In today’s world, consumers need to interact with the brand. A large portion of this is because of how integrated the Internet is within societies. People feel better when they have a connection with a particular company. In fact, studies often show how consumers are more likely to buy from a business that interacts with them in some way, whether it’s on social media or during a live chat.
Learning how to engage customers only helps to improve the business as a whole. The more satisfied individuals are with their experience, the more likely they will tell their friends and family as well as come back to make another purchase. From social messages to improving call center practices, it all contributes to improving the reputation of the brand.
The Importance of Great Customer Engagement
It’s all about delivering the best customer experience possible. Being able to deliver a more personal experience works to improve relations. That’s the driving force that makes people happy with any given company. The ability to be approachable and engaging can go a long way to making someone’s day. It will also improve the ability to increase income down the line as more people will want to have that same experience.
Many people are empathetic when it comes to talking with others on the phone. If an agent is upset or seems uninterested in his or her job, it will most likely affect how the conversation continues. As a result, the consumer will have a worse experience speaking with someone who clearly doesn’t enjoy his or her job. On the other hand, being more vibrant, enthusiastic and conversational has a chance to deliver the exact opposite.
This level of empathy can affect the experiences of everyone. Whether it’s online through social media or offline through a phone call, emotional triggers can result in a bad experience. This is why so many businesses put effort into creating a passionate atmosphere when speaking with customers. In a sense, the consumer needs to get excited for the business as much as the agent.
Improving Customer Engagement in Contact Centers
Building Relationships
Building a relationship with a customer gives him or her the sense of familiarity in future contact. For example, routing a repeat caller to the same agent helps them feel better. This is because that same agent already knows the caller and will be better suited to help the individual.
Many successful agents will take notes during a conversation to learn more about the caller. Making polite comments regarding the individual and engaging in light conversation appeals to many. This doesn’t mean the agent should stay on the line for excessive amounts of time. However, a quick comment here and there regarding the individual can go a long way towards satisfaction.
Accessing the Right Data
The more data that is collected about a customer, the more engaging the agent can be. Customer relations management should include a variety of information such as buying habits or preferred contact methods. This plays into the personalized experience mentioned earlier.
Brands need to be able to capture a variety of data points to understand the individual. This also means the data needs to be easy to access by the agent. Streamlining software and technology will make a difference in customer engagement.
Having an Engagement Strategy
A dynamic customer engagement strategy works to benefit the agent as well as the consumer. Through direct interaction, agents can collect data relating to each individual’s preferences. In reality, this information is worth a great deal when promoting additional goods or services.
Another way to engage consumers is by pooling information together to offer those other products or services. This is the same way that eCommerce sites behave as many will show goods a consumer may be interested based on past purchases and behaviors. The call center agent needs to be similar when engaging those customers.
Targeting Customers Properly
Not everyone prefers the same method of communication. While one person may like the human element of a phone call, others prefer live chat from the company’s website. In any event, knowing how to contact those individuals will decrease a customer’s discomfort. For instance, not everyone likes a weekend phone call.
By using a medium the customer likes more, the experience is more tailored to the individual. Instead of the person becoming frustrated by incoming phone calls, perhaps he or she is more responsive to email. This is another aspect in which data collection plays a role to improve the results of those interactions.
Using Different Communication Channels
Not all communication needs to be focused on phones. In reality, many people are just as responsive through social media. This is an excellent platform to engage customers as it shows others superior service interaction. These elements can then be shared with other potential consumers to inspire addition interactions.
However, direct communication such as phones or live chat delivers a more personal element. It’s easier for an agent to engage one-on-one without various disturbances or time-lapse issues like that in social media. It’s an immediate connection that makes many consumers feel better, which can inspire the individual to be more open with opinions and issues with the organization.
Customer service and customer engagement go hand-in-hand. This is especially true if the business wants to continue being profitable. Business today is about more than delivering a product or service to consumers. It’s about giving them an experience to share with others. Making the consumer feel important is how life-long fans and patrons are created.
Our Solution
Our company understands the importance of the user experience in the business world. We offer advice and provide training when it comes to call center improvements that result in achieving greater levels of customer engagement. We teach your agents to connect with clients in a way to create long-lasting relationships and bonds. In essence, your agents will become the ambassadors of your brand, all while delivering exceptional customer service.