Establishing a connection with your customers and making them feel valued is vital to building loyalty. However, doing so is challenging when your business operates primarily through an online presence. Fortunately, it is possible to overcome those challenges with the right set of business tools.
Intuitive and Accessible e-Commerce Programs
Although you might not put much thought into your e-commerce platform, your customers must interact with it every time they complete a transaction. Online shoppers will notice if it is difficult to use, frequently buggy, or constantly down for repairs. As a result, they could choose to take their business elsewhere for a smooth shopping experience.
Avoid this by choosing a point-of-sale system that serves your business needs. Look for one that seamlessly integrates inventory management, product descriptions, and purchasing into a positive checkout process. A system designed for your industry is a bonus if you can find it since it will be customized for your business needs. For instance, a POS for quilt stores probably needs very different features than one for auto parts. The right system should have more features you need without an abundance of ones you’ll likely never use.
Customer Relationship Management Software
Customer relationship management software helps track customer behavior, buying patterns, and preferences. It also compiles personal information about each customer, such as their name, address, and birthday. You can input notes about individual customers to improve interactions and offer more appropriate programs.
When you invest in a top-quality CRM, you invest in your company’s success. It helps to streamline other processes and improve both sales and marketing efforts. Seeing increased customer satisfaction is also common, thanks to the ability to customize interactions through most platforms.
There is often talk about which CRM software is best, and you should read reviews to learn more about each program’s features and ease of use. However, keep in mind that the best program for you is one that you are comfortable using since you are most likely to implement its features into your business operations.
User-Friendly Customer Support
When a customer has a problem, you want to be able to provide a simple and timely solution. Making someone wait days for a return call or email is terrible for business. Unfortunately, especially when you run a small business, it can be challenging to carve out time to provide individual attention to a single customer.
No matter how challenging, you must prioritize customer support efforts. The following ideas can help you offer advice and help without monopolizing your time.
Chatbots
Chatbots can handle many routine requests, such as checking order status and providing account information, keeping you and your staff off the phone. Plus, new AI tools make creating a chatbot for your website or app more accessible than ever. Choose to design your own or use a simple drop-and-drag platform to generate one in a few simple steps.
Client Education
Allow customers to learn more about your products and services with a complete education portal. Include tutorials, product information videos, and use guides to simplify using your products.
Email Marketing Tools
Keeping up with customers is simple when you automate email and newsletters. Programs such as Constant Contact and MailChimp let you set a mail schedule, customize and save templates, and build newsletters to inform your customers of news, new products, and specials.
Project Management Software
A large part of keeping customers happy and engaged involves behind-the-scenes work. When everything goes well, people have a good experience and will probably return. However, if something falls between the cracks, your customers are just as likely (and sometimes more so) to notice. Then, you risk them telling friends, family, and their social networks about how your business let them down.
Using a project management program to coordinate tasks and keep everyone on track can help ensure this doesn’t happen. Several of the most popular software programs offer free limited versions that you can try out. In many cases, the features on these are sufficient to keep operations running smoothly.
Creating a positive customer experience is critical to a business’s success. Tools such as project management, customer support, and email management software combined with an effective POS system can help keep customers engaged and increase the likelihood they return.