Putting Customers First In The Post-Pandemic Era
Keeping customers happy has always been a central ingredient in the recipe for business success. After all, without clients and sales revenue, the entire operation is destined to fail. However, the importance of getting this aspect right is arguably more important than ever in the post-pandemic era.
Studies show that customers are actively looking for a better consumer experience. In fact, they are increasingly prepared to pay more when they receive it. Therefore, putting clients first at all times should be a priority at all times. Here’s how you can make a conscious effort to put them first, which will bring new clients through the door and existing customers back for more.
Know Your Audience
First and foremost, you need all prospective leads to know that your brand is the right match for them. Knowing your niche and target market will guide everything from product design to marketing and customer care. For example, choosing the right social media site to advertise will help you reach the right people. This yields better engagement and cost-efficiency.
Consumers are increasingly interested in using brands that they can relate to. So, as well as the right products and a good marketing strategy, you must consider other issues that showcase what your brand stands for. Investing in greener tech and corporate social responsibility will give many audiences a reason to invest in the brand. Data analysis and insight gained through focus groups can be used to develop a brand that is guaranteed to gain the best response.
Adapt The In-Store Experience
People are understandably a little hesitant about entering stores in the current climate. As masks are no longer compulsory, it is essential that you invest in a good hygiene strategy. This will remove the apprehensions felt by many customers while also creating a better vibe in the shop. This should create a more appealing situation for employees too.
You can further encourage increased foot traffic by having a better shop sign or window display. Once customers are inside, being served by a staff member on the shop floor can be very useful. For starters, it removes any fears regarding social distancing. Moreover, it feels more relaxed and allows the assistant to actively offer advice relating to their purchase. A responsive mobile POS terminal is a great way to facilitate this. Not least because it also allows for cash-free payments, which feeds into the hygienic approach.
Invest In Your Staff
Whether online or in-store, the majority of your customer interactions will be handled by employees. Therefore, staff members need to represent your brand in the correct fashion. Recruiting candidates with the personalities to match the skills is a crucial first step towards success. However, your conscious efforts mustn’t end there.
A staff uniform or a sales script can aid the cause. Although encouraging them to listen to a customer’s pain points and deliver genuine advice is even better. A strong connection between a salesperson and a prospective client is vital. Meanwhile, if using tech like mobile POS terminals, employees must know how to effectively use the hardware. More importantly, you should embrace team-building exercises to create a better team atmosphere. Positivity can quickly influence a customer’s opinions.
Upgrade Your Customer Care Game
Whether trying to win new clients or keep old ones happy, interactions must be convenient and customer-centric. Offering online customer support is a very wise move, not least because it combats the need for face-to-face interactions. Better still, it means people can seek answers to their questions from the comfort of their home.
FAQS and help guides are great. However, people still like to interact with other humans. Find more information adding video chat to your website to upgrade your approach heading into 2022. For many customers, this will be far more beneficial than a chatbot and more engaging than text chat. Client care must extend to in-shop experiences. When you get it right, you won’t just retain happy clients. You’ll unlock upselling opportunities too.
Build Trust
A sense of trust is one of the most important ingredients in the recipe for success especially when trying to win a new client. This is one of many reasons to build a solid SEO strategy. The vast majority of consumers will conduct online research before buying from a company they haven’t previously used. A strong presence verifies your authority and professionalism.
Any awards, accolades, or industry memberships can be mentioned on your site or on marketing materials. This is to underline your competence. However, most people actively want to see that you have helped people like them. Using verified customer testimonials and reviews will remove any fear that your customers feel. When supported by a portfolio or gallery of past works, along with case studies or stats to back up your claims, success will soon follow. It will lead to more interest and conversions in both online and offline settings.
Protect Customer Data
Having trust in your ability to provide great products and services is one thing. However, prospective leads also need to know that their personal data is secure. After all, they will be providing key information like their personal data and payment details. If they feel that your firm is vulnerable to data leaks (online or otherwise), they’ll take their custom elsewhere.
Cyberattacks occur at every minute of the day, and a single data breach could cost you dearly. Aside from the direct financial fit hit, the reputational impact can be huge. Once you have lost a client or a lead’s confidence in this way, you’ll never win it back. With this in mind, investing in the right cybersecurity strategy with 24/7 care is vital. Likewise, protecting all premises with security staff and tech features will be key. It may include biometric scanners or access entry points. In addition to impressing the clients, it should impact employee opinions.
Reward Loyalty
While increasing the client base is exciting, the process of drawing existing fans back for more is the true hallmark of a winning brand. Running special offers to get new customers through the door is a method practiced by many companies. They are a great tool, but you don’t want this concept to alienate converted clients. Running loyalty schemes is key.
You can read more on loyalty schemes that work online. Ultimately, though, you need to give them an incentive to keep coming back. If nothing else, it promotes the idea that they are getting value for money. You can further support this by giving old stock away as freebies or at highly discounted rates. It is far better than simply disposing of the stock or sending it to a third-party seller. Asking customers to give their thoughts on new proposed products or company developments can be very useful. Not least because decisions become calculated.
Introduce New Tech
There’s no escaping the fact that customers are impressed by new tech. It makes your business seem more exciting while it also creates a bigger brand image. Clients will assume that your firm is better equipped to provide a quality service. The aforementioned video chat customer care is one example. For the best results, you must do so much more.
New tech can include using VR and AI to enhance in-store and online UX. customers can see how a new product will look on them before they’ve purchased it. Or they can discover new products based on algorithms and data. One way or another, they can be consciously and subconsciously affected by the tech. Aside from the fancy gimmicks, you’ll find that increased productivity and smooth order fulfillment will follow. If you’re not taking advantage of those possibilities, your competitors will. And it can cost you dearly.
Provide Flexible Payments
There is nothing worse than losing a potential sale simply because a person can’t physically pay. So, it is always advised to invest in the payment processing facilities to ensure that customers can complete their sales. Accepting card payments, cash payments, ApplePay, and Google Pay will serve you well. If people have to leave the store, they may not return.
For online payments, accepting PayPal is another important step. Depending on the type of products you sell, flexible payments can also cover monthly repayments. Allowing customers to spread the payments opens the door to a bigger audience. It also may encourage bigger spending from some clients as they can pay it off over time. Interest payments can boost your revenue too. However, you must be sure to run credit checks before accepting a client on a repayment plan. Otherwise, you could lose out due to defaulted accounts.
The Final Word
If you truly want to keep customers happy, you will need to ensure that the products and services do their part too. Still, appreciating the value of mastering the other aspects that can influence a consumer’s mindset will work wonders. They will have greater trust in the company and more confidence in the brand’s products.
Once you find the winning formula, stick to it. When the customer is at the heart of everything you do, success will follow.