Handling client communication is an increasing area of challenge for many businesses.
The world is smaller thanks to technology. Yet, we seem further apart. No matter what industry you’re in, customers expect a high level of service and communication. They expect 24-7 service and an immediate response from businesses.
They need to be sure that their problems are being addressed and they are being heard. If you are managing a lot of customers, it’s all too easy for details to get missed and fall through the cracks.
You can avoid that type of scenario with client communication tools. There are hundreds of tools that will help you have better communication with your client.
Read on to learn how you can find the best tools to communicate with your clients.
Best Client Communication Tools
If there’s one catchphrase in business today, it’s customer experience. Businesses know that the customer experience is the key to having a healthy business, and there’s a direct impact on your bottom line.
Look at Every Client Interaction, From Beginning to End
How does your business interact with your clients? That’s the very first question that you need to answer.
When you look at client communication, you have to look at it from the entire process. Where is there first interaction? If it’s at a networking event, your company’s representatives should be prepared to talk about your company and answer any questions.
If it’s on your website, then you need to have support staff available to answer questions leading up to a purchase.
Look at each additional step in the process before they become a client. Make sure that there are adequate follow-ups via email and over the phone. Most leads aren’t ready to make a purchase until the 5th contact and beyond. Salespeople tend to stop at the 4th attempt.
When prospects do become clients, evaluate the entire process. Do they just get left out because they’re now paying clients and salespeople need to move on and make quota?
Look at how contracts get signed and explained by sales reps. You also need to look at the post-sales implementation of your service or product. Is there contact with clients after the service has been implemented? There should be regular check-ins with the client to evaluate progress.
They should also have a direct contact at your company who can address any and all support issues.
Make Changes and Close Gaps in the Process
Mapping out the entire client communication process makes it much easier to identify holes in the process. You can also implement a bit of data science and discover more holes in your communications with clients.
Asking clients directly for their thoughts is a survey. Clients are usually more than willing to share their experiences and give you constructive feedback as to where you can improve.
You can also analyze website data to enhance prospects experience on your site. For example, you might find that they don’t convert or ask questions.
This information can help you make better decisions, such as having a chatbot
Look for Tools that Enhance Communication
Did you find major gaps in communicating with clients? You could have discovered that clients like face-to-face interaction. That could lead to investing in video software for your business.
Finding that customers want to make sure that their contracts and communications are secure will lead you to invest in
Don’t get a tool just because it has a lot of bells and whistles. It can be easy to get distracted by all of that stuff. Go for tools that will help you solve your main client communication challenges.
Staying Within Compliance
Certain industries, such as financial and healthcare, need to be extra cautious around client communications. What you’ll notice is that regulations are very slow to catch up with technology.
The SEC recently reminded financial pros to be mindful of communicating via social media and text message.
Even if you’re not in a regulated industry, you want to be sure that the solutions you choose have extra security. Clients want to know that their sensitive data is safe.
Consolidate Tools as Much as Possible
The one thing to be incredibly careful of is to have too many tools to communicate with clients. Ideally, you want to have a few tools as possible.
For example, investing in a tool that has a client portal would be a smart choice. Clients have one login and one piece of software to work with.
Clients will appreciate the simplicity, and your staff will love working with as few tools as possible.
The Most Important Step: Communicate Expectations
The one place where the client relationship gets into trouble is in the expectations. You already know that customer expectations are high.
You want to be clear as to how you will communicate with clients and how often. You also want to be sure the clients are aware of your availability.
Clients expect around the clock care, but if you’re a one-person show, there’s no way you can provide that level of service.
The best thing to do is to set the expectations early on in the relationship. Make sure that your customer is aware of the communication that you provide and the support they receive. Most of all, follow through and do what you say you’re going to do.
Find the Best Client Communication Tools to Improve Your Business
In order to stay competitive in the marketplace, you need to provide a superior customer experience than everyone else.
It can be hard to manage communication with your customers. With the right client communication tools, your business will be set up for growth.
If you want more outstanding business growth tips, take a look at these small business tips every owner must read.
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