How Technology Helps You Improve Your Customer-centric Approach

2018-05-25

Accept it. You can’t stay ahead of the game without using technology. And it’s not different when it comes to pleasing your customers.
Business owners tend to think their personal touch is all that’s needed. But you’re limiting sales and impact if you’re not using tech.
Why?

• Customers are used to technology in their daily lives, so you’ll get more response when you use it too.
• Technology helps you stay ahead of competitors, even in customer centricity.

Do you have some catching up to do? We’ll help you. Browse the list below to find ways of using technology to your benefit. Your customers will love you for it.

Get to Know Your Clients

A first step in becoming more customer centric is to be more intuitive about what your customers want. Can you view everything from your clients’ perspectives? Why not let technology help you grasp more about your customers’ outlooks on life?
Technology helps you do this easily and quickly. There’s no way you can analyze Big data fast, but technology can:

• AI can analyze data about your customers such as:
  • What they search for online
  • What they talk about on social media
• IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems can gauge what customers contact you about most.

This information can be used to make marketing more relevant or to rethink the information you present on your website or automatic answering service.

Get Inside Your Clients’ Heads and Homes

As mentioned you may think it’s best to deal with your customers in person. But you can’t be everywhere at once, can you?
Imagine a customer having problems with your software products or even battling to place an order on your eCommerce site. If you’re lucky they will contact you (most people hate contacting businesses in person, since they’re used to getting bad service).
So what happens when you do speak to them on the phone or even communicate via email?
I hope you don’t have to reply with:

• I can send a technician sometime this week
• Please use the FAQ page on our website
• I will get a technician to contact you by phone

Why not find immediate solutions by partnering with the client there and then? Many apps help you do this right through screen sharing or co-browsing.
They enable you to see what the client sees on their PC. You can advise them or ask them to give you control of the PC so your experts can find the solution fast.
Your clients expect you to have answers in place for any type of problem that may arise. Have you considered all challenges and their solutions yet?

Save Your Customers Some Time & Effort

Here’s how you’ll put a smile on any customer’s face. Customers’ time is one of their most valued commodities. If you can help your customers get more done in a day, they’ll pick you above your competitors.
How does technology help you?

• Find faster paying methods, such as scanning apps that only take an instant. Place these options at certain paypoints in your store so those in a hurry don’t have to queue behind clients that still prefer paying with cash.
• Don’t expect your customers to send you an email when they have questions online. This means they have to open another application and wait for a response. Online chatting enables them to communicate the moment they want answers with the chatbots that are available 24/7.
• What’s your plan for entry to your next event? If you think it will work having name lists that have to be checked manually, you’ll have long queues of unhappy attendees. You can do it faster—and more accurately—with Smartphones that scan tickets of those who already paid.

Is it really worth investing capital in these systems? When you realize consumers are 90% more likely to re-use service providers who save them time and effort, you’ll quickly upgrade your technology.

Keep Them Updated

Here’s another thing customers will appreciate: Effective communication.
If customers spend money on your products or services they want to know their hard earned cash is put to good use. The moment they doubt whether it was a good investment, you’re bound to get a bad review somewhere down the line.
Prevent this with giving updated information about when delivery of products or services will take place. This prevents clients being upset when timelines change. You’re showing you take their schedules into consideration.

Be Available—Always

Here’s one step further in providing updated information. Your customers function in a world where information is accessible at 24/7. They prefer getting this same level of service from you.
Yes, your website can provide info, but why not develop an app for your business? This benefits both you and your customers:

• They have access to information at all times
• You can allow bookings or orders to take place 24/7
• Share specials, new releases or news with them on the app

Being customer-centric is about providing services in a way customers find easy and familiar. You know these days there are apps for almost everything. Make sure yours is one of them.

Greet Them Even Before They Get to Your Door

Here’s my favorite new addition to a technologically driven business world.
Don’t you wish you could share your information with potential customers passing your doorway? Once they pass you may never see them again. Why not tell them about your sale, your special rates or a new product by connecting to all individuals within a 70m radius?
It’s called Beacons and it sends your info to mobile devices that have Bluetooth switched on. It’s like having your sales team outside, but more importantly your clients will appreciate you telling them about the special deals they’re missing out on.

You’re running a business in a time where your value isn’t determined by your services, but by how customers experience you online. That’s only one characteristic of the new technologically driven consumer. Can you keep up with all your customers expect of you?