From countless social listening tools to complex CRM platforms, there have never been more ways to understand the needs of your customers or clients. But there’s always more to know, and you may feel like adding a few new tools to your approach.

Here are six things to try to take your customer engagement to the next level.

1. Have a casual meetup: Sometimes face-to-face is the best way to connect. Try organizing periodic or recurring opportunities for customers to meet with top executives at local cafes or coffee shops for a cup of joe and a chat.
2. Tap their creativity: User-generated content can be a great way to enhance your social media, newsletters and more. Invite customers to share videos and photos of them using your product or services or enjoying your events, whether community festivals or professional conferences. Look for ways to bring your best customers on as occasional co-creators, as well — maybe co-hosting an episode of your podcast, serving as a brand ambassador at events, giving a testimonial for your advertising or creating a montage video.
3. Ask them to elaborate: Your listening tools — whether social media engagement, survey participation or feedback hotlines — are chock-full of useful insights. But many organizations never go beyond collecting that information. Analyze that data regularly, and look for opportunities to follow up with key individuals or groups to explore issues further.
4. Make the ask: Your customers, clients and business partners are invaluable sources not only of important data, but also of support. But companies often forget to simply make the ask. Don’t forget to overtly request for people to share the video, use the hashtag, come to the public meeting, fill out the survey or enter the sweepstakes.
5. Reward their loyalty: Yes, there are a lot of rewards programs out there. That doesn’t mean people won’t participate in another one if the perks are worth it. But clunky or overly complex programs often get ignored, and people lose interest if the rewards are lame or it takes too long to get to them. Mix it up – occasional “surprise and delight” treats that they didn’t expect, along with a steady drumbeat of earned rewards that you know they value (a free ride, visit or stay; a complimentary serving of their favorite menu item; access to a behind-the-scenes tour, etc.).
6. Mark the milestones; An easy way to let customers know you’re tuned in is to honor special occasions and statistical milestones. This can be personalized, using the data you’re collecting (a free milkshake every 10^th time they visit your ice cream shop, a bring-a-friend-for-free pass to your venue on the anniversary of the membership) or it can be generated by organizational milestones (a free monthly pass to your 1,000^th rider, backstage access to the first event attendee wearing your logo).

Your customers or clients, business partners, community members and other stakeholders are the lifeblood of your organization. No matter how many ways you’re engaging, it’s always important — and often fun — to find new ways to engage and let them know that you’re not just listening, you’re truly hearing them.