For all businesses, customers are key. They are a fundamental part when it comes to keeping businesses afloat. Every business owner should appreciate and value their customers because without them, no one would be able to run a business.
The way you communicate with your customers and clients will set the ground work for your relationship and you want to have a solid relationship with each and every one of your customers, right? Right! Developing long-lasting and positive relationships can help you get your businesses message out there, make the customers feel valued and overall grow your business! In this article, we are going to list some of the things you need to do and some of the things you should not do when addressing your customers needs online.
DO’S
Acknowledge Your Tone: So, you have a tone for your brand (you have a brand logo, message, and website), your communication strategy should be no different. Set a tone for your businesses customer service department. Your voice needs to be consistent because it’ll help you be reliable as a business. Generally, people do not want to deal with an unreliable business, they want to go to business that has great communication skills and that puts their customers needs first. You can set the tone for your business online presence by ensuring your website and social media platforms and basically all online content is consistent and solving a solution for your customers.
Be Prepared: Customers will ask you questions about your product or service, some may even be ones that you have never been asked before. For this reason, you need to be prepared because you don’t want to tell the customer that you don’t know the answer. That will just show that your ill-equipped and haven’t explored all avenues of your products or services. Customers will return to a business when their needs have been addressed and when their questions have answered. They want to feel heard and acknowledged by the brand’s representatives. Do your homework, even take notes if need be! Whatever it is that will help you increase your knowledge and get ready to answer any customer inquiry. Sometimes customers have frequently asked questions, in fact this is to your advantage, embed a FAQ section into your website so that customers have the answers to their questions readily available for them.
Be Clear: After a client/customer talks to a customer service rep, they shouldn’t still be confused about your products and they shouldn’t be left with more questions than answers. If you can provide specifics on your website, that’ll certainly help. Include a FAQ page, have an ‘About Me’ page that explains who you are and make sure to have descriptions about your products/services. Also, you should provide your customers with photos, details and direct links whether that be on your website or on social media platforms.
Exercise Empathy: Empathizing with your customers concerns is aways a good approach because it shows that you care about their needs. When issues arise, people sometimes can come across as a bit harsh and this could be out of frustration or other personal issues going on in their lives. You do not want to immediately put up all defences and argue with them, that’ll get you nowhere and could potentially burn some bridges. Use empathetic language and make an effort to turn the customers unpleasant situation into a positive interaction. A lot of the time, people just want to be heard and have their concerns addressed. Most types of communication as such takes place on a business google page. In the end your goal is to increase your Google Reviews in the most possible way as possible. Address and reply to negative comments as well to provide a solution. Not only will this make the customer happy but it will go as far as to show your customer loyalty to the public.
Strive To Be Flexible: Any step that you can take to make your customers experience positive, take that leap! Being flexible can seriously work wonders for you and your business. Offer a new solution to a problem and accommodate your clients needs so that they will be satisfied. When it comes to owning/running a business, being flexible means that you are constantly going to learn new ways to improve your customers experience. If they give you some suggestions, take a look into them; they could bring light onto a new exciting approach that you may not have even thought of!
DONT’S
Make False Promises: We get it, you want to please your customers as much as you possibly can but what can sometimes make an issue worse is promising them something when it can’t be done. Don’t make guarantees because this can actually become harmful for your business in the future. When you make guarantees or false promises, people will expect that issue to be automatically resolved and if it’s not, well, that can create a mistrust between your business and its customers. Remember that honesty is always the best policy!
Use The Wrong Language: Using positive language is a huge asset for any business. Avoid using language that can come across as harsh, inappropriate or unprofessional. If you are upset or stressed about a certain issue that has come to light, be professional about it. Also, use language that your customers will understand. You don’t necessarily want to go into the mechanics and only use industry related vocabulary when talking with your customers, because chances are, they probably won’t understand what you are saying. Be clear and encourage customers to ask as many questions as they need.
Be Dismissive: Avoid negative words and refrain from telling a customer or client that they are wrong, that could lead to an argument. Having a dismissive attitude can ultimately cause more problems for you rather than solving them. By developing the right kind of tone for your brand, you can choose a positive voice when engaging with customers.
Make It Difficult To Contact You: Clients should not be scouring the internet for your contact info, it should be clearly stated on your website AND social media pages. If anything, it’ll frustrate customers if they can’t find your info and potentially make them reconsider using your products or services. Make sure you have a valid contacting system that you are able to check daily. Getting in contact with customer reps should be easy and customers shouldn’t be waiting for a week or even a couple of days to hear back. They are reaching out to your business for a reason and they expect a reply.
Get feedback from your customers to see how you can make their experience better and how you can improve as a business! Send them a quick questionnaire of how their experience was and if they enjoyed speaking with your customer service reps. Each interaction is a chance for you to build your business and relationships with the people around you!
