Digital Customer Communication. Ever since Covid-19 hit the sphere, the world of customer communication has not been the same. Brands have drastically altered how they communicate with their clients and customers. Let’s dive in and take a look at the magnitude of this change, along with the trends, opportunities, and ideas for your business to make the most of this situation and come out stronger on the other side.
Before we begin, let’s quickly go over why customer communication is important for your organization.
The Importance of Customer Communication
Customer communication is a big, beefy part of customer service. A study found that 82% of customers expect immediate resolution of their queries and issues from a brand.
Think about where your business would be without a solid customer support system in place. It wouldn’t be a pleasant picture, right?
On the other hand, prompt and effective communication with your customers can take your customer service to a whole new level.
Here’s how great customer communication helps your brand not just survive, but thrive in the Covid era.
Customer Communication Builds Trust
Customer communication, when implemented correctly, creates the trust that if something goes wrong, customers know you’ve got their back, and can rely on you to solve the problem in the most adequate way possible.
This trust translates to superior business performance. Loyal customers who trust your business are 5 times more likely to make a purchase again.
You’ll know you have succeeded in building this level of trust when customers bring any issues to you first before ranting their complaints or negative reviews on 3rd party platforms.
Customer Communication Builds Loyalty
It’s no surprise that 93% of people are more likely to purchase again from a brand with great customer support.
Combine this with the fact that it costs 5 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer, and you don’t want to leave any stone unturned to provide the best customer communication experience possible.
When a customer leaves an interaction with your brand on a high note, they’ll want to continue dealing with you. Moreover, they’ll be less likely to leave you for a competitor.
Customer Communication Builds Lasting Relationships
The better your customer communication, the more customers will associate your business with positive attributes like honesty, efficiency, and transparency.
These qualities form a long-lasting relationship that is more than just a monetary trade.
As a result, your customers don’t just remain customers but become brand advocates who recommend your product or service to their peers at every opportunity, and with pride.
The Impact of Covid-19
Now that we’ve convinced you of the value of effective customer communication, here’s how brands are reacting to Covid-19 and nailing this aspect of their business at the same time.
The Shift in Communication Technology
A survey by Expert Market shows that 79% of businesses have increased the number of digital communication channels they use to interact with customers.
Among these channels, video calls and email take the top two spots. 74% of survey respondents reported using each of these channels to communicate with customers.
This was followed by telephones at the 3rd sport, with 50% responses claiming to increase their usage of the medium.
Other channels brands are increasingly using include live chat, voice, social media, and SMS.
A superior chatbot, for instance, can field up to 80% of customer support tickets, giving your team the freedom to tackle more challenging problems with agility and patience.
Similarly, SMS and WhatsApp messaging are taking customer communications by storm, since their open rate is a whopping 98%.
Businesses are using these channels to notify customers of new deals, conduct polls, and share updates on their support tickets.
However, the surprising fact is that this trend that started as an obligation because of Covid-19 is now gaining traction for its convenience.
Many brands are realizing that their customers prefer digital means of communication.
And when you think about it, it makes so much sense. What’s not to like about being able to get your questions answered and issues resolved from the comfort of your home?
So if you have not started thinking of adding new digital communication channels to your customer service arsenal, it’s high time. You don’t want to be late for the party!
However, the more channels you start supporting, the more complicated it gets to manage and keep your team in sync. That’s where unified communication (UC) and a platform like CommBox can help.
Unified communication integrates customer communication technologies, such as instant messaging, phone systems, SMS, screen sharing, and more. It ties different channels together for seamless collaboration and communication.
In other words, it can help unify and streamline your customer service across different channels to make a real difference. Businesses are using UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) to:
Reduce Costs: Instead of spending money on making multiple technologies work together, UC helps control your expenses with an all-in-one service. It also minimizes the need for additional manpower or office space.
Improve Collaboration and Productivity: By allowing teams to collaborate easily, unified communication breaks down silos and gives employees access to the same data across the organization, helping them accomplish more in less time.
Enhance Customer Engagement: With UC, your business can solve customer issues better and faster, solidifying your brand’s reputation.
Because of these benefits, interest in UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) has spiked 86% during the pandemic. It is also predicted that 69% of $1m to $10m businesses will adopt UCaaS by the end of 2021.
Another big change is in the use of technologies based on AI (Artificial Intelligence), like chatbots. Research conducted by PWC confirms that AI can help plug in the $62 billion leak attributed to poor customer service.
As part of the research, 60% of respondents agreed that AI tools reduce waiting times for customers while ensuring that the communication is tailored to their preferences.
The signs are clear: Companies around the globe are modernizing their systems to communicate with one voice.
More Empathetic Marketing
Considering that 68% of consumers leave a business if it seems to be indifferent towards them, personalized marketing was already a rising trend in marketing communications.
However, Covid-19 has escalated its urgency. The impact of not personalizing your communication can be damaging.
Covid-19 has had us facing not just a risk to our physical health, but also a threat to our economic well-being, mental health, and relationships.
In such times of stress and panic, it’s even more important for brands to offer personalized, authentic, and soothing communication.
This is an opportunity for you to solidify your relationships with customers even more and earn their respect.
Start by training your customer service representatives on the importance of empathetic dialogue and customer emails. After all, 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that provides a personalized experience.
So go back to the drawing board to identify your customers’ top needs in the present scenario. Listen to your customers and refine your target personas.
This data will inform your strategy to adopt more digital channels for communication, revamp your digital marketing and personalize your communication with customers.
Once you take proactive action to leverage the opportunities we discussed, you’ll be on your way to sustainable growth despite the pandemic.
