In this day and age, the internet is an intrinsic component of everyone’s daily lives. Apart from apprising its denizens of the goings-on in the world, it also helps them find commodities, facilities, products, and services of every kind imaginable. And as brands proliferate at lightning-fast speeds, the people’s search for individualized services has gained center stage, and businesses are here to capitalize on this discovery.
As B2B organizations vigorously transition to a more digital manner of managing their business, the severity of the competition between has reached a fever pitch. And with the perennial tug-of-war between organizations churning out different ideologies for consumer satisfaction, the one credo that holds the most value for businesses is building a strong relationship with their customers.
With the Temkin Group’s findings on how companies that earn $1 billion on an annual basis can expect an extra $700 million within 3 years of investing in customer experience gaining ground, organizations are increasingly adopting customer-centric strategies to woo their patrons. If you too would like to know of tactics that can help you redefine your relationship with your clientele, here’s a list of seven such powerful maneuvers that can help you do so.
1. Communicate
From prompt issue resolution and result-oriented conversations to round-the-clock support, proactive communication with customers can not only create robust customer relationships but also help you spread a word about your service faster while also gaining the confidence of your patrons.
You can do this by deploying advanced customer support tools like Acquire’s live chat for your customer support team. There is valid proof that shows how effective live chat support can be for businesses. For instance, Forrester claimed that usage of live chat promotes an average of a 48% increase in revenue per chat hour. Apart from this, an Econsultancy report found that live chat contributes to the highest level of customer satisfaction at 73% as compared to 61% for email.
With a live chat window, your support personnel can help users find the appropriate product, answer questions about the return policy, and guide them with a steady hand throughout their journey. A good live-chat platform like Acquire’s, which comes with modern features like co-browsing is a great step forward in this direction.
With collaborative browsing, you can offer help to your customers at different touchpoints in their journey for problems such as payment issues and different modes of payment. Additionally, you can also introduce chatbots to fuel instant gratification for your customers by extending discussions with them after converting them into a customer. By embedding your chatbot with support articles, you can also provide users with suggestions for your products from your help center.
2. Be Aware of Their Requirements
“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.” – Steve Jobs
Any business worth it’s salt should consider these words of the most famous inventor of modern times as the biblical truth. With a burgeoning swell in the market in terms of the variety of products and services available, whimsical consumer decisions are a very common occurrence.
So that you don’t lose out on your painstakingly acquired customer base, it is always a good idea to inform yourselves of their evolving needs and requirements. Leverage the pull that social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have to hear the opinions of your patrons, and always try to acknowledge their input.
In addition to this, you can also create surveys of your offerings, customer service, etc. and ask your customers to partake in it. You can go a step further and share the results of the survey with them. This not only helps paint a better picture of your brand in the eyes of your customers, but it almost always gives you additional information in the form of post-survey reviews. So much so that, an Edelman survey found that loyal customers, those who support a brand over a certain period, spend 67% more than new customers.
3. Exceed Expectations with Great Customer Service
Did you know that as per a Walker study, customer service will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020?
Great customer service is the bedrock of any business. It has increasingly become the priority of many organizations the world over, and 2019 is no different. Touted as the most exciting opportunity for businesses, it is also a great way to redefine your relationship with your customers.
To put things into perspective, it was found in a recently conducted PwC survey that customers are willing to pay a premium of up to 13% for services, simply by receiving a great customer experience.
All of this points to only one thing; faithful customers are your best salespersons. So, take time out to network with them and also to follow up. Another way that businesses can please customers with is expeditious delivery of products and services. By simply under-promising and over-delivering, you can make an impression on customers, and they will keep coming back to you.
4. Connect
One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make is failing to follow up with their customers. It doesn’t matter how good your product is or how effective your service is, no one is going to separately remember you from the number of brands out there. In fact, a report found out that 70% of customers say service agents’ awareness of sales interactions is very important in keeping their business.
By connecting with your customers instantly, you can make sure that you are always on their mind. Send them a nice ‘welcome‘ e-mail or add them to your newsletter. Let them know who you are and what you do.
Maintaining a connection is easier than warming up a prospect again and again. From online tools to social media, there are many ways that you can start conversations with your consumers than ever before. However, make sure to keep it engaging and not create a one-way conversation.
5. Reward Loyal Customers
Did you know that as per global management consulting firm Bain and Co., a 5 percent rise in customer retention generates profits of over 25 to 95 percent more?
Customer incentive programs are gold if you ask us. Since repeat customers are your most profitable ones and spend 67 percent more than new customers, it is imperative that you hold their attention. You can do so by giving them something in return for their time and business, like loyalty bonuses in the form of vouchers, coupons, free shipping, etc.
You can keep track of metrics like the number of orders, welcome points, referrals, loyalty points, etc. to ascertain your most loyal customers. This will help both you and the customer enjoy unparalleled benefits. While they keep visiting you for the promise of added benefits, you will enjoy higher customer retention rates.
6. Ask for Feedback
As per a Gartner survey, organizations that devise tactics for better customer experience begin by focusing on ways that they can accumulate and assess customer feedback. This is a great starting point as it informs you of your customers’ expectations and helps you revamp the specific needs of your customers so that you can find the right solutions to their problems.
It doesn’t matter whether the feedback is positive or negative; it will tell you a lot about your services. Always listen carefully to compliments or complaints as they will provide you with an honest gauge of customer experience. Not only does this tell you what works for your brand and what does not, but it also helps you to improve your products and services by collecting opinions regularly.
7. Focus on Their Complaints and Improve Services Accordingly
While collecting feedback is necessary, personalizing your services on the basis of the feedback you receive is very crucial. That is why, a data-driven approach to your marketing such as this can help you redirect your marketing efforts, product design efforts, and service.
Try to gain as much information as possible and learn what customers have to say about your business. Keep your eyes peeled for any negative and sub-standard mentions of your products on social media and the web. Check reviews and survey results. Listen to the feedback that they give while on the phone with your customer service, and come up with ways to deliver a better customer experience by improving your services accordingly so that they match customer expectations.
Business is all about maintaining an amicable relationship with your customers. Find them, rear them, spoil them, and see your sales soar.
Conclusion
Nothing is more important for a business than the satisfaction of its customers. However, with a number of brands competing against each other in the market, vying for the attention of customers, you’ll be left high and dry if you don’t create a sustainable, loyal, and active customer base.
To this end, the idea of relationship building and redefining customer experience are very vital for businesses. Prioritize the customer’s experience and the value that they bring and ensure that you consistently deliver high-quality and customized services. This will not only showcase your brand in a better light, but it will also make it easy for anyone to connect with you.
Simply employing these simple strategies can help you see a noticeable rise in how people clamor for your products. Your customers will be satisfied with their choice, first-time buyers will feel more confident coming back for more, and prospects will start to recognize your value.
Ashwini is passionate about Business, Entrepreneurship, E-commerce, and Digital Marketing. She is working with Acquire as a digital marketing expert. She is a free soul and adventurous scholar who spends her free time with herself, loved once, music, as well as watching & playing sports. She is ocean addicted and on roads being a thrill-seeking traveller to get new experiences as she looks at life as our very own works of art.