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December 3, 2023
10 Minutes
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Customer engagement refers to the ongoing interaction between a business and its customers, nurturing a relationship that goes beyond individual transactions. It involves various touchpoints where customers actively interact with a brand, including online and offline interactions, social media engagement, customer support interactions, and more
Ever wondered why established giants like Zomato, Squadstack, Netflix, etc, are everyone's top picks? The secret lies in their customer engagement strategy. They've mastered the art of utilizing various channels and crafting a social media presence that has been ruling the hearts.
Let’s take an example where a customer invests a substantial amount in your products or services, expecting top-notch outcomes. You guide them through the entire buying process, but you vanish once the transaction is complete. The customer is left stranded, and any further engagement becomes a distant dream. This lack of engagement guarantees no returning customers and a bad brand value.
As per Forbes 66% of consumers say they will quit a brand if their Customer service experience isn’t personalized. That number rises to 75% among Gen Z consumers.”
Customer engagement is more than a process, it's a commitment by organizations to keep their customers connected. It's not just about the sale but the ongoing relationship. This connection is maintained through diverse channels and tactics designed to keep customers genuinely interested in your business.
Imagine investing in a product or service, but after purchase, the business disappears. This scenario kills any chance of further customer engagement. It's the opposite of what successful companies do. Let’s read on to find out how customer engagement can help businesses grow.
Customer engagement fosters long-term relationships with the business. When you talk to your customers, it makes them remember your business. This way, your business stays important to them. To build long-term relationships, utilize every possible chance to interact with them and provide them with top-notch services.
When your customers are satisfied, it means that they can trust your business. A loyal customer base can improve the business image. You can use this to get more upselling opportunities when you introduce new products and services to them.
Brand credibility is directly related to the strong relationship that a business builds with its customers. This is done by providing them with quality products and services, properly addressing their concerns, and staying committed to them throughout their journey.
To keep your business moving forward, a business requires consistent customer support and engagement. You need to establish communication with them through various channels. Through consistent engagement, customers stay updated on the products, services, offers, promotions, etc.
Also Check: Top Cross-Selling Strategies for Boosting Sales
"77 per cent of consumers say they’ve held relationships with specific brands for ten or more years.”
Before we explore real-life examples of customer engagement, let's look at some effective strategies along with examples to make it even better. In this section, we'll discuss proven ways that can turn occasional buyers into loyal fans of your brand.
Exceptional customer service is paramount to ensure that customers never feel left out. When a customer reaches out with a query, they anticipate a helpful response from an agent who guides them patiently. Delivering outstanding service not only impresses customers but also fosters a positive environment, which enhances the business's reputation.
For instance, Squadstack has highly trained telecallers who are equipped with the knowledge, skill set, and technology to prioritize customer satisfaction through impeccable telecalling services.
To solidify your business brand, connect with customers through diverse channels. Employing various modes of communication ensures that you capture their attention effectively, establishing your brand presence.
What could be a better example than Nike here? As an athletic footwear company, it connects with its customers using different platforms such as e-commerce sites, physical shops and stores, etc. This allows it to fulfil the needs of its customers by reaching out to them.
Nike doesn't wait for its customers to reach out to it; rather, it reaches out to them first
Your brand's personality attracts your tribe. People feel more connected to the business when there's a distinct brand voice. It humanizes the brand, making individuals feel like they are conversing with a real person rather than a soulless entity.
Zomato serves as an excellent example. The food delivery startup has created a fan base, leaving its mark on social media with witty humour and pun-intended content, making it highly relatable, especially to younger generations.
Social media serves as a crucial place to connect with your audience. Currently, millions of people actively use social media. Understanding their preferences helps create a strong impression as people tend to engage more with businesses that have crafted a unique presence. Businesses that establish distinct identities on social platforms can directly bond with their audience through their content.
Sciencedirect.com mentioned, “Almost 94% of all businesses with a marketing department have established their presence and continuously pursued engaging their customer base on at least one of the “Big Four” social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google.”
The initial step to improve customer engagement is ensuring customer satisfaction. Understand their pain points, provide solutions, and genuinely communicate with them at every opportunity. Help your customers at every step without making them feel unwanted. Remember, the goal is to make them feel valued by delivering top-notch services.
Google is considered one of the companies in the world which is customer-centric. The reason is simple, it provides value to its customers by consistently updating guidelines for ads, rankings, SEO, etc. Google aims to ensure its users get the best outcomes when they search on its search engine.
In recent times, numerous companies have enhanced customer engagement through loyalty programs. They reward customers with freebies, discounts, and more for remaining loyal. For instance, top ice cream brand Baskin Robbins allows customers to sign up for their program and then give them a free scoop of delicious, flavorful ice cream. This is a delightful way to appreciate customer loyalty by providing scoops of happiness.
Supporting campaigns related to social issues is crucial to connect with your audience on a personal level. Businesses must participate in such initiatives to create an ethical image as philanthropists. This gets them customer support, as people feel safer engaging with a company that follows a holistic approach.
"Large companies normally expend more effort than midsize companies, but smaller companies generally do more 'face' and 'personal one-on-one' contact – even if exclusively done in their small neighbourhoods."
Tailoring content specifically for your target audience captures their attention effectively. Providing a variety of personalized content options makes customers feel heard and seen, offering them an experience crafted just for them.
For instance, there are companies which connect with their audience through blogs, webinars, industry reports, guides, etc which are highly personalized. They impart knowledge by keeping the readers hooked throughout.
To know what works for your business, measure your business analytics. "If you pick the right metrics for success, you will significantly improve the focus of the whole team and, thus, improve your business." Focus on key metrics to analyze the success of your marketing campaigns.
Continuously monitor customer feedback to gain insights into what works and what doesn't. Utilizing these insights is crucial for shaping effective marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience. Customer feedback can be acquired through surveys, live chats, feedback boxes, etc. Gather, respond and work towards its improvement just like Amazon.
Amazon has created a mission statement to become the most customer-centric company in the world. Amazon keeps taking feedback from their customers regarding their recent purchases and provides them with recommendations.
Invest in training your employees for proficient customer engagement. Well-trained staff, equipped with knowledge about your products and services, plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall customer experience.
Companies such as SquadStack provide training to their telecalling agents and equip them with the right technology. This ensures a seamless customer experience. The continuous training and improvement sessions increase their proficiency in the latest tools and technology. And they become proficient in communicating with customers.
Create material that captures attention and resonates with your audience. As the saying goes, "content is king”. Thus, good content creates an impact and increases your credibility. Every day, millions of users read online content such as blogs, thought leadership articles, magazines, e-newspapers, etc. Thus, it becomes important for content marketers to aim for the content that provides them value.
If your business has still not started using visuals, then you are missing out on a lot. Visuals keep your customers engaged with your content without getting bored. Utilizing videos, audio, infographics etc., in your content helps in increasing traffic, which leads to increased sales in the business. Adding visuals can be a nice way to capture and attain interest. They amplify the content and appeal to the eyes.
Last but not least, we have email marketing on the list. This is one of the best methods to reach out to a broader audience using email copies. A well-written copy increases the chance of getting higher click-through rates and customer engagement.
Truecaller, Phonepe, Spotify, Zomato, etc continuously connect with the audience through emails and inform them of their new arrivals, offers, discounts, festive and seasonal sales, etc. This keeps the people informed and stays updated with the company affairs.
Also Check: Sales Service Quality Management & QMS in Modern Business
Customer engagement marketing is the talk of the town, and for good reason. Keeping your customers involved with your business is crucial, and businesses employ various practices to achieve their conversion goals by keeping them updated. In this section, we'll explore the role of customer engagement marketing :
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Let’s check the metrics that truly matter for successful customer engagement marketing:
You might also come across the term "customer experience". Both of these terms are slightly different from each other. Let's explore the key differences between these two terms:
Customer engagement is all about how often your customers connect with your business. It shows how much effort your business puts into keeping your customers interested by using strategies to capture and retain their attention. This ongoing interaction is vital for customer satisfaction and encourages them to continue choosing your products or services.
Think about the Starbucks Rewards Program. Whenever a coffee lover buys something from Starbucks, they get points. Once they collect enough points, they can get a free drink or food item from certain stores. This cool reward system makes customers happy, and they keep coming back for more coffee goodness.
How your customers feel during each step of dealing with your business decides their overall experience. Customer experience consists of the entire journey from a customer's introduction to your business, making inquiries, their first purchase, and post-purchase service. The emotions your customer feels throughout the process determines their customer experience.
Take Disney theme parks, for example. They make visitors feel special with fun characters, scrumptious food items, fun-inducing rides, and super-friendly staff. Here, Disney aims to create an awesome experience which compels people to visit again.
Let us check the example of Squadstack, a key player in Udaan's success journey, who encouraged the launch of 7+ campaigns, delivering precise data and call recordings. With AI integration, streamlined tasks, data security, and on-demand telecallers, Squadstack elevated Udaan's customer engagement. Thus, Udaan connected with 29K+ vendors, gathering valuable feedback and reinforcing its impact on small businesses.
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Customer engagement is about the frequency of connections, while customer experience is the overall emotional journey.
Regular communication and top-notch services create lasting relationships by keeping the business a priority.
Social media connects businesses with a vast audience, establishing a unique identity for active engagement.
Click-Through Rate (CTR), Engagement Rate, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score, and Conversion Rate are crucial metrics.
Implement loyalty programs, provide exceptional service, monitor feedback, invest in employee training, and create compelling content for enhanced engagement and brand loyalty.
