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Form letters and AI-generated responses make customers feel like just another number. When you learn how to personalize customer interactions for better engagement, you'll show that you truly appreciate their business, boosting customer satisfaction and increasing your five-star reviews. Customizing interactions requires you to plan ahead and potentially hire more employees, but you'll reap the benefits when buyers choose you over your competitors.
1. Customize Your Emails
To start, greet buyers with their names. It's a simple step, but it shows that you read their messages, looked for their names, and cared enough to use them instead of referring to them as "Customers." You can even modify parts of your website to display their names when they visit. This builds trust in your business.
Likewise, customize your automated emails by ensuring that they're relevant to the recipients. You could send coupons to everyone who bought a certain item, share customized product recommendations, or follow up on abandoned carts, including a special discount that incentivizes them to complete the purchase.
2. Hire Human Agents
In this age of chatbots and phone trees, customer satisfaction has plummeted. After an hour of cycling through digital recordings, customers think, "Why can't I just talk to a human?" Hiring human agents sets you apart from competitors and shows you how to personalize customer interactions for better engagement.
This doesn't mean that you should eliminate bots entirely. Bots are still useful for gathering contact information and answering basic questions, freeing up your employees for more complex queries. However, humans offer personalized assistance that a pre-programmed bot can't replicate. They understand nuances, complicated issues, and changes in tone, turning a bad day into a positive interaction.
During long phone calls and email threads, human representatives build a rapport with clients. They maintain a professional distance, but they recall previous issues and anticipate the user's needs, sometimes injecting a little humor. This shows customers that you're truly listening, not just writing them off as another sale.
This personalized approach also relieves stress. People relax when they talk to another human who probably understands what they're going through. Finally, a real person is in control, and your staff has the tools to save the day.
3. Create a Rewards Program
Rewards programs are popular because they create repeat customers. When shoppers accrue loyalty points, they're more likely to return for discounts and gifts. However, rewards programs also personalize their experience, making them feel valued.
Every account is different. Some customers save points for a large reward, while others quickly spend them to get small discounts. Clients choose how and when to spend their points, which puts power back in their hands.
Earning points are also customized. Shoppers decide how much they earn by completing certain actions and making purchases within their budgets. If they splurge on products one week, the extra points are a special bonus.
You can even personalize each user's program according to their buying habits. Similar to a tiered pricing model, many businesses offer tiered rewards. The more you buy, the higher you advance, earning extra perks and discounts. Plus, throwing in a birthday gift makes them smile on their big day.
Ways to earn points often include the following:
- Placing orders
- Writing reviews
- Following your company on social media
- Referring friends
- Sharing social media posts
With loyalty programs, customers feel like they're getting an exclusive deal. For more fun, add the occasional holiday, such as "Free Sample Friday" or "Double Points Day. "
4. Offer Multiple Communication Channels
What's your preferred communication method? You may prefer emails and dread phone calls, or you'd rather call someone than text them. Buyers are the same way. They have their own communication preferences, and businesses with multiple channels offer a more comfortable experience.
Give clients the option to call, email, or speak through a live chat. Likewise, make sure you respond to social media comments. Social media might not be an official channel, but people use it anyway, and publicly responding to followers makes a good impression. For heated complaints, you can politely direct them to your email address.
If this sounds overwhelming, consider software that allows you to manage all your communication channels at once. From a single dashboard, you can check your comments, texts, and emails, review past communications, and flag unsolved issues.
5. Request Feedback
Your shoppers know what they want better than anybody. Periodically, request feedback with surveys that include a gift at the end, such as a discount or giveaway entry. Keep the surveys short, but invite clients to share their honest, anonymous opinions about your products, brand, and customer service.
Not all ideas will be feasible, but look for patterns that show you where to improve. Do your customers want faster response times, more contact with human agents or increased social media engagement? Use this information to tailor your interactions with clients. Essentially, it's a free focus group that helps you serve them better.
6. Develop Customer Profiles
Learning how to personalize customer interactions for better engagement is easier when you see your clients as people with needs, weaknesses, and concerns. You can't evaluate every single buyer, but you can generate customer profiles that cover the basics. This creates a persona in your mind, helping you customize your interactions and marketing strategies.
Evaluate your customer demographics. Which age, gender, race, and location do you see most often? If you have several demographics, feel free to create multiple customer profiles. Just don't narrow it down too much. You don't want to spend half your budget on a group that makes up 1% of your clientele.
Once you have a demographic in mind, study which products they tend to buy. Consider what their purchases and life situations say about them. What are their concerns in this stage of life? Where are they trying to save money? How does your product solve their problems?
Finally, create a fictional customer profile with a name, age, gender, location, occupation, and other data that represents their group. Your profile could look like this:
- Name: Ashley Smith
- Gender: Female
- Age: 18
- Occupation: Retail worker
- Goals: Having more free time, saving money for college
- Pain points: Academic pressures, financial stress
How would you help Ashley if you actually knew her? You'll use this information to personalize your interactions with her demographic, giving you a better understanding of their life situations.
Expand Your Company's Reach
Local search engine optimization (SEO) draws traffic by boosting your company's visibility. This includes completing your Google Business profile, distributing your site to data aggregators, and ensuring that listings have accurate information.
E-Marketing Associates' local listing software uses various tools to synchronize your data across the Internet. Visitors who find you on Foursquare, Google Maps, and other directories find up-to-date information, ensuring that you don't miss a sale.
Schedule a 15-minute discovery call to discuss how our software benefits your brand. We also invite you to sign up for our newsletter to receive small business and hospitality news in your inbox.
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