How to Improve Communication with Customers Online

The way customers communicate with businesses has changed dramatically. Customers no longer want to just email or call to reach you — they want to be able to find you through a variety of online channels. To avoid frustrating your customers, there are a few tactics you need to use to enhance communication online.

1. Social Media

Back when Facebook and Twitter dominated social media, it was enough to be on these two platforms. Now, customers expect to find you on all their favorite platforms. In fact, they may even search for your business on social media before they look for your website.

This does not mean you need to be active on all the major social media platforms. Rather, you need to have profiles on the platforms your audience frequents and those that are most suitable for your business offerings. For instance, if many of your customers are under 25, it may benefit you to have a Snapchat account. If you offer highly visual products, Instagram and Pinterest are ideal platforms.

Just setting up profiles is insufficient. To show that you are accessible to customers, you need to interact with users. This includes responding to comments, sharing your followers’ content, and joining relevant groups and communities. The time and energy required for all of these activities is why many businesses choose to enlist the help of social media marketing service firms.

Social media also gives you the chance to reach new people. Creating posts that others want to share is a good start, but you can go a step further with ads. Targeting options allow you to reach a specific audience by specifying criteria including age, gender, interests, and location. Launch a campaign that drives awareness of your brand and markets your company as Internet-savvy.

2. Twitter Customer Service

Twitter has its own customer service tools to help businesses make the most of the platform. A few features include:

-      Direct messages. These allow customers to have private conversations with your business. To encourage more direct messages, include a deep link in your tweets to display the CTA button.

-      Provide support. When users search for your business, you can show them that you provide support. You can also list your hours of availability on your profile to ensure users know when to expect a response.

-      Customer feedback. This feature allows users to share an opinion of your business after a service interaction. By enabling customer feedback, you show users that you care about what they have to say. Plus, you can use the information to improve your customer service experience.

3. Live Chat

Many consumers still prefer to visit brick-and-mortar stores due to the personalized attention they receive. Buying online can be a solitary experience, where customers are unable to talk through their options and ask advice. You can bring the experience of talking to a sales representative in store to your website by adding live chat.

Live chat benefits both your customers and your company. For customers, it means there is no need to seek out your contact number or send an email and wait for a reply. They can type a question without leaving the page and receive an immediate response. For you, it cuts down on the staff you need for customer service — a single person can handle multiple chats at the same time.

4. FAQ Page

An FAQ page is a valuable tool, as it shows customers that you are ready to answer their questions before they even ask. It also reduces strain on your customer support team, freeing them up for complex problems. An FAQ page even contributes to SEO — by giving you the opportunity to include key search terms in another place on your website.

Just like your About Us and Contact pages, your FAQ page needs to be in a logical place on your website. If customers are often asking questions, the page should be in the top navigation bar. Otherwise, somewhere within a drop-down menu on this bar should be sufficient.

In your FAQs, you obviously want to include any questions you often receive via email or social media. However, you can also use the opportunity to present more information about your business, show your company in a positive light, and develop your brand image. Whenever possible, include links in your FAQs to landing pages, content, and main pages of your website.

To maintain relationships and show a human side to your company, keeping an active presence on social media is essential. You can go an extra step by incorporating customer support into your social media strategy. Furthermore, be ready to answers customers’ questions on your website through a combination of live chat and FAQs.

About the author

Kelly has over 20 years marketing, sales and customer service experience. He is a champion for small businesses and prides himself in helping them compete and thrive in a digital world. Kelly is currently the VP of Marketing for Boostability, a company dedicated to helping small businesses grow online. He manages a team that is responsible for demand generation, customer messaging and experience, branding, social media and all things marketing. His expertise includes search engine optimization, social media, content marketing, customer communication, lead generation and conversion optimization, to name a few.

Twitter - @kellyshelton32

Email – [email protected]

Phone – 800-261-1537

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