How important is customer service? For most businesses, the customer experience is everything. Statistics show this year alone, over 50% of business owners owners will change their business models to give customers a better experience. Many will be focusing solely customer experience, hoping to edge out the competition by offering better service.
Will your business be among those who level up their customer satisfaction game? What can you do to stay relevant in an age where the customer, more than ever, is king? Here are a few ways technology can help you keep the competitive edge.
1. Make Payment Easy
In a tech-driven age, customers love having multiple ways to pay. The more payment methods you can offer, the easier it will be to get sales. This is true of retail, but especially true for e-commerce business: having a wealth of payment solutions available means more wealth for you. Why settle for accepting Paypal, Stripe, or Amazon Payments when you can offer all three?
2. Engage Socially
Does your business have a social media presence? What does it look like? Some of the biggest brands in the game are getting major mileage out of engaging with their customers in amusing or entertaining ways. Social media can be a great venue for customer support, but it can also be an effective way to reach out to new and potential customers. The secret is to be as genuine and engaging as possible, without coming across as trying too hard.
3. Make It Personal
Texting has made communication faster and more convenient than ever. A full third of Americans prefer texting over voice calls, and that number is even higher among the younger demographic. For many users, sending a text is much more relaxed and low-effort than committing to a phone call. What does that mean for you? It means offering the option to text your business — whether through ads or your website — is a great way to attract new customers.
4. Mobile Registers
No one enjoys long lines at their favorite brick-and-mortar store. Having lots of customers is great, but not if they’re getting impatient and composing their negative Yelp review in their head. That’s why many smaller businesses are including mobile register services to their stores. With nothing more than a tablet PC and a card reader, staff can take orders right on the sales floor — no lines, no waits.
5. Inspire Loyalty
Loyalty programs are a tried-and-true strategy for rewarding customers, but loyalty cards are mostly yesterday’s news. Consider implementing a rewards app instead.. A generous and customized rewards program will keep your customers coming back for more — and having an app makes it much easier to keep your program up-to-date and offer unique deals.
6. Use Your Data
Customers are getting smarter and more sophisticated all the time. That makes personalization a key part of any business plan. Customers want an experience they feel is just for them, from marketing to recommendations. Savvy business owners will use the data they collect from customers to maximize personalization and make every customer feel special.
Though technology has altered the landscape of business, one thing hasn’t changed. More than almost anything, today’s customers want convenience. More than that: they expect it. Technology is just one more tool to make your customers’ lives easier — use it wisely, and you can’t go wrong.
