Engaging with your customers boosts their loyalty, and loyal customers are one of the most important assets for your business. Your repeat customers love your products, are less likely to turn to the competition, will give you the benefit of the doubt if something goes wrong, and will tell their friends about how you helped them.
The question arises, then, how can you engage with consumers and ultimately increase their loyalty to your business?
Really Listen
American author Bryant H. McGill once said, “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” Show your customers you respect them by asking for their opinions and acting on what they say.
This may happen on a large or small scale. Consumer surveys may reveal areas where your business can improve as a whole. Individual comments can alert you to the need to further train specific team members. Also, getting to know your customers on a one-to-one basis can help you design sales pitches and find personal ways to show you care.
Be Available
An article on Inc.’s website points out, “Your customers decide if and when to communicate. Your job is simply to give them the tools that make the interaction and communication easy and natural.”
Social media, email, and online chats are all useful channels for interacting with customers, and different customers prefer different channels for different situations. They may send an email for casual inquiries. To share an opinion, social media may be the method of choice. For immediate needs, however, many may prefer to talk to a person on the phone. Consider extending your call center hours so consumers don’t have to stew over a problem all weekend.
Provide a Well-Rounded Experience
You want your customers to sense how much you value you them. Before, during, and after a sale, you should demonstrate respect and a commitment to excellent service.
If the experience is lopsided — for example, if you are a star during the presale process but provide minimal product support after purchases — customers may start to think that you do not fully stand behind what you sell.
Offer Something Valuable for Free
By offering your customers freebies, you give them a reason to come to you. Offer interesting content on social media. You may also want to put together short weekly or monthly newsletter that you send out via email. In your newsletter, you can feature customer stories that showcase the practice value of your products.
An app might be what you need to appeal to your customers. Something simple that relates to your business can drive your customers to interact with your business on a daily basis.
The something that you offer for free doesn’t have to be tangible. It could be in the form of highly trained, friendly customer service representatives who are familiar with the ins and outs your products. These representatives can serve as the face of your company and help you stand out from other businesses that do not deliver top-notch call center services.
Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things
Even if you are happy with your customer engagement, don’t shy away from trying to improve. Utilize A/B testing to hone your website. Tweak your call representatives’ script a little during certain seasons or times of the day. Experiment with different ways of segmenting your email marketing. Regularly integrate consumer feedback into your business practices.
Customer engagement — or lack thereof — can help your business soar or send it crashing to the ground. Use the above tips to quickly and easily boost engagement.
