CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERTS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MADE SIMPLE

As customer service experts and customer experience keynote speakers, we’re often asked to consider how organizations and build customer loyalty and attract new audiences. The answers are far simpler than you make suspect. Often, all it takes is a slight shift in tactics, or way you choose to tackle a problem – and a greater willingness to stay in tune with changing customer needs. So while engaging customer services and keynote speakers can certainly help you boost the bottom line, it bears noting. Often, all you have to do to be more successful here is just change the lens through which you’re viewing any challenge, and stay well-attuned to customers’ current needs and pain points.

Topic: A Better Way to Approach New Business Prospects

Scenario: All of us are getting dozens of messages a day via email asking to hop on the phone or via LinkedIn/social networks from random businesspeople with vague intros “just wanted to connect and expand my network”) who immediately jump into a sales pitch if you connect. That’s a real turn-off – as customer service experts and keynote speakers frequently point out, executives could use insight into better ways to grab prospects’ attention and seal the deal.

Insight: You need to give before you get and focus on finding ways to meaningfully help prospects so you can establish a relationship before having the chutzpah to ask them for their business. That means finding ways to offer free resources and solutions of use, plan complementary events, or offer up research and insights of interest, all with an eye towards helping your audience solve problems in a way that helps you showcase your unique talents. Whether you do that by creating free online time-saving apps and tools or serving up infographics that put market shifts in perspective is largely irrelevant – the key is that they have to get to know you and feel comfortable with you before they’ll even consider sending money your way.

Topic: Simple, Cost-Effective Ways to Build and Inspire Customer Loyalty

Scenario: You don’t have to be a customer service expert to realize: Customers want to feel heard, appreciated, and that they’re a top priority, and to do business with brands whose missions and goals they resonate with and like – luckily for organizations, there are many easy and affordable ways to show them you care.

Insight: To retain customer loyalty, conversation can’t be a one-way street – from social media outposts to online forums or alpha/beta test programs (in which they’re invited to become part of your design team and offer feedback), there are many ways to help customers’ voice be heard. Likewise, you can create all sorts of opportunities – newsletter stories, crowdsourced video contributions, etc. – to spotlight your community at little cost. In addition, the data and analytics you’re collecting along the way can also be used to help steer projects’ focus and product roadmaps.