Helping Your Business Regain That Human Touch
While many businesses are soaring thanks to digital, it’s important to remember that there’s a human side to business too. People still want and need a deeper connection, and that’s something that will make them feel deeper trust and loyalty to a brand or company.
So if your business’ digital focus has taken away from deeper interactions with your customer, you might need to reevaluate what’s important and make some much-needed changes.
Here are some suggestions for how your business can regain that human touch.
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Make your digital campaigns more engaging
Digital marketing is a great way to push your products and services, but sometimes it can feel a bit cold and personal. For people to respond and engage on social media, they need to feel something. Changing your approach to your marketing will help you to connect with your intended audience and hopefully drive your sales. Marketing experts Wayward Kind specialize in creating campaigns that focus on the human connection, and there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from them. By making your campaigns more engaging, you can expect to see some amazing results.
Use automation tools that free up time for more personal contact
Automation is a huge focus for businesses today. Automation can save time and money, which is great for businesses that need every minute of the day. However, instead of simply focusing on the time and money saved, why not think harder about what you gain?
Having automated systems take care of basic tasks and administration frees up your employees to spend more time having direct contact with customers and clients. This will give your staff more time to pick up the phone and have more in-depth conversations as well as get to meet people face to face. Investing in automation isn’t just a cost-saving exercise, but one that could restore a connection to your business too.
Ditch the chatbots
Chatbots are rather useful for businesses looking to put out or gain specific information. Requesting a callback, for example, or providing automated answers to common questions. However, a chatbot can’t replace a real person who can provide a more personal response.
Chatbots often irritate customers, who become frustrated that they can’t get the answer from a real person. In most cases, chatbots are still terrible, and you should think about investing the money spent on a chatbot elsewhere. Your customers will appreciate being able to resolve their problems quickly and effectively, which is more likely to lead to those positive online reviews.
Ask customers for feedback
Do you consult with your customers for feedback? If you don’t right now, you should start. The importance of customer feedback can’t be ignored – it helps resolve problems, let you know which processes aren’t working, and helps to make much-needed improvements. It also gives the customer the chance to tell you how you’re getting on.
There are different ways you can ask your customers for feedback. You could ask them by email with a link to a survey, or you could give them a follow-up phone call as a way to provide great aftercare following a sale. It’s important that you respond to feedback, positive or negative.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for independent online reviews too, as responding to these can help you gain further trust and credibility with existing and potential customers.
Open your phone channels
Many modern businesses will shy away from doing business over the phone, which is something that can frustrate customers. When you want a problem resolved quickly, sometimes it’s just easier to pick up the phone and speak to someone, and giving your clients or customers that option is better than not having it at all. While it’s true that many people prefer email communication, you’ll find that there are still a lot of people (particularly the older generation) who prefer to discuss matters over the phone.
In order to provide effective phone communications, of course, you’re going to need to ensure that your employees have a great phone manner. Having amazing customer service skills over the phone is something that can be developed with the right training, and you can use it as an excellent excuse to refresh your team’s communication skills.
Even if it’s rare that people contact you by phone, you should still aim to maintain and promote your phone numbers to give people the option. The world might be going digital, but sometimes there’s no substitute for a phone call.
Show off the human side of your business
Want to be able to engage with customers and clients and show them what you’re really about? Then get ready to show off your human side! Businesses who put themselves out there in the community, your local area and in other ways can become more recognizable, and make a real impact with people. Why not take part in or start a charity fundraiser? You could also consider hosting workshops and open days that allow people to come in and experience what your business does up close.
Another simple way to show off the more engaging side of your business is to start a business blog. A blog can be a less formal way of sharing news about your business, your staff, etc. and invite engagement from clients and customers. Having a blog on your business can also improve your SEO, which will help make it easier for people to find you online. Fill your blog with interesting updates and photos to help your customers enjoy getting to know more about your business.
It can be difficult for modern businesses to hold onto that personal touch, but it will make yours a better business if you continue to focus on your customers and building those lasting connections. It’s good to get out there and talk to people, so bring back some older principles and approaches to restore the human touch to your business.
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