The emergence of the digital era brought with it the concept of ‘customer engagement’. That is not to say that engagement is strictly digital but it also happens through traditional channels. So what exactly does customer engagement entail? Amazon Web Services links customer engagement with loyalty and defines it as Customer engagement refers to the practices that organisations employ to keep users coming back to their applications. Maximising customer engagement is vital in today’s digital marketplace, where an ever-increasing number of brands are competing for a finite amount of customer attention.
Source: Super Office
Rightfully speaking, customer engagement refers to the customer’s equation with a business. And that is putting it broadly. So when we talk about customer engagement, the reference is usually towards the quality of that relationship; whether it is positive or negative and how that impacts the customer journey and their association with the brand or company.
We at VOIZ believe that relationships are truly the heart of customer loyalty, retention and customer engagement. We make sure that our agents are trained to go the extra mile to ensure that each and every customer that we have connected, interacted or communicated with on your behalf, feels a genuine connection with the brand and becomes an automatic yet long-standing advocate of your service or product.
Actionable ideas to enhance your customer engagement:
- Implement a loyalty rewards program if you don’t have one
By adding value to every interaction your customers have with the brand, you are creating a powerful strategy by enticing them to be a part of your loyalty programs. Customers don’t want to be feeling like they are missing out on something, therefore reducing the chances of them shopping with a competitor and boosting retention.
- Continuously seek to invite and collect feedback
Hearing straight from the horse’s mouth is one of the best ways of evaluating your engagement efforts and strategies. Use customer feedback to your advantage as it gives you an insight into the personal perspective of someone who should be considered as an asset for your business and could possibly be speaking for 10 other customers as well. This will give the business various opportunities to drive enhanced engagement.
- Craft involvement opportunities into your CX and UX
You will be surprised to know that occasionally, customer engagement can occur as the result of another different initiative. Even something as simple as a happiness rate scale or a thumbs up/ thumbs down button can make customers feel more involved and listened to thereby creating a profound impact on customer engagement.
- Gamify your digital interactions
If you have ever thought about boosting long term engagement, gamification is one of the best ways to achieve it. It’s a no-brainer that if you offer enjoyable digital activities and properties; your customers are going to want to stick around.
- Consistency across all channels is key
A large number of customers tend to interact with a brand on one channel but resume their conversations across other/multiple channels. Omnichannel support is all about providing a personalized, seamless and consistent customer experience across all active channels and platforms. Therefore by delivering consistent customer experiences across all points of contact or touchpoints is the key to customer loyalty and retention.
3 ways to measure customer engagement
Unlike customer satisfaction, customer engagement does not have an accurate formula to calculate or measure customer engagement. The following three metrics, combined together can be most useful in estimating and establishing the engagement quotient of your business.
- Direct consumer feedback (Online reviews or CSAT/NPS scores)
Closely tracking and monitoring customer feedback, reviews, satisfaction scores etc; gives you the power to unlock your consumer psychology and understand their behaviour and their perception when it comes to your products and services
That is, it gives you an idea of what your customers appreciate, what your customers don’t like and the kind of improvements your customers want you to bring about. This, therefore, serves as an excellent indicator of customer engagement while also telling you the quality of your customer interactions with the brand across all touchpoints.
- Renewal rate/ repeat purchase
Your brand will most likely be the first choice on the minds of your customers when they need to make a purchase given that they are actively engaged with your brand on different platforms. With customers engaged, it will be a lot easier to communicate ongoing deals, discounts and offers to make them an easy target for recurring purchases. Hence, a good percentage of repeat purchases is an excellent indicator of how engaged your customers are.
- Customer referrals
Highly satisfied and well-engaged customers are more likely to endorse your products and services and recommend them to their family and friends, creating a wider customer base of advocates, evangelists and loyalists. In addition to that engaged clientele will also be aware of referral campaigns and bonus offers from referring; that they are more likely to drive traffic towards your brand and business. The Referral system is another strong determinant of customer engagement and new prospective interests.
Hire your customer support roles and/or telesales roles with VOIZ to get to know your customers better and serve them better.