COVID – 19 — came in December and quickly became viral just like any other Tik Tok video.
While there are enough talks on its criticality and the global crisis, one thing is sure that if our efforts are in synergy, we can combat the issue. For example, most gyms, universities are operating remotely providing online sessions; businesses that can, are operating remotely, and I worked on this article sitting in my home office, after washing my hands for the 100th time since morning!
Among all the chaos around, one important point that businesses need to pay their attention to is — to help their customers.
With so much uncertainty around, they are looking for answers more than ever before. This is the time when as a business, you need to answer those questions and strengthen their trust in you. For example, Mailchimp is offering free standard accounts for organizations that share public health information related to COVID-19.
So, how can you be there for your people without being there physically?
Below are a few practices you can follow to help your customers right now when it is needed the most:
Listen to them
Even with so much uncertainty around, you still need to do your business. Inquiries are still coming in, contracts are still being drawn, and your customers still have their pain points.
This is the time to REALLY listen to them with empathy. Remind your teams to hear what their customers are concerned about, and work on them as a top priority to show how they really care about them.
The best way to do so is, by setting up a virtual meeting or a call, note down their issues/queries, brainstorm and propose ideas that could solve their problem.
For example, if any of our customers come with an urgent need for a customized portal, we have formed a dedicated team to prepare a prototype in a couple of days for them. While the deal may not be finalized promptly, I am sure that they will remember us as a reliable brand.
Focus on serving customers digitally
What works today, might not work next year.
In the same way, this time you need to revisit your current customer experience flow. This depends on how quickly your customers are expecting you to operate. During this crisis, consumers will demand rapid responses to their queries. Hence, make sure that your support staff is equipped with the updated information.
But it would be wise if you act proactively in this situation. Because waiting on a long on-hold queue would only add extra stress to their current situation.
Hence, it is important to integrate portals with your business. You will be providing customers with a trusted source, from where they can solve most of their queries by themselves which will have a positive impact on customer’s perception of your brand.
Some quick tips to well-equip your self-service platform:
– If you have already invested in a portal then make sure to upload all the necessary information on it.
– Update your knowledge base, introduce a new section about the action plan you are following amid this Coronavirus situation for your business. They will be keen to know how your business is operating, how their orders are being processed, or how their queries will be solved.
– Update your FAQ section with the latest questions like updates on delayed orders or how to get a refund for a service. If required make it a habit to do quick virtual standups daily, to gather common questions from calls, emails to include them in the section with a comprehensive solution.
– Update your homepage’s main banner with specific instructions and a direct link to your knowledge center. If you have a customer portal, personalize the banner message at the top of its homepage as well. Providing real-time notifications, updates like the timing of a late delivery or payment will also be helpful to them.
– In your customer portal, automate specific processes to let customers self-serve themselves. This way you can alleviate your employees from high-volume calls. By integrating workflow for refund processes, the automated process would appear on customers’ screens and will guide them through each step. With just a few simple updates, you can ensure your self-service channels are all ready to handle the high contact volume during this time.
When digital communication is the only form of communication nowadays, let’s make sure we are leveraging it to its fullest to keep our customers engaged.
“Providing the right solution at right time” to your customers will ultimately help your business stay unaffected and sustain the growth for the future.
But most importantly, it is us, who can empathize and help them overcome the difficulties they are facing, so let’s keep distance, be healthy and help wherever we can.
If you need any assistance, you can reach out to us. We are here to help.
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