If you want your business to succeed, you need to communicate clearly with your customers—there is no getting around this simple rule. It’s especially important in the early stages of your relationship with a new customer. Clear communication ensures that you are conveying what you have to offer and that it meets the customer’s needs.
The best customer communication strategy is not something that remains static and evolves over time. The methods you use today may not be relevant in a couple years, or even months! But one thing that remains constant is providing your customers with clear, concise communication.
If you’re a startup, you will develop successful customer communication strategies over time. Even if you’re an established organization, here are just a few of the strategies you can use to adapt to customers’ changing needs over time:
Gaining Clarity
This customer communication strategy can be something as simple as asking them the right questions to find out what they are looking for or what the issue they may have is. Details can be beneficial, but don’t weigh down the customer with too many questions.
Should an issue arise, outline the steps you intend to take to remedy the situation in a clear and concise manner to the customer. Also provide them with a timeline as to when it will be resolved. These steps can go a long way towards eliminating any misunderstanding or confusion.
Finally, keep clear communication open moving toward resolution is ideal. If for some reason you’re unable to take the next step toward finding a resolution—say, for example, you need more information from a third party or the co-worker you need to contact is unavailable at that time—try to keep the client in the loop if these steps will be significantly delayed. It reflect better on your company if you can proactively keep your customers informed than reactively offering updates.
Reinforcing Sales
This is probably the biggest reason for clear customer communication. For instance, if an agent contacts the customer a short time after they have made a purchase, reinforces the product’s benefits, and, most importantly, finds out if it is meeting their needs. If the customer is experiencing any problems with the product or they’re having trouble using it, this gives them the chance to figure it out quickly. Taking this extra step shows the customer that you’re laying the groundwork for them becoming a long-term client.
Changing Customer Communication Needs
Your customers’ needs will change over time and your customer communication strategy must change to reflect this. Let them know about any changes, such as new billing practices or frequency of delivery if they receive items such as health supplements from you on a regular basis. Also, listen to your customers’ suggestions; this shows that you care about their input and are willing to listen and change your process to better meet their needs.
Keep in Touch
This is yet another important part of customer communication. If your clients don’t hear from you for an extended period of time, they may think that you have forgotten about them or they may forget about you as well—which can end in them taking their business elsewhere.
Even if they don’t require your services, stay in touch. Whether it’s an e-mail with an update on your newest products or services, sending them a regular newsletter on new developments or promotions, or a phone call checking in on their past purchases and if there’s anything you can offer them, this can serve as reassurance that you’re still thinking of them and that you’re still there.
As the leading provider of outsourced call center solutions, 3C Contact Services provides our partners with a customer communication strategy to find new customers and retain existing ones. To discover how we can personalize our communication strategy to meet the needs of your clients, contact us today.
