Over the last few years, consumers’ expectations have skyrocketed in terms of the customer experiences they demand from businesses. It’s no longer viable for local businesses to do the bare minimum in order to get customers through the door. Speed and convenience are non-negotiable today.
Customers’ demands for speed and convenience have shifted from just in-person experiences, to digital engagements as well. Research from Podium shows that 86 per cent of consumers expect businesses to be even more convenient to deal with in the wake of the pandemic. Now, therefore, is the time for local businesses to implement and perfect a communication strategy that meets the increased demand for effective online communication with customers.
Here are a few simple tips to help you achieve this:
Listen to customer feedback
It may sound like a given, but listening to feedback is one of the most crucial and effective ways to uncover what your customers love and hate about your customer experience. Quite often, your current customers will provide feedback or reviews that mention ways in which your business (or your competitor’s business) didn’t live up to their expectations of speed or convenience. This gives you great insight into the buyer’s journey and can help you identify areas that need to be improved. So invite reviews, and action the insights you receive.
Remove friction from the customer journey
To create convenience, you must find ways to eliminate any ‘friction’ that could occur when a potential customer is interacting with, or buying from, your brand. Ultimately, the quicker and more convenient it is for them, the higher the likelihood of them making a purchase or booking. So, understanding, anticipating, and answering the customers’ questions as easily as possible is a key way to do this.
Create the ultimate FAQ, a master list of all the things customers need to know, and use the quick and convenient tools to deliver this information. For instance, rather than making customers find, then read, a long webpage for answers, provide automated, instant answers through webchat. This is quick and convenient for them, and for your business.
Excellent omnichannel communication
Communicating and engaging with customers on multiple convenient channels is critical to increasing customer loyalty and improving sales. Indeed, engaged customers provide a 23 per cent higher share in profitability, revenue, and growth, while 54 per cent want companies to fundamentally transform how they engage with them.
Because consumers live and work on their smartphone, SMS can be worth its weight in gold for local businesses. Today, email is easy to ignore and phone calls are invasive and inconvenient for many. SMS communications were already favoured by nine in 10 consumers, and 42 per cent of Aussies are more interested in texting local businesses in the wake of the pandemic.
Texting feels personal and mimics the quick and convenient conversations we have with friends and family on a daily basis. Webchat engages your audience as soon as they visit your website, so you can help them find exactly what they’re looking for before they lose patience and look for a competitor. Rather than making them fit their habits and preferences around your business’ operations, demonstrate they’re important to you by creating the quick and convenient customer experiences they demand, remember and recommend.
While customer experience expectations may have changed, local businesses needn’t be daunted. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and truly consider whether your strategy delivers on their need for speed and convenience. The businesses that provide this will have an edge on their competitors who don’t.
