Here we consider the best approaches and proven tactics that will help organizations improve customer communications when working remotely.
Working from home is the reality many of us have been dreaming about while others have been afraid of it. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced almost everyone to get used to remote work. It has exposed us to challenges that pushed us out of our comfort zone. One of them is remote customer communication process. It has also become a big reason for businesses to love the Internet even more than before.
Communication is essential for project success, as it helps set trust-based relationships and mutual understanding between stakeholders. It provides smooth collaboration and results in business success. When most countries are locked at homes again, we need to rethink a customer communication strategy and adjust it to remote teamwork.
McKinsey & Company defines three pillars of clear messaging to customers during the pandemic: transparency, customer protection, and customer outreach.
Transparency means giving customers the behind-the-scenes views of the options you consider for them and perspectives that may come true for your business in the post-coronavirus world. Better to share honest predictions without sugar-coating, as it will help your company build trust with customers.
Customer protection implies that you need to add more compassion to customer communication procedures and inform people about measures taken to ensure a safe and convenient experience with a brand for them. “Now” requires us to keep in mind the overall social mood affected by global critical events. Thus, support teams should be even more empathic when communicating with customers.
Customer outreach means you should constantly keep the conversation with your customers across different channels. Talk to them, update them, and repeat the important information about the changes in your processes once again to ensure that it’s delivered successfully to everyone in your community.
Considering “psychological” approaches to customer service, it’s also essential to take a closer look at digital channels making communication with consumers more effective when you work from home. Many companies have started using VoIP phone systems as alternative solutions in times of uncertainty.
Other businesses have considered unified communications as the best option for improved workflow and customer relations. However, customer communication options aren’t limited to those mentioned above. Here we present proven tactics that will help businesses empower customer service.
The first rule for digital business success is to be where your customers are. To be more specific, it’s on social media. Social networks are one of the most popular online communication channels. Imagine 74% of users log into Facebook at least once a day, with 51% of them logging in more than once a day.
Social media is the first place modern customers expect brands to interact with them the most quickly. Consider that 40% of customers who send complaints on social media expect the company’s reply within one hour.
With tools like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, businesses can answer customer queries almost instantly. Many organizations consider them as the most effective medium for customer service and create separate brand profiles entirely dedicated to customer support.
Live chat is a technology incorporated into a website that allows customers to stay in touch with their favorite brands round the clock. This customer service tactic has been widely used before and gained even more popularity today when most teams work remotely. With tools like HelpCrunch live chat, you can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty since your brand is always easily accessible online anytime.
Email communication might seem a traditional and very obvious practice. Probably, yes. However, it doesn’t also mean it’s inefficient. Emails are another way to stay in touch with customers while working remotely. According to research by Epsilon PeopleCloud Messaging, email is the most critical communication channel between companies and consumers because it’s personal, reliable, relevant, and targeted. Businesses can use email marketing to update customers about the changes in processes during the pandemic.
Another actionable tactic to get in touch with customers is by using video conferencing tools and apps like Skype. Along with the top productivity apps, they help improve the overall team collaboration and performance when you work from home. Although it might be challenging to apply to customer communication in B2C companies it is particularly efficient for the B2B world. When organizing real-life meetings has become unsafe and almost impossible due to travel restrictions, video calls have become even more important.
B2B customers may want to schedule a video call with the company to discuss their purchases or collaboration details. Thus, video conferencing tools are gaining popularity quickly, especially during the lockdown.
However, all of these channels enable companies to set a direct and effective dialog with customers when teams work remotely, there is one more way to communicate with customers. It’s through the content. It’s recommended for businesses to reimagine their content strategies from the customer service perspective.
For example, your brand can assist customers remotely by publishing how-to articles, guides, tutorials, or explainer videos to enable people to provide self-service. You can also store the “help” content in special online knowledge libraries or the FAQ section on a website.
It’s crucial today since many people feel anxious regarding the challenges and innovations encountered during the coronavirus. While you might have heard tips about diversifying your content earlier, it’s now recommended to prioritize the content informativeness even if it requires sacrificing content diversity.
Whether you are a B2B or B2C company, this guide to customer communication might be helpful. These actionable yet straightforward strategies will empower brands to cater to the target audience’s needs and increase loyalty. Hopefully, they have also inspired you to and will help you improve support service and bring customer relationships to the next level regardless of the coronavirus recession and pandemic.
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