One of the features of small businesses is that they establish a close relationship with their customers. It helps them to communicate with their audience. When you are competing with other brands, it is important to not only build communication but also to offer exceptional service.
Hiver published a research report that showed customers prioritizing empathetic and quick service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially it relates to Zoomers who value empathy a lot. Below, we listed strategies to help small businesses improve service and get more loyal customers.
Get to Know Your Customers Better
The long-term success strategy for small businesses is built on repeat customers. The better you know the customers you already have, the easier it will be for you to offer a service that meets the values of your audience and helps to solve their needs.
Use the communication channels preferred by your customers to do research:
- Create online surveys. Place a questionnaire on a website, social media, or email it to customers. Ask your audience to answer the questions to improve the service. Use a gift, discount, or a promo code to stimulate their participation;
- Analyze call recordings. Small businesses that use virtual phone numbers for customer communication can connect a call recording service. This tool will help to find out what do your customers lack, or, the opposite - what they are enjoying;
- Use phone calls for quality control. After a customer uses the purchased service, call them back. Let your manager ask a few questions about whether they are satisfied with everything, or have any comments. You can offer a promo code for their next order as a way to keep up their interest in your brand.
High Quality of Service as an Integral Part of the Corporate Culture
By promoting their values, small businesses will quickly create a circle of like-minded customers. Build a team of people who take pride in the corporate culture and strive to provide the best customer service possible. When there is respect between team members and cohesion in a company, you can gain trust from customers. After all, the desire to provide good service is going to be natural for employees.
Social ties are very important for small businesses. This is why, by listening to the opinions of every team member and solving conflicts jointly, you form a strategy for improving the service.
Use the Right Channels to Communicate With Customers
You need to choose your communication channels depending on who is your target audience. The older generation (people older than 54 years) would prefer to contact a business representative via phone call, while Zoomers would prefer to be contacted via email or social media. Millennials are equally ready to communicate via phone, email, or online chats. Altogether, the telephone system will be an important channel of communication with up to 60% of customers.
When you use VoIP telephony, you can be assured of being able to handle the call flow, which will raise as your business grows. And you will have enough professional tools to make your work and customer service efficient.
Features offered by virtual telephony or VoIP services:
- Increase the number of channels to receive calls from several customers at the same time by using a virtual number;
- Make things easier for your customer by offering a free call. Use a Click to Call or Callback widget for this. Your buyer won't need to leave the page they are on to get detailed information from a manager;
- A voice greeting will put an emphasis on your brand. You will be able to use an advertisement for a product during the greeting to spark the customer's interest in it;
- Get more orders by calling back customers if you weren't able to answer the call at the time. Missed calls data is stored in the call history of the virtual number in the account;
- When you're planning to expand your business, the services of virtual PBX will help you to process a high volume of calls, manage voicemail, greetings, use conference calls. And if you integrate your IP PBX with a CRM system, you will create a personalized customer experience by gathering data on past orders and advertising tailored proposals.
Study and Organize Customer Reviews
You can find out how your customers really view your brand from their reviews. Use social media, your website, review platforms, to gather and give feedback on customer reviews. Positive reviews will let you know why customers are choosing you, and you can use their words in your advertisement. Negative reviews reflect the direction for your growth.
By being ready to have a conversation, you are showing the openness of the business. People want to be heard. If a company is easy to communicate with and the service is improving, trust for this small business will grow as well as the profit. People are ready to spend 17% more and become repeat customers to get a better service.
