Customer communication is getting easier, and at the same time, more complicated. It’s now easier than ever to keep up with customers via a whole host of digital means.
But choosing the appropriate tools, and streamlining the process, can be tough. Whether you’re catching up with clients or dealing with thousands of customer calls, here are the things you need to know.
Verbal communication
Even in 2019, verbal communication is still vital to business success. Make it easy for your customers to contact you by using the best call center technology and training your staff in best practice.
Callers expect the phone to be answered quickly and for their issue to be dealt with efficiently. But did you know that a smile is important, even over the phone?
Callers can tell subconsciously if the representative is smiling, as it makes their voice more warm and friendly. It’s subtle things like this that make all the difference to customer care.
Social media
Everyone, from grandparents to multinational corporations, is on social media. And if you’re not, you’re missing out on possibly the most significant opportunity to engage with your customers.
Social media is a perfect communication tool since it allows two-way conversations between you and your customer base in a way that has never been possible before.
Plus, it’s free! Make the most of social media by ensuring that you post relevant content regularly and that you’re responding effectively to customer engagement. Remember, the digital world moves fast. In many cases, customers expect a tweet to be replied to much quicker than they would with an email.
Posting regular content that your customers find entertaining or useful will help you to stay fresh in their minds. It’ll also help to build brand awareness, so it’s a great form of marketing when done right.
Some fun ideas for online customer engagement include running competitions, hosting polls, and sharing live videos that give a sneak peek behind the scenes of your business. You can also make use of paid advertising on Facebook and Twitter to target and reach audiences that you wouldn’t usually.
Email newsletter
Another way to stay near the top of your customer’s mind? Stay in their inbox. If you haven’t already, it’s worth investing some time into your email newsletters.
You can use an email program to help you with the technical side, but for the writing, you might want to consider hiring a copywriter. It’s essential that your email newsletters provide genuine value to the reader and are not spammy.
You might want to consider how frequently you’ll send out emails, but you should definitely get in touch whenever you have a new promotion, special offer, or exciting news. Just make sure the news is appealing for your customer too.
They do want to know if you’ve opened a new store or are offering 25% off this week. They don’t want to know if your CEO has just got married. Keep it relevant, useful, and entertaining (if this fits the tone of your brand).
What are you doing to communicate better with your business in 2019?
