In this article, we show you several marketing practices that will enable you to correctly communicate with your customers.
Direct the Focus on Your Customers
Make the Dialogue About the Customer and Not About Your Company
During customer communications, you shouldn’t focus on how great your product or service is but how it can help your clients solve their problems.
Focus on your customers’ known issues that they are facing during this crisis that you can help them with.
Educate your customers on your capabilities during this crisis to service their needs. Chances are they don’t know what you are capable of doing.
Offer your customers real-time assistance or coaching through live or video chat.
The goal is to help your clients solve their problems with new methods that you can help them execute.
Example:
A customer uses your services to clean their home.
Reach out to them and show that you are available to do the cleaning during off-hours when they are out taking a walk or at the park.
Highlight the disinfectants that you are using and emphasize that the whole team is wearing gloves and masks.
Offer to adjust your scheduling to their new needs.
Example 2:
You are a plumber and a customer calls and has a leaking pipe.
Communicate them protocols that you use to come to their house. If they feel you are clear on this with them, they will think they can trust you to do the same at other houses to keep the virus risk to a minimum.
Reassure them that you will wear protective gear and follow your industry guidelines for minimizing infection risk
Personalize the Dialogue
Always personalize your communications with your customers in-person or via telephone, email, or chat.
Zig Ziglar said, “The sweetest sound a person ever hears is their own name.”
Use their first name to close the gap between you and learn about their problems and requirements. Focus on their specific needs and provide solutions that are targeted to their situation.
Speak Your Customer’s Language
Most of your clients aren’t specialists in your field and won’t understand the technical terms that you may be using.
Keep your dialogue simple and answer all their questions expertly but without using long and technical words. Your mission is to forge a bond with your customers by offering them solutions that they will understand.
During the crisis, communicate to them what the best practices for your industry are.
For instance, “What we are doing as electricians is coming to your home, wearing masks and gloves and asking that you go for a walk or grocery shopping. We do this first to protect you and also to protect our employees. We also disinfect any surfaces we work on, before and after doing the repair.”
Having a clear method and confidence in your approach reduces 95% of their anxiety and stress.
Avoid Sounding Robotic
Everyone is stressed right now. Slow your interactions down and be positive about the outcome.
“We can definitely help you with this problem. Things are a little different now during this virus outbreak, so this is what it will look like…”
Put your best language forward and use a positive tone with your clients. Be open to offering solutions that are different and to taking suggestions on the best way to solve a problem.
Remember you are creating positive experiences during this difficult time and people will remember that and reward you with their loyalty in the coming years.
Keep Calm
Everyone is stressed right now.
Keep your interactions with your customers cool and even-handed.
You want to be the “grown-up in the room” when it comes to new problems that have arisen due to the virus and complying with government guidelines.
You want to listen to what your customers have to say and be creative in solving their problems. Even if you can’t solve their problem right now, a sympathetic ear will keep you in good graces for when the crisis is over and people want to get back to normal.
Write Direct, Simple Emails
If you use emails to contact your customers, you should make sure they are direct and to the point in this crisis.
We’ve all been getting our inbox full with updates from businesses we work with and most of the emails are full of platitudes and fluffy talk.
We don’t encourage that.
Speak specifically to your capacity to help them and what you can do now.
Also, give them helpful Do-It-Yourself information on how they can perform simple tasks for themselves related to your service until restrictions are lifted.
Think “Customer For Life” and know that this crisis will pass.
Open and transparent communication will save your customer relationships. Please subscribe to more interesting articles that can help your business with its clientele.
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