A unique product or service isn’t enough to grow a business. You also need to provide exceptional customer service. The digital world gives people a limitless choice of brands to shop with. If you want folks to pick you over your competition, you must create an experience that stands out from the rest. Keep reading to discover seven tips to help improve your customer experience.
1. Record Customer Calls
Whether you’re a large corporation or small business, you likely have many daily calls with customers. These calls contain important information about customer pain points and common challenges they encounter with your brand. Understanding customer frustrations can allow you to fix them and improve the customer experience.
However, it’s hard for your customer support reps to document everything said during a conversation. That’s why it’s helpful to record all call center discussions.
VoIP call recording services enable companies to record, save, and store all of their customer service calls. To make accessing this information easier, brands can utilize software to transcribe audio recordings. This makes it easier to search for information quickly rather than listen to hours of conversations.
Also Read: 7 Reasons Why CRM Improves the Customer Experience
2. Use SMS to Communicate
Your customers are texting on their phones all day. Why not communicate with them on the medium they use most? SMS allows companies to efficiently engage with thousands of their customers directly.
This makes it easier to provide discounts, update shipping information, notify customers about new products and provide superior customer service. Speaking of customer service, a good speech to text software can also create efficiencies for your customer service and call center agents.
When people shop with a brand, they want to feel like they’re receiving VIP treatment. So offer customers who have opted in for text message communication unique rewards only available to them. Be aware, however, that it’s important not to overcommunicate with customers. Sending too many messages becomes irritating, so stick with one or two texts per week.
3. Answer Questions Quickly
When your customers have a question, they don’t want to wait around for answers. In fact, roughly two-thirds of people expect to have answers within 10 minutes of submitting an inquiry. Failing to get back to customers within this timeline can cause frustration and drive them away.
Since your customer support team is busy, it can be hard to promptly respond to all customer questions. That’s where chatbots can help. Customer service chatbots use artificial intelligence to answer common customer questions quickly. This prevents people from waiting on the phone to speak with a representative. It also gives your reps more time to focus on other customer service–related tasks.
4. Create Customer Loyalty Programs
Interested in increasing your number of returning customers? Then start rewarding them for doing business with you. Customer loyalty programs offer repeat customers discounts and special offers for continuing to shop with your brand. This gives people a greater incentive to stick with your company over your competitors.
One simple yet effective way to begin implementing a loyalty program is with rewards points. Customers earn rewards points when they buy from your brand. The more they shop with you, the more points they earn. Over time, these rewards points add up and can be used for discounts on products or services.
Also Read: Proven Strategies to Keep Your Customers Engaged
5. Engage With Customers on Social Media
Most businesses know they need to be active on social media to grab customers’ attention. However, simply posting quality content isn’t enough. People expect brands to interact with them across all social media platforms. This includes replying to comments, answering questions, and responding to direct messages.
Does the thought of responding to questions and comments across all your social media channels sound overwhelming? That’s where a social media manager can help. Social media managers don’t just create a social media marketing strategy. They also ensure that your brand engages with customers across all accounts in a way that provides value.
6. Personalize the Experience
A one-size-fits-all approach will no longer work if you want to retain customers. Research from New Epsilon found that 80% of consumers are more apt to shop with a brand that offers personalized experiences. Personalization can help your brand stay ahead of the competition and provide more value to shoppers.
Your company is likely already collecting data that tracks past customer purchases. You can begin utilizing this data to send customers marketing offers specific to items they frequently buy. Or you could use this information to show customers related products the next time they visit your website. Both options demonstrate that you understand their unique needs and preferences.
7. Continue to Provide Support Post-Purchase
All too often, companies focus on closing sales and don’t provide support after customers make a purchase. Failing to provide post-purchase support can leave buyers with unanswered questions about your product or service. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and ultimately a loss of repeat business.
Instead of letting customers fend for themselves after shopping with you, send a post-sale follow-up email. This email should express your appreciation as well as offer to answer any questions a customer may have. To save your sales reps time, create educational content they can send customers when questions arise.
Customers have more options today than ever before. If you want them to choose you instead of your rivals, you need to make customer service a top priority. Implementing the tips above can help you level up your customer experience. This will improve customer retention and attract new buyers to your brand.
