Customer engagement is the ongoing development of a relationship between a company and a customer that extends far beyond the transaction. Over the years, the concept of customer engagement has seen great evolution, as more companies seek innovative ways to attract and retain loyal customers. In the past, simply providing a quality product or service was enough. However, with an increase in competition across domains in the consumer market, manufacturers must go above and beyond to retain customers.New data and analytical tools show that engagement is a top influencing factor in a customer's purchasing decision.
So, what are some of the best strategies to
drive customer engagement:
Personalize brand
communications -
Until last year, 70 percent of US retailers
prioritised client personalisation as part of their engagement strategy,
according to a recent EMarketer
analysis.
Marketers that have utilised
personalisation in their campaigns think it has numerous advantageous benefits;
82 percent of them associate it with increased open rates and 75% with higher
click-through rates. Moreover, 40% of respondents believe it also reduces the
number of unsubscribes. Personalised communication can be achieved by sending
customers emails that are customised to their preferences, profile data, and
general behaviour so that they see they can relate to the content as much as
possible which makes them lesser likely to lose interest and unsubscribe. First-person
marketer’s strategy of constantly keeping their target audience in mind is the
key to building personalised brand communication.
Today, customers anticipate one-on-one
connection right away, according to years of experience.
Instead
of speaking, listen -
According to a recent market
research report by New York University, the second most common reason
people switch providers is due to poor customer service. When clients don't
feel appreciated throughout a service transaction, they quickly turn to your
rivals for assistance. In fact, 86 percent of your consumers say they would be
willing to pay extra to switch to a different provider if it meant getting
better customer service. Your team needs to be at its best to ensure that
clients stay satisfied and devoted to your company in order to increase
customer loyalty. The greatest method to meet client demand
and their short- and long-term expectations is to pay attention to their
comments. Customer retention can also increase to as high as 91% with just a
small improvement in listening to your clients through sympathetic customer
calling and well-paced employees.
Additionally, listening to clients goes
beyond just raising their level of happiness. It's also a tool you can use to upsell and cross-sell
customers, which involves offering them additional goods that complement
the main product they can purchase in addition to a more expensive version of
the one they originally wanted to buy, thus boosting your business.
Participate
on Your Front Door -
Nowadays, many businesses use tools like
live chat bots to handle client inquiries as soon as they land on their
applications or websites and keep them there until they can be connected to a
support agent.
When a potential consumer wants to
communicate with a brand, live chat software makes it simple for businesses to
reply quickly. It collects all the different channels that a customer may use
to contact a brand and aids customer care employees in immediately seeing and
prioritising client involvement, thus providing them with a quality customer
experience, that is a key factor of customer engagement.
Soft Sell Strategy for the Win! –
At the bedrock of effective customer
service lies the art of selling.
A soft sell is frequently used to describe
an advertising and sales approach that uses delicate wording and a
non-aggressive technique. A hard sell is a straightforward approach to pursuing
a sale up front. The goal of a soft sell is to prevent upsetting potential
consumers and turning them away. Hard selling, on the other hand, more often
than not proves to be ineffective. It may drive away customers or cause them to
become aggressive in return for aggressive efforts. Additionally, it can
frighten and intimidate potential customers, leading to unfavourable emotions
that decrease the likelihood of return business.
When using a soft sell strategy, sales
representatives give less attention to closing deals and more attention to
developing relationships with their prospects.
Quality customer engagement is one such
business tool that will always go a long way when developing a business.
Clients that are retained will recommend your business to unassuming consumers,
so growing your clientele and, consequently, your brand's strength.
Collectively, it strengthens the reputation of your business, and that always
pays off well!
Visit our website, to get a better insight into our Gap Assessment Consulting so you can improve
collaboration with your customers and carry out risk assessment. This will also
help you understand your KPIs better so you can take a step forward to
strengthen you customer engagement like never before!