Customer service and Customer Communications Strategy (CCS) are foundational pillars for companies. It’s not only about offering services and products that meet customers’ needs; it’s also about answering their questions and providing technical support after the purchase.
Why CCS is essential for customer satisfaction
Companies cannot limit themselves to encouraging purchases and carrying out conversions.
Focusing solely on sales gives an extremely negative image, conveying that they only want to make money, regardless of the services rendered to customers. Even within business relationships, this creates distrust and undermines credibility.
Knowing how to communicate with customers well means understanding the reasons for their contact, which allows the detection of problems and proposing feasible solutions. It is not always easy to know what to do to communicate effectively, but we can tell you what not to do.
The 9 most common customer communication pitfalls
1. Failure to listen to customers with empathy.
It is important to actively listen to them to understand their needs, questions, or complaints instead of assuming what they need or want. Furthermore, understanding and recognizing customers’ feelings is crucial. If they are frustrated or angry, show empathy and work to resolve the problem.
2. Leaving customers with unfulfilled promises.
If the company promises something to its customers, it must make sure it delivers. Failure to do so damages customers’ confidence in the company. In the same manner, it is necessary to communicate clearly what customers can expect to avoid misunderstandings and disappointments later on.
3. Being unclear with customers.
Avoid using technical jargon or complex words that customers may not understand. Focus on plain language. In my experience, this has a lot to do with training. The better trained your team is, usually the more clear and knowledgeable they are to help customers.
4. Not addressing problematic customers.
It is essential to have a guide on how to deal with difficult customers. Of course, it is vital to develop a general communication manual, but it is also necessary to anticipate that the company may deal with people who are particularly difficult to talk to.
5. Language differences are being ignored.
Language barriers are both the most common and the most time-consuming obstacle. To overcome them, it is necessary to identify which languages are spoken most by the company’s customers and to have speakers who are fluent in those languages.
6. Failure to quickly respond or offer solutions to customers.
Customers expect timely responses to their questions or concerns. Failure or delay in a response can make customers feel ignored. Besides, When customers have a problem, they want solutions. You can not just acknowledge the problem—there must be action as well.
7. Over-reliance on technology
With AI, and its chatbots all this tech can be useful. In my experience, its misuse can frustrate customers. In the age of robotics, customers should always have the option to talk to a real person if they want to. That said, it is imperative to have a live chat option on the website that is clearly visible and accessible. This chat conveys trust and encourages communication. Just don’t leave it AI! A chat, even if it is live, is not face-to-face, so companies need to give the impression that someone is actively listening behind the other screen.
Final thoughts
It must be understood that customer service can be the Achilles’ heel of some companies. Not knowing how to communicate and listen to its customers prevents the company from building a trust-based relationship between the parties, making it very difficult to carry out the transaction. This may cause the customer to choose another company that is easier to talk to.
Having good products and services does not guarantee sales. Companies must know how to sell and communicate with them. And here human beings are fundamental if they have the necessary communication skills and the support of suitable tools and technologies.
In short, having good customer service consists of satisfying customers’ communication needs in an effective and efficient manner. In other words, it is about providing real and concrete solutions in a brief period of time. Honesty and active listening are necessary to give each customer the importance they have for the company.
Nowadays, the ever-growing importance of technology that supports the implementation of a smooth and versatile customer communications process makes it imperative that companies research thoroughly to find the most flexible Customer Communications Strategy solution to support their specific needs, but also allows adapting seamlessly to future customer communications evolutions.
Interested in learning how a fraction chief communications officer can help you improve your customer communications?
If the answer is yes, then schedule a free discovery call today.
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