With customers becoming more savvy and empowered, businesses can’t afford to ignore the customer experience (CX). Regardless of the vertical you belong to, you need to keep your customers satisfied to grow as an organization. To beat the competition in normal times, businesses strive hard to improve the customer experience and remain relevant.
But these are not normal times.
With the world battling the COVID-19 pandemic, these are unusual circumstances. As we lock ourselves in our homes to increase physical distancing, the uncertainties over the future are increasing by the day for both individuals as well as businesses.
As market activities shrink, businesses – especially small and medium-size enterprises – are formulating strategies to stay afloat and tide over the crisis. It is in this context that businesses need to understand how they can help enhance their customers’ overall experience in order to retain their patronage.
Being at the forefront of helping businesses as a leading CRM vendor, we have a few ideas that can help you improve the customer experience during these challenging times.
Let your customers know that you are there for them
If you want to retain your customers, customer experience management is the single most important aspect to focus on.
During trying times, it is vital to let your customers know that you are there for them. Whatever be the situation, good or bad, people cannot stop consuming products and services. Therefore, keep listening to what your customers are saying. You don’t just need to listen to them, you also need to provide relevant solutions to their questions so that you can meet or exceed their expectations. Listen to your customers’ feedback, and instruct your employees to deal with them with compassion and flexibility.
Also, if your CRM allows you to use text analytics, you can set up alerts on COVID-19 related keywords and respond to them quickly so that your customers remain satisfied with your level of responsiveness.
During challenging times, a word of reassurance can be extremely soothing. Don’t just inform your customers about the precautions they need to take, but also let them know the steps you have taken to ensure their safety. But make sure your communication is clear and candid. Vague messages during these trying times can annoy your customers.
Maintaining flexibility
As customer experience managers, it is vital to factor in for interruptions and disruptions due to the effects of the pandemic. Maintaining flexibility is essential. As business operations get interrupted and new customer needs emerge, organizations have to shift their priorities. Important projects may have to be put on hold. For example, training programs scheduled to improve customer experience may have to go on the back burner because of rising call volumes and absenteeism. On the other hand, you might have to ramp up your online self-service capabilities to meet the growing needs of your customers.
You need to re-prioritize your resources to meet the changing needs of your customers during such times. You might have to bring about changes to address pressing issues on the operational, manufacturing and logistics front. Using the insights you get from customers to achieve this is essential.
Is CX stronger than a crisis?
As mentioned earlier, people will not stop buying products and services. Coming out of the crisis with your business intact will depend upon your success in meeting the new needs of your customers.
With telecommuting being the order of the day, you need to find ways to reach your customers and fulfill their needs. The best way to reach your customers is online. Companies already taking and fulfilling orders online will most certainly have an edge in providing a better customer experience. If you run a small restaurant, you can partner with Uber Eats to deliver meals and make the lives of your customers easier – while allowing you to keep your doors open.
The road ahead is uncertain – we do not know when states will again allow business (and life) as usual. But one thing is clear – if you can retain your customers now, you are likely to keep them. Taking the following steps can help.
- Make online ordering easy.
- Fulfill your customers’ needs quickly.
- Focus on virtual-based services.
- Offer other online solutions to your customers.
- Create entertaining and educational content for your customers.
If you want to gain strength as a brand in these troubled times, you need to optimize the customer experience. The more you satisfy your customers now, the better are your chances of retaining them. eZnet CRM works by gathering leads or consumer data and analyzing the information to understand market and consumer requirements. It also adjusts marketing campaigns accordingly to increase sales.
In addition, this cloud-based system serves as customer service and support. The CRM workflow consists of initiating marketing, processing sales, scheduling orders and providing support.
If you don’t already have a CRM solution, we understand that you may be reluctant to invest in one. eZnet CRM has always offered a free, no-obligation 30-day trial. This could be the ideal time to see what an industry-leading CRM can do to give your business the valuable tools it needs to adapt to rapidly changing conditions and effectively serve your customers. And you may be surprised at how economical it is, even after the trial period. Contact us today to learn more and get started.
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