Today, a ‘purchase’ is only the beginning of a customer’s journey with your business. Customers of today require a lot more attention than they did decades ago. The average customer expects to have a two-way interaction with the brand they’re associated with, thereby establishing a relationship between the business and the customer. They appreciate genuine conversation and reciprocation when they interact with your online contact centre and at times that seem most convenient for them. So as a business, besides inciting sales it is also essential to reach out to customers and give them the best digital engagement possible.
How is it important, you ask?
With customers holding the reins, ensuring loyalty is a must which leads to a consistent interest in what the business or the brand is doing. That is when you know your clients are ‘engaged’. As per studies, a fully engaged customer can provide a 23% boost in profitability, revenue, and relationship growth when compared to a typical, disengaged customer.
Customer engagement is directly related to the success of your business in terms of advocacy, loyalty and if the customer is a promoter or detractor of the brand. The dimensions of customer engagement include:
- Continuance: The length of time or period of time over which interactions occur.
- Frequency and recurrence: Whether the said interactions are varied and infrequent or frequent and similar.
- Proactive engagement: Whether the customer involves himself/herself with the brand or business of their own choice, without prompting.
- Volume: The total number of interactions taking place over the lifecycle of the customer.
Source: goodtoseo
Customer engagement is potent in achieving business objectives and goals. Some of the wonders it can do for your business include:
- Healthier and secure relationships with increased loyalty
- A distinctive brand identity
- Shorter purchase cycles
- Reduction in churn and increased customer retention
- Improved opportunities for upselling and cross-selling
A practical look at a few examples of what customer engagement looks like
1. Customer participation in loyalty programs
When a customer of the brand signs up for a loyalty app or program they use it to gather and collect points on purchases made in the future. This acts as an incentive and contributes to becoming another form of motivation as they enjoy earning rewards and collecting points.
2. A dissatisfied customer making a complaint
The way a dissatisfied customer reaches out to the brand to have his or her issues addressed can be a telltale sign of their sentiment and loyalty towards the brand. It is up to the brand to handle either situation by closing the experience gap and winning back their loyalty by surpassing expectations.
3. A customer contacting customer service for customer support
If a customer is unable to find the answers on the brand’s website, product knowledge base, community forums, etc he or she is most likely going to be contacting customer support next. This is an example of the type of customer who is deeply engaged with the product or service he/she has paid for and having/getting a better experience as a result.
4. Customers contributing suggestions and ideas on a brand’s social spaces and network
Another example of active customer engagement is when customers actively comment, like and share your brand’s content on social media. This digital communication can effectively amp up your products and services to potential customers and existing customers alike.
Customer Engagement Statistics to acquaint yourself with:
Engagement: Your key to getting to know your customers better and serving them better
This goes without saying but brands need to engage with customers in a way that is substantial and meaningful in order to share values and generate trust. At VOIZ, we comprehend the importance of the ever-growing and changing engagement trends by handling your customers and their concerns, queries and complaints in the best way possible. Statistically speaking, 60% of unsuccessful customer support calls can be handled and solved easily using better access to technology and data.
VOIZ provides an Omnichannel routing solution backed with intelligent technology across all channels to ensure that the customer gets in touch with the right agent at the right time for the expected resolution and with decreased shuffling in the service queue. By consistently meeting the needs of your customers and creating congruous client experiences, the business can save time and money; collect data, and boost opportunities for upselling.