Our relationships are based on conversations and actions. Regardless as to whether they are personal or professional, we need to walk the talk if we want to build and nurture them. If we don’t, we may lose those relationships.
When it comes to customer service, what we say, how we say it and what we do, have a strong impact on the future of the relationship. That’s why in this article, I will help you make one step further towards a strategic goal: turning customer conversations into sales opportunities.
From Reactive to Proactive Conversations
When we think about customer service, we tend to view it in a traditional, ‘responsive’ way:
Customer asks → brand responds.
That’s just a part of the deal though. Today more than ever it’s paramount to also offer ‘proactive’ service: i.e., providing the customer with answers and solutions before s/he asks questions.
So the new paradigm becomes:
Brand anticipates customer’s question → customer gets information (self-service) → both brand and customer are fully satisfied.
As Sophie Elizabeth Clarke, Social Media Manager @ Radisson Hotel Group says
“By providing proactive support, we save time and money”.
Get Your Customers Prepared To Buy Again
Three weeks ago, I went to London to speak at the Customer Service Summit. Meeting international customer service managers representing different industries and brands was such a great experience. (HP, Levi’s, Volkswagen, Microsoft, Barclays, Twitter, Airbnb, were just a few of those in attendance.)
From that conference I brought back home three business lessons that I want to share with you:
- Trust is the glue of customer relationships. Be transparent when you interact with customers – especially when things are not going tas you’d hope.
- Leverage digital support channels. Social networks, live chat and messaging apps are powerful. Use them to provide excellent support so as to stand out from your competitors
- Invest in staff training, adopting a ‘continuous improvement’ approach. Coach your staff and motivate them to do more than average for the customer
Moderating the Social Customer Service panel at the ‘Customer Service Summit 2018’ – London, U.K.
Related: WhatsApp for Customer Service.
Over to you
The above three lessons will enable you to get your customer prepared to buy more products or services. You will then decide how to carry on upselling or cross-selling activities during the interaction. So, it’s time to sit at the table with your marketing peers to join forces and turn customer conversations into sales opportunities.
You may also want to read: From Bad to Great Conversations With Customers
5 Tactics For Extending Conversations With Customers
Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_kirovkat1985‘ / 123RF Stock Photo
Paolo Fabrizio
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