Reasons Your Customer Communication is Lacking
The way your business communicates with customers can have a profound impact on its overall success – or lack thereof. So, if you’re having trouble communicating with patrons in a courteous, professional manner, this is likely to be reflected in your customer retention rates. Luckily, effective customer communication isn’t as hard as some businesses make it look, and it’s never too late to refine your approach to customer service. Business owners whose customer communication skills could use some work should be extremely mindful of the following behaviors.
You Don’t Value Timeliness
To say that we’re living in the age of instant gratification would be an understatement. Modern consumers expect satisfaction in the timeliest possible manner, and if a business is unable to accommodate them on this front, many of them won’t hesitate to take their patronage elsewhere. That being the case, making customers wait exorbitant periods of time for responses to questions and concerns is not going to serve your business well.
Of course, this isn’t to say that you’ll need to respond to every phone call, text message or email within minutes – as much as certain customers might like this. However, you should make a point of responding to every communique you receive during normal business hours before the end of the workday. Furthermore, should you receive any messages after-hours, make an effort to respond to them at the start of the following day.
You Don’t Choose Your Battles Wisely
Dealing with difficult patrons is an unavoidable part of working in any industry that involves customer service. While none of us relish interacting with hard-to-please customers, not everyone is equally adept at keeping their cool. The desire to respond in kind to patrons who are rude, angry, or outright unpleasant is perfectly understandable. After all, people can only endure so much verbal abuse before losing their composure.
However, it’s important to realize that not every difficult customer is impossible to please. While it’s true that certain patrons simply can’t be placated, this does not represent the majority. With this in mind, avoid flying off the handle and lashing out at every disgruntled customer you come across. By exercising patience and maintaining your cool, you can effectively disarm disgruntled patrons and get a handle on situations that initially seem hopeless.
You Don’t Keep Customers Informed
In the age of social media, it’s become easier than ever for consumers to stay up to date with their favorite brands and businesses. So, if your business has yet to carve out a social media presence, now would be the time to do so. Not only will you need to create accounts for your business on the web’s most prominent social platforms, but you’ll also need to update each account on a daily basis. This will help ensure that your brand remains fresh in the minds of followers and that your patrons are kept abreast of the latest developments within your enterprise.
Since many consumers directly reach out to their favorite brands via social media, you should be prepared to address questions and concerns from followers through your various social media accounts. As is the case when dealing with other forms of communication, make a point of responding to people who submit questions and concerns through social media in a timely and professional manner. In addition to ensuring that these individuals feel heard, this approach is likely to make them feel more of a personal connection to your brand.
Effective texting campaigns are another great way to keep customers in the loop. Whenever you decide to enact price changes, alter your hours of operation or introduce new services, a good texting campaign can help you get the word out in an expedient and stress-free manner.
Communicating with customers in an effective and efficient manner should be among your business’s top priorities. Loyal patrons are needed to ensure the continued existence of any business – and the right approach to customer communication is needed to ensure that said patrons stick around. So, if your customer communication efforts have largely proven fruitless, now is the time to set things right. If any of the behaviors discussed above color the way you interact with customers, don’t hesitate to start enacting positive changes.
