What is customer engagement?
HubSpot says that “Customer engagement is the ongoing interactions between company and customer, offered by the company, chosen by the customer.” This extends beyond the bounds of a customer making a purchase and encompasses every touchpoint- from the first interaction with the business to well beyond the sale.
Customer engagement is the difference between a lifetime advocate for your brand, and a large potential audience that will pass you by.
74% of customers feel loyal to a particular brand or company, Zendesk states in their 2020 CX trends report. Loyalty is tied to a customer’s ongoing choice to do business with you, refer others to you, and have a positive relationship with you. Zendesk also found that roughly half of customers say they would switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. In the case of more than one bad experience, that number rises to 80%.
Clearly, poor customer engagement leads to a loss of loyalty. Unfamiliar brands are missing credibility that allows customers to move to the next option without much thought. So how does a business increase customer engagement to drive loyalty and sales?
Consider, to engage your customers;
Omnichannel engagement- are you optimising all touchpoints? It is easy to remember the website, your physical location, and social media. But are you considering the voice channel? Retargeting platforms? The competence of your staff? The time customers spend waiting for replies to their queries? Lack of omnichannel optimisation leads to a poor experience, destroying brand image and credibility in the eyes of the customer.
Reactive customer engagement- do you wait for something to go wrong before beginning to work on customer engagement? Instead, be proactive. Consider a live chat function on your website for easier communication between potential customers and your team. Begin outreach in the local business community, creating relationships to improve business effectiveness. Allow your customers to sign up for a mailing list and keep them up to date with the latest business happenings, industry events, and news. Keep your brand on people’s minds by positioning yourself as an industry leader who cares about their customers.
Personalised customer experiences lead to greater engagement as the customer feels appropriately valued as an individual. Whether it be giving each customer a survey to gather feedback before the sale occurs, or personally following up each of your leads with a phone call after the sale to receive feedback on the level of service delivered, it pays to go above and beyond to ensure that your customers are engaged with your brand.
Why keep customers engaged?
Effective customer engagement can turn a lead into a long-time brand advocate, a powerful tool in marketing. These brand advocates will be early adopters of new service or product offerings, and they will use word of mouth to effectively increase brand awareness and widen customer reach.
Customer engagement gives your brand a voice that is personable and relatable. Your brand is positioned at the front of the customer’s mind due to continued positive experiences, and the perception of offering value beyond the initial sale. This inspires loyalty and continued patronage.
How can Captivate Connect help?
Captivate Connect can assist in optimising voice channels effectively while taking the pressure off of staff with customised solutions. Through Captivate Connect’s innovative technology, you can gather data on your customers, understanding their purchase decisions, and identify weaknesses in the channel.
The customer advocacy possibilities are endless if you actively engage with your customers, allowing them to feel appreciated and valued as individuals, rather than faceless callers. Allow every customer to have a trouble-free, seamless experience with your brand at every touchpoint. Above all else, keep your audience engaged and satisfied.
Want to find out more? Contact us via this form or call Captivate Connect at (08) 9368 7500 for a free demo for your business!
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