How to get intimate with your customers online
While you might think your website has it covered in terms of information, you cannot always predict what information your customers might be after. So it is important to provide multiple channels for customers to turn to for help and to request additional information. This could be in the form of a help desk function, a FAQ area, or simply clearly listing your contact details. Remember, when you update your website to cater for new customer segments, products and services to update these sections where necessary. Of utmost importance if you do include a help section is to make sure you remain loyal to all requests – do not offer if you cannot fulfil.
Promote a two way dialogue with customers by including feedback links and other communication channels that give users a voice and a chance to interact with your brand and other customers. There are a multitude of channels that you can incorporate into your website that can actually be much more effective and measurable than similar concepts in the offline world. More traditionally recognised online tools like polls and surveys are still popular. Midas Auto Service offers a great example of how feedback mechanisms work, creating a simple poll that asked over 1800 visitors over several weeks, “would you book your car in for a service online?” When over 80 percent of Midas’ visitors voted “yes” they rolled out the service Australia-wide.
Another way to increase the interaction and develop a more intimate relationship with your customers is to foster an online community around your brand, products or the industry in which you operate. Forums and blogs on your website with prompts to comment enable interactivity and increase the potential for meaningful discussion. Another big advantage of these tools is that they allow you to monitor conversations about your brand hence enabling you to make improvements to your customer service levels and business more generally.
Whether your business operates solely online or is combined with a physical shop front, be sure to make the most of the web to cultivate and maintain a loyal customer base as well as seize the opportunity to engage with customers that might not drop by your shop.
Sam Saltis is CEO of bwired and is featured in our entrepreneurs section here.