Customer Contact Channels: Flair or Flail?
Reaching out to customers to check in on them, flag opportunities and remind them you’re available is at the heart of Customer Service. It’s about being proactive, more than just being there when they try to reach you. Because if they’re trying to reach you, you may already be flailing or failing them.
Flailing? Say you’re on a balance beam, sliding along when suddenly you teeter and –arms circling, swinging, waving wildly, you catch yourself –that’s flailing. Worth it? Sure. But the trick is to stay in balance to avoid all that exertion and keep moving forward.
Same with customer connections. If you’re not connected, you’re not moving forward.
What’s the trick? Regular outreach, staying connected, keeping in contact. Obviously most businesses use this already, but how effective are they? What’s the net worth of each email, social post, online chat, SMS or phone call? First ask yourself…
Which Customer Contact Channels work best for you?
Whatever form of customer contact you use, you also need to be doing analytics or some form of evaluation. Learning from each campaign or contact effort is just as important as making contact. Especially if you’ve ‘given up’ on some types of outreach as just too hard or too soft or depend entirely on emails to stay in touch with clients.
Let’s look at Pro’s and Con’s of some of the most popular contact channels.
EMAIL
To your own customer database
PRO’s
• Easy to dispatch
• No external expense
• Video or image delivery
• Urgent call to action
CON’s
• Often ignored
• Impersonal
• Potential for SPAM
• Content crafting needs care
SOCIAL
Regular posts on popular social sites
PRO’s
• Easy to create
• No external expense
• Video or image delivery
• Company/brand exposure
CON’s
• Posts can get lost/overlooked
• Lacks personal connection
• Passive messaging
• Potential for negative reply
ONLINE CHAT
As a Live Chat or Chatbot on your website
PRO’s
• Instant access for client
• Potentially fast answer
• Alternative if unanswered
• Potential for follow-up
CON’s
• Unanswered query
• Unhelpful answer
• Unhelpful agent/bot
• Risk of alienation
SMS
To your customer database with a short message or question
PRO’s
• Often read immediately
• Direct to customer
• Fast dispatch
• Single or group send
CON’s
• Short messages only
• No photos or videos
• Seen as intrusive
• Software investment
PHONE CALL
You or your business staff calling your client base
PRO’s
• Personal detailed dialogue
• Client questions/concerns heard
• “They care” client reaction
• Repeat business generator
• Good proven ROI
CON’s
• Often time-consuming
• Relegated as ‘too hard’ effort
• Takes experience/practice
• Needs specific script/proposition
In our experience at Keeping Clients, phone calls coupled with SMS works wonders. The reception we get (representing ourselves as part of your business) is welcoming and appreciative. We are able to share valuable news or ask specific questions with an outstanding success track record. In fact, our 2020 data indicates our brokers make, on average, 14 times return on investment in our service in upfront commission only.
