Having excellent communication skills with customers, employees and suppliersyou’re your shareholders and investors is essential for the health of a business. It’s a key factor in ensuring everyone has a positive experience.
In this article, we’ll discuss communication with customers, specifically, ways to communicate more effectively with customers and how to improve communication with customers.
Communicating effectively makes a positive impact on customers because it helps ensure repeat business. Communication with customers can happens across every level within a business.
For example, in high street banking, cashiers frequently interact with customers. A variety of different businesses have customer service staff who liaise between the company and the customer.
Additionally, floor staff in retailers regularly communicate and interact with customers visiting their business. Having good communication skills must translate during the entire process, from welcoming people into the store to helping them find what they’re looking for and closing the sale.
Ways to improve communication with customers
Here are some ways to communicate more effectively with customers:
1. Be available
Businesses must provide customers with options to be able to reach out to them. Technology gives organizations a significant opportunity to reach customers in various ways in the digital world.
Technology also offers the ability to provide customers with an easy way to connect with businesses. Different communication options are easy for customers to use, like phone calls, emails, a website instant chat feature or the social media channels the business provides.
Customers may prefer a more traditional communication channel, like speaking on the phone, because it allows them to speak to a real person. If a missed phone call happens, it’s important to return them promptly to ensure a positive experience.
Emails allow a business to connect and communicate with customers. It also allows a business to promote any upcoming sales or offers. Typically, businesses should take no longer than 24 hours to respond to customers.
Social media is a common method for interacting with customers. It’s an excellent opportunity for connecting with people, answering questions and offering promotions. Prospective customers also can read reviews to gauge if they want to give a company their business.
Businesses that have a chat function on their website provide the customer with the chance to ask questions and receive an immediate response. Responses can be programmed based on the most frequently asked questions for the industry, or the chat feature can have an employee interact directly with the customer.
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2. Monitor first impressions
First impressions are essential when it comes to providing good customer service. A customer might define their entire experience with an organization based on their first interaction with the company. If a company wants to retain its customers, a great way to do so is by creating trust. A good first impression will help to develop a strong sense of loyalty.
By accomplishing this, an organization can help ensure a repeat customer. A happy customer will then spread the word, which is free advertising that gives a business the ability to grow.
The best way to create an excellent first impression is by hiring empathetic workers who have patience and know how to handle customers’ questions and concerns effectively and promptly. The best way to monitor first impressions is by offering regular surveys to customers or by recording or monitoring communication channels. Businesses can decide if their methods are successful by the feedback they receive.
3. Personalize each interaction
Customers want to have a personal relationship with the organizations they do business with. It’s important when communicating with customers to have real conversations and don’t offer scripted responses. Always be empathetic to a situation or problem a customer may have and use positive language to uplift your customer and leave them with a lasting positive impression of your business.
For example, if a product has sold out instead of stating it’s not in stock, you could phrase it like this, “While we don’t have this product at our location, it is available at another branch. I can call them to save it for you or I can place an order and contact you once it arrives at our location if that is more convenient.”
4. Relate to customers
Empathy is important for good communication with customers. Businesses that can relate to their customers can find ways to solve problems and provide a good experience. Customers need to understand what a business is trying to convey.
Solutions can take time and customers know that. They want a company to recognize their perspective. For example, a customer who is unhappy with a product wants you to express an understanding of their level of frustration and offer solutions to remedy their concerns.
5. Finish a conversation in a helpful manner
Final impressions are as important as first impressions. Workflows can get hectic and customer service representatives can be in a rush to finish a task, which can impact the experience for the customer who’s interacting with them.
It’s important to make sure that even if a resolution occurs, ask what else can happen to ensure that the conversation with the customer has concluded and that they leave happy and satisfied. For example, at the end of the conversation, ask if there is anything else they need help with, let them know they can reach out if there are any further questions. It’s also important to show gratitude and thank a customer for their business.
How to improve communication with customers
Businesses can always enhance their communication techniques to ensure customers are happy. Here are some steps for how to improve communication with customers:
1. Give employees proper training
Training can assist customer service teams in being more effective in managing customer service. Employees must be trained appropriately in your businesses processes regarding customer service.
Providing continuing professional development can expand understanding and the skill level of your customer-facing staff.
2. Make quality a top priority
Businesses need to generate a team of employees who are committed to providing a quality service experience. Businesses should make quality a part of their core values and encourage their employees to believe in quality over quantity when supporting customer services.
A quality customer encounter is much more precious than trying to handle several customers in a timely matter. For example, if a call-centre has a queue of calls, it’s important to handle each customer with a high level of excellence, rather than trying to get through a high volume of calls.
3. Engage with customers and employees
Engaging with your customers can help identify what they like and dislike about your business, what products or srvices they are most interested in or concerns they have. Start conversations around topics that you have identified are relevant and of interest to your audience.
By Justin Charlton
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!