It’s a proven truism in the business world that customers purchase from those that they trust. And the easiest way to gain trust is to pave the way for your customers to communicate with you. That’s an easy thing to do if you have a storefront that allows your clientele to walk in the door and say hello. It gets difficult in other circumstances. Maybe you operate your business out of an office, or your home. Perhaps you sell products nationally or internationally, which means you can be well-removed geographically from your customers.
In those cases, it’s extremely important for you to make an extra effort to lend an ear to your customers. If people see your business as faceless and impersonal, it’s unlikely that they’ll trust you in a pinch. By contrast, if they believe they can communicate anything, from concern to praise, to you, it’s more likely you’ll engender their trust and, in turn, their business.
If you buy a 0800 number, you’re providing them with a way that they can call you free of charge, which they’re going to appreciate. Here are some of the other ways you can make connections with your customers, even from a distance.
Website
It’s nearly impossible for any business to exist in this day and age without a well-functioning website. Not only does it provide a great venue for you to advertise your wares, but it allows you the opportunity to have an online dialogue with your customers. If you have a business blog, make sure it allows for comments. And make sure there is contact information, such as an email address or a 0800 number that they can call for whatever reason that they deem necessary. An effective, welcoming website is a wonderful way to open the lines of communication between you and your clientele.
Social Media
Too many businesses see social media accounts as just a way to market their products or services. What they’re forgetting is that these sites provide a chance for two-way communication between your customers and your business. This can occur if you pay attention to the feedback provided on your posts. Try as much as possible to respond to these posts whenever possible. If that becomes too burdensome, perhaps it might be time to consider taking on a social media coordinator solely for this purpose. Customer loyalty, specifically the loyalty of younger customers more inclined to social media, can be engendered in this fashion.
Reach Out
It can be difficult to make connections with customers who are hundreds or thousands of miles away, but that effort has to be made for your business to be competitive with local entities that have a built-in location advantage over you. If customers have signed up for your email announcements, try and make these as personal as possible. It will make a huge difference in making your marketing seem tailored to each individual person.
These are just some of the ways you can bridge the communications gap. Making connections with far-flung customers has become easier than ever thanks to technology; the rest is up to you.
