Smart Ways Technology Can Help You Stay in Contact With Clients
Staying in contact with clients to remind them you’re out there and ready to help when needed has always been something that requires some creativity. But this year, the pandemic has made it even more challenging.
It’s important to proactively stay in touch with clients to foster loyalty and ensure they’re happy with your products and services. In fact, customers look favorably upon this type of support from a business.
68% of consumers say that proactive customer service notifications increase their perception of a company.
With the coronavirus impacting in-person interactions, staying in touch through visits and lunches is not as much of a viable option. So how do businesses keep those touchpoints that are so important?
By leaning on technology and cloud solutions, and being creative!
Tech Options for Keeping Your Customer Touchpoints
Using a variety of touchpoints with your customers is not only great customer service, it could be the difference between closing a sale or not.
Today’s consumers switch devices and apps often. About 15 years ago, they used an average of two touchpoints to with a business for product discovery before making a purchase. Now, those pre-purchase touchpoints are up to six.
Technology offers a way to stay in touch with clients on any device they may be using and on any number of online locations. Here are some ideas.
Texting Services
Texting has become a main communication method for people. Often younger generations would rather text than call. SMS services give you a modern and direct way to stay in touch with clients.
Using services like SimpleTexting or ClickSend, you can engage in both 1-on-1 conversations and send group marketing campaigns. Using a SMS service streamlines the interaction so it takes much less time.
These types of services allow you to do automated tasks as well, like send birthday texts to show your customers you care.
Self-Scheduling Calendar Services
If you run a business that does regular appointment setting with clients, a self-scheduling calendar service can be a great way to stay in touch with customers. These solutions can also save you a lot of time and make scheduling easier for everyone.
Apps like Calendly allow you to take the frustration out of scheduling and automate your customer appointment reminders. You simply set up your scheduling rules, then give a link to your client. They can choose the best open time and day to meet their needs.
Surveys/Quizzes
One touchpoint that can be both fun and informative is to use an application like Microsoft Forms to send out a survey or quiz to your clients.
Ask them what type of product they’d like to see from your company or send out a quiz about challenges they may run into that your company can solve.
Using a cloud-based application for surveys gives you options to send via email, text, embedded page, or even by QR code. There’s nothing to email back. Customers just fill out the survey online and you automatically receive the results.
Social Media
68% of U.S. adults use Facebook, and there about 3.5 billion people globally that use some form of social media. If you want to be where your customers and potential customers are, then social media is a must.
Social media marketing gives you multiple ways to institute touchpoints with your clients. This includes everything from providing customer support over Facebook Messenger to reaching out to clients by publishing articles on LinkedIn.
Some companies have even successfully used TikTok to reach new clients during the midst of the pandemic lockdowns.
Mobile Apps
It’s no longer difficult or time-consuming to create your own business app. Sites like Appy Pie offer a drag-and-drop interface using templates for building out business mobile apps that customers can download and add to their smartphones.
One of the best things about building your own company mobile app to stay in touch with customers is that you can choose how you interact and the features you include.
Apps also give you the ability to send notifications for any special messages and give you a platform that could be integrated into other processes, such as shipping notifications.
Email Newsletter Service
Sending out a helpful newsletter every month is a perfect way to stay in touch with customers and potentially make some cross-selling sales.
Services like MailChimp make it easy to send an attractive email newsletter and even give you the ability to set up a drip campaign to nurture leads.
Get Started Putting Customer Touchpoint Automations in Place
C Solutions can help your central Florida business stay in touch with your clients using great cloud tools and smart automations.
Schedule a free consultation today! Call 407-536-8381 or reach us online.