Everyone is talking about engagement for sales – but why is this so important and what does it really mean?
What engagement practices do you use to connect with your customers?
We already know a lot about the customer’s journey – how it is composed of various points of contact, from research to purchase and post-purchase support. And we know that offering a good customer experience at each of these points of contact is crucial to building and maintaining a solid reputation for your brand.
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But engagement for sales is often forgotten, although it is crucial to stimulate leads (contacts) throughout your journey. Don't do that anymore!
Many companies at the forefront of digital transformation initiatives invest in the engagement of leads for need. But remember that they expect a high level of customization and consistency at all points of contact.
This is particularly true in the digital world, where giants like Google and Amazon have set a demanding standard when it comes to providing high-level customer service.
Customer engagement affects profitability
Customer involvement consists of inspiring your leads and contacts to interact with your brand and participating willingly in the experiences you are creating for them. If you do this right, your brand will grow and build customer loyalty – and in turn, generate revenue.
And that's not by chance. A Study of Constellation Research showed that companies that improve engagement can increase cross sales revenue by 22%, additional sales revenue by 38% and order size by 5 to 85%.
If you are one of those who does not care about engaging your base of possible buyers of your product, then you can be sure you are losing opportunities and gains.
Take good care of your digital reputation
Like most consumers, I assume the company will care if I as a buyer customer have a negative experience, and try to fix it. If you do, you get better and you get points. If you don't, make it clear you just don't care about the kind of experience I've had.
Am I likely to buy products from this company again? Very unlikely, right? And if I do, I won't feel good.
I can tell my friends that this product or company is bad and they'll probably avoid it in the future, too. Perhaps the most important and almost certain thing is that I will not say “good” things about business to my friends or acquaintances.
When someone leaves a comment on their social networks – good or (mainly) bad – it is the ideal time to engage. We all understand this, but surprisingly, the average response rate to negative criticism, according to several surveys is only 2%.
No wonder Amazon is consuming the market share of online retailers, with its free-flash and endless stock shopping experience. And, believe me, you don't have to be an e-commerce giant to succeed in engaging in sales-focused engagement.
Best practices for digital engagement
As noted above, consumers have high expectations of companies that relate to them through digital channels. These expectations are the driving force behind best practices for the customer's digital experience.
Here are some examples of best practices that should be implemented when connecting with online customers:
1. Analyze the customer's journey
How else can you know what the customer experience is like with your brand or locations? Take your journey and write down the critical points or frustrating interactions. Are the emails you are sending helpful and informative or intrusive and selfish? Are your places easy to get to and cozy? Is your team friendly and professional? Do you follow after customer interactions and respond to comments? Each of these customer contact points presents an opportunity to interact with your customers in a mutually beneficial way. Make sure you do that, and if you're not, it's time to start.
2. Listen to what customers say about you
Today's customers are vocal and it's easy to find feedback on Google, Facebook, G2 and other evaluation sites. You should also invest in social media management, so you can actively monitor social reviews and feedback as they arrive – 42% of customers expect a response in 60 minutes, and a delayed response is almost as bad as no response.
3. Offer Experiences omnichanell perfect
If you look at the customer journey properly, you will see that brand interactions occur in many channels – search results, emails, websites, physical locations, and even text. Be sure to offer a consistent and enjoyable experience whenever you interact with your client regardless of the channel.
A bad or confusing interaction can ruin the opportunity for effective engagement and may even begin to break the trust and loyalty you have invested in building.
4. Data centralization that allows team collaboration
Machines can only allow better customer experiences together with humans. That's why one of the most important best practices for customer engagement requires empowering your employees with the right tools to get them in control.
It's impossible these days to be using only old-fashioned spreadsheets and systems. Modernize your data collection and marketing actions with tools available on the market (and there are many).
5. Stay tuned for the factors that make up your Reputation Score
More and more brands are turning to Reputation Score as the most accurate measure of customer experience. It's more complete than that the NPS, because it takes into account all factors that affect your reputation. A critical component of the score is engagement, measured by the performance of your brand at each point of contact with the customer. Knowing and monitoring your reputation score is an essential step in mastering the art – and reaping the benefits – of customer involvement.
Conclusion
Don't push it!
It's important to remember that you can't force your clients to get involved with you. According to Paul Greenberg of HubSpot, “client involvement is the continuous interaction between the company and the client, offered by the company, chosen by the client.”
Always keep in mind that the client decides how to interact and engage – you should only create opportunities and ensure that your diligent effort and reputation inspire people to act.
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