Leveraged properly, digital communication can be the core pillar for great customer experiences.
Far more than just being a means of getting information, bills, and other documents to customers, digital communication is a way to build long-lasting relationships that’ll encourage loyalty and have a positive impact on your organization’s bottom line.
Barring the odd mom and pop outfit, there isn’t really a business out there today that hasn’t embraced digital communication in some form.The attraction of digital communication lies in its convenience and affordability.
Why digital communication is key to achieving a great customer experience
There’s a very good reason why digital communication plays a key role in enhancing the customer experience: it allows you to engage with your customers on their terms and on the channels they prefer.
Think about yourself as a customer for a moment. How often do you visit the websites or apps of your favorite brands? Now think about how much more likely you are to open an email or text message.
The number of email users worldwide has since grown to more than 3.8 billion users and is projected to reach 4.3 billion by the year 2022
Use digital communication to build long lasting relationships with your customers
source: giphy.com
You simply can’t build a relationship without communication.
Do that and you’ll have the digital equivalent of two strangers sitting together awkwardly at a party. That’s no way to build a relationship!
To build real relationships with your customers, you need to communicate with them regularly and ensure consistency across all these communications – whether they are promotional or transactional in nature.
Promotional: reminds customers that you’re trying to serve their needs
Transactional: builds and cements trust that you actually are
For example, would you trust an online store that has great deals but doesn’t send you invoices, nor allow you to track delivery when you buy something?
It makes sense then that organizations using digital communication effectively have higher levels of customer engagement.
It also shouldn’t be surprising that those customers are:
More likely to try a new product or service from their preferred brand.
More likely to have referred a brand to their friends, family and connections.
source: superoffice.com
As likely to make a purchase with their preferred brand, even when a competitor has a better product or price.
Your first step to digital maturity = successful digital communications
Yes, digital communication is extremely beneficial to the overall customer experience. But unless your business is at the right level of digital maturity, this can be incredibly difficult to achieve.
Tips for effective digital customer communications
If you want to communicate with your customers effectively, and frequently enough to avoid any gaps opening for the competition, consider the following:
1. Speak with a single voice
This can be a significant challenge for big corporate, where different departments have different ideas around what a customer communication should look like. Some organizations try to get around this by building a separate customer engagement department.
While this might seem like a reasonable long-term solution, the process of transitioning all your business units to communicate with customers through a central point is neither short, nor an easy journey.
Successfully implementing a customer engagement department requires an authoritative mandate, enterprise wide buy-in, extensive change management, standardization of processes, consolidation of templates, enterprise level software, and a massive amount of project management.
2. Have a consolidated view of your customers
Backed up by proper data, this overview can go a long way to ensuring you only send out communications that are contextual and relevant to your customers.
Reaching the point where you have, both that single voice and a consolidated view of your customers, will take time. But implementing a measured roll out plan, will ensure that your digital communications are at the core of the authentic relationships you build with your customers.
The result: customers that are more loyal, engaged, and generous with their love of your brand. And for you? An improved bottom line, of course.
Need help enhancing your digital communications for a great customer experience?
Did you enjoy the read? Then be sure to subscribe to our blog to receive more great posts from our expert bloggers.
Brent Haumann
Managing Director, Africa
Brent Haumann is the Managing Director at Striata, Africa. He started with the company in 2005 as a Project Manager and went on to head up Platform Development for over 10 years. Prior to Striata, Brent managed large software implementations for Educos and Deloittes.
His current position includes leading Striata’s South Africa and African regions.
Read more of Brent’s blog posts here or connect with him on the following social channels:
