Doing business based on relationships is almost a thing of the past. With eCommerce taking over, a lot of companies are struggling to find a way to connect with customers. After talking with Denise Mahnick, VP of Marketing for Shoptelligence, and Gavin Todd, co-founder and CEO of Shopwindow, I learned a lot of ways they’re using technology to overcome the digital barrier.
“You have to really understand who you’re talking to,” Denise said. “Who are you trying to connect with? Don’t target just a number, target an actual person and tailor the conversation to who they really are.”
To Gavin, customer experience is all about delivering things that are personalized to you. For example, YouTube shows you results tailored to your style. Companies are starting to use the same technology for shopping and improving their relationship with customers.
I’ve dropped a few things below that you should incorporate into the workplace in order to improve the authentic relationship between you and your customers.
1) Timing is key – Knowing your client means knowing when they want to take action. When posting things on social media, keep in mind when your audience is going to be online. If it is a business professional, they will likely be online around 1 p.m. for lunch and around 7 p.m. after work and dinner. A teenager, however, may be more active around 11 p.m. at night.
2) Try and interact directly – Sometime’s its difficult, but having a call or a direct message back and forth with a customer is worth it. Giving a client your full attention makes them feel good, and it also helps you solve their problems as accurately as possible.
3) Solve their individual problem – Not all problems are bad problems, but every client that you encounter has some sort of problem that needs solved. Whether it’s the dilemma of what curtains match their couch, or where to book their next vacation. If you can give a customer the solution to their specific need, it will help solidify that customer relationship and ensure a repeat customer.
All in all, we know that the world is becoming digitized. By using a few of these tips, we can help ensure that the customer is getting their needs satisfied in the most authentic way. Thank you again to Gavin and Denise for sharing some of their wise words with us.