers demand that the people they come into contact with are knowledgeable about their own company and the products or services being bought.

4. Friendly and helpful staff - As well as knowledge, customers also want to be treated well and that means friendliness and helpfulness are top of their list of expectations.

5. An easy-to-use website - The internet is king these days and every customer expects to be able to visit your website instead of visiting you in person and still get everything they need. That means navigation and usability should be of the highest standards when it comes to your site.

6. Person-to-person contact - Many people, however, still prefer one-on-one contact and that means providing them with a useful and efficient telephone handling service. If you don't want to house that in-house, then why not use an outsourced call centre to take responsibility for you?

7. An ethical company - Green credentials and fair trade policies are growing in significance for customers, so always act in the most ethical way to ensure you remain a trusted and respected company.

8. Common sense approach to problems - There's nothing worse, as a customer, when you feel let down and then nobody understands your side of the story. By treating customers with respect and putting yourself in their shoes, you'll be able to deal with problems rationally.

9. Sorting problems out quickly and efficiently - Once you've seen to point 8 on this list, you can then ensure the problems are sorted out promptly and that the customer gets the outcome they deserve.

10. Kept promises - If you have a satisfaction guarantee, an organised delivery time, or a special offer, not seeing them through will only serve to damage how the customer views your business. By honouring what you promise, customers will be kept happy.

Now you know how to keep customers happy, then it could be time to hire that outsourced call centre to take responsibility for your inbound call handling requirements.