Whether it’s a subscription to a newsletter or an enquiry via a live chat or tweet. When someone makes the effort of getting in touch with your business the least you can do is respond.

Running a business demands more and more time these days. Not only do you need to have a great product or service and be top boss, but you also need to be seen by the world to be engaging in conversation.

We understand this is a tall order so we help our clients by managing their marketing communications and ensuring that they are using the latest technology to their best advantage.

Here are a few tips to make it easier for you to stay in touch with your customers.

ARE YOU USING FACEBOOK MESSENGER OR LIVECHAT ON YOUR WEBSITE TO QUICKLY ANSWER USERS QUESTIONS?

With both of these you can set up automated triggers meaning the FAQs are quickly taken care of without the need for a call handler to be involved. If set up correctly, triggers can identify whether the enquiry needs to be handled by a member of the customer service team and take appropriate action. The initial work to set this up takes a little planning but, once in place, it could save you countless hours over time.

ARE YOU MONITORING YOUR SOCIAL TRAFFIC?

It is not enough to schedule content weeks in advance and then leave your channels unmonitored. More often than not, users engage with a brand online when there is a problem. If they post a complaint and you don’t respond, their negative experience is the impression that will last, and what other people will presume to be true. The speed and way complaints are handled online speaks volumes about a business. Ignoring them can have more negative repercussions than the original problem so don’t bury your heads in the sand and hope they will go away, they won’t!

KNOW WHEN TO QUIT.

The old saying the customer is always right has never sat well with us as there are so many cases when that is simply not true. We feel “The Customer is King” is more apt. Customers should be treated with respect and be made to feel special. Brands and businesses are most successful when they treat people as humans and empathise with their issue, but do not get bogged down with every doom and gloom monger. ’Haters are gonna hate’, so it’s also key to know when you have said your piece and gracefully remove yourself from a potential confrontation, however tempting it may be to have the last word!

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THEM?

How many times have you left an email address on a website that promised to send you an amazing newsletter – only to never hear from them again? You probably canʼt remember because they never got in touch! Businesses always start out with the best of intentions when it comes to email marketing, but many are lacking follow through and are missing vital leads as a result. If you have a subscription form on your site you need a strategy for keeping these leads interested. Content is key. There are a plethora of email marketing platforms offering templates to actually create the emails, but a blank email isnʼt going to interest anyone. So have a clear plan for the type of content that your audience will find interesting. Make it engaging so your audience relates to what you are saying. If you want your reader to respond in a certain way then give them a specific call to action.

NEED MORE HELP?

Call Sally to discuss how we can help you engage more effectively with your customers, freeing up your time in the process.