Customer interaction is a fairly self-explanatory term. Any kind of interaction between a customer and a company can be labelled as customer interaction.
Needless to say, every customer interaction is an opportunity for a business to improve its relations with the existing customers and nurture new ones. Put simply, it’s a chance to convert fresh prospects into warm leads.
In the present scenario, where the market is extremely competitive, and the customer is spoilt for choice, customer interaction is more crucial than ever. You have to surpass expectations constantly and be attentive to your customers. In other words, improving customer experience is the key to success.
In a sea of similar products and offerings, an elevated customer experience is a differentiator that can make you stand out in the crowd.
Customer service is a key driver of customer loyalty. According to a Microsoft State of Global Customer Service Report, a whopping 96% of customers said that positive customer interaction is essential for them to be loyal to a brand.
The study also revealed that although self-service is growing rapidly, knowledgeable call agents are more important than ever. When customers encounter a problem too complex to solve on their own, they fall back on agent support.
At the core of good customer interaction are these qualities: you must empathise with your customers, reassure them, be speedy and responsive, and you must come across as a dependable business.
The customer interaction cycle typically follows these five steps:
- Greeting: A pleasant way to begin the interaction that sets the tone for the rest of the conversation.
- Understanding: Getting to the roots of the issue and collecting all the necessary facts of the case.
- Agreeing: Mutually agreeing on the desired outcome of the interaction. In this stage, it’s important to stay solution-focused. If the customer asks for the impossible, gently explain the limitations, then focus on resolving the issue in the best way possible.
- Delivering: This is the crucial stage. Be transparent about delivery timelines, and if the resolution is going to take longer than usual, be upfront about it. Make sure the customer has everything they need, and there are no loose ends.
- Closing: Close the interaction on a pleasant note and encourage the customer to get in touch again should any issue arise.
Having a well-planned customer experience strategy based on the simple steps mentioned above will result in both—accomplished goals and enhanced sales. It’s a win-win!
Cloud telephony solutions can help you achieve this and more.
Here are ten excellent customer interaction strategies that can boost your sales:
1. Be transparent
Many businesses say transparency is one of their core values, but walking the talk is also important.
Being upfront with customers is at the heart of good customer interaction. For this, you need to adopt a customer-first culture.
You should have no hesitation in owning up to a mistake and explaining to the customer how you’re going to fix it. Additionally, it makes for a good customer interaction strategy in the long term.
2. Agent training
A call centre team is an interface between your company and your customers. It can make or break a relationship with the customer.
Therefore, it’s crucial to train agents for customer interaction specifically. Some of the must-have qualities that you must impart to your agents include proactive and patient listening, a friendly and positive attitude, the ability to think on the ball and deviate from scripts if required, understanding customer’s needs quickly, and thinking of ways to do indirect marketing over the call.
Training should be fun and out of the box and can be imparted online using study material or in one-to-one sessions. Keep your agents motivated with incentives and so on. Ultimately it’s your team that will make the difference.
What’s more, you can use cloud telephony solutions to simply record and monitor the quality of your agents’ calls. Features like call whispering and call barging allow you to even get on calls for a quick fix.
3. Get feedback from customers
Use customer feedback as the Bible for your success. Without it, you cannot improve your services.
High-end cloud telephony solutions enable you to record calls and access them later to analyse and improve the customer experience.
A short survey right after the customer interaction would be one way to collect the feedback in a prompt and non-disruptive manner. This will also show your customers that you value their opinions and help you earn their loyalty.
4. Cross-selling
When interacting with customers, don’t forget the power of cross-selling. It is simply offering new products and services along with the ones the customer is inquiring about. Simple yet effective.
Proper training of the call agents is necessary to leverage cross-selling successfully. It’s a smart way to increase sales without incurring any additional costs.
When you sign up with a leading cloud telephony provider like Servetel, they take care of it.
Just remember that your call agents will need to be trained specifically for this.
5. Don’t forget to interact
Customers are looking for empathy, even if they may not say so. The customer is likely calling you with a problem, so walk the extra mile by personalising your interactions.
Make sure your customer feels valued. Try to connect with him and understand his needs emotionally.
Research has shown that if the agent sounds tired or irritated, it leads, unsurprisingly, to decreased customer satisfaction. So, not only should your agents be polite, but they should also get the tonality right.
An essential aspect of this is getting to know your customer base. With a sound CRM management system, this should not be a problem.
6. Content marketing
Besides interacting with customers, you should also equip them with the knowledge and information regarding your products and offerings.
This can be in the form of detailed blogs or catchy tips on your social media channels. It may not convert into instant sales but will help you build a relationship with your audience.
Furthermore, it will provide your customers with a vast pool of knowledge that they can dip into and improve their understanding of your line of business and products.
7. The power of referrals
Referrals are a well-tested way of boosting sales and expanding your customer base without resorting to traditional marketing practices that can drain your finances.
You gain referrals from your customers by offering them a small incentive if any of their leads convert into sales.
A way to proactively seek referrals is by putting a link on your website or adding a short recorded message while the customer is waiting for their call to be answered. You can also create a referral program with other providers and exchange referrals with them.
8. Show customer appreciation
Customers like to be valued. While a simple thank you is a good start, you can also throw in freebies and add-ons.
An automated greeting on a customer’s birthday is a good idea that doesn’t cost you anything but can sweeten their day. Offer them a deal with upgrades, coupons, early access to sales and so on.
9. Resolve Problems Quickly
The golden rule to win over customers—answer NOW!
As you grow a business, not only does your exposure increase, you also become more vulnerable.
Good customer experience management is about solving problems, anticipating them and having a solution ready. In fact, it’s best to solve the problem in the first call itself. No wonder first call resolution (FCR) is a key call centre metric.
10. Client convenience
This should be paramount. Be adaptable. All dialogue and customer interactions must be smooth, customer-friendly and effortless.
Customers accustomed to one-click checkouts and instant communication naturally expect the same from their call centre interaction. Call back in case there is a disconnection, for instance.
Good agent training will give the call agent a good understanding of customer questions, preventing the customer from repeating themselves, so invest in training. A good FAQ section will also help. And do try to resolve the issue in the first call itself.
Conclusion
Your customer experience strategy should follow a three-step process:
- Create a plan focussing on the competencies you need to train for
- As part of the training, create roleplay situations for the team to try out their newly learnt skills
- Carry out an ongoing assessment to identify areas for improvement
It bears repeating: positive customer interaction is key to business success. With the ten key strategies we have outlined, you’re sure to improve your customer interaction metrics and boost your sales.
Author bio-
Kritik Verma is a marketing enthusiast with a specialization in digital marketing. He is currently working at Servetel, leading cloud telephony providers to boost business success. He enjoys cycling, travelling, music, and reading about the latest digital marketing trends.
