As we look back to a year of loss, anxiety and hardship, it’s difficult to imagine any benefit to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one positive outcome is how organizations got proactive in their customer service efforts. For many, the continued existence of their company depended on it.
Real World Story: A Forbes article posted this past March reported on how companies used better customer service strategies to communicate better and build stronger relationships with customers. Inversely, the article highlights how customers now demand better customer service from the companies they do business with. They are also more aware of great service versus mediocre or BAD service.
Following are the top three areas that companies improved upon to more seamlessly communicate with customers and grow relationships.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Communication Infrastructure. Do you constantly strive to improve your digital channels? Do you limit how and when your customers can interact with you? It may be time to survey how you communicate and find areas of improvement. When companies constantly improve their communication infrastructures, they become more connected to their customers. The more you connect with customers, the more they will look to you in the future.
- Personalization. Does your company direct customers to the FAQ on your website for even the simplest of questions? Ever wonder how long it takes a customer to find the question and answer they are looking for? Well, from experience, let me tell you—it takes a long time! Instead, let’s personalize our approach to answering questions by dealing directly with customers. This, in turn, allows us the most basic of human interactions in which we ask customers, “How are you?”
- Cross Training. I have always said that customer service is EVERYONE’S responsibility in an organization that deals with people—from the CEO to the parking lot attendant! So why is that we don’t always cross train all of our team members in customer service? We should! Every single person in your organization is a brand ambassador; they are ALL an extension of what your company stands for and represents.
Remember: Great service is never more important than when customers truly need us—and the pandemic was truly a time of need. Customers need to feel cared for, and so we must improve upon our service strategies to ensure we meet that demand to take care of people. In doing so, we will strengthen and grow our relationships with the people who sustain our businesses.
What has your organization done to communicate better with customers and build stronger relationships as a result of the pandemic?