Like a study[1] demonstrated again recently, customers are increasingly demanding and three-quarters of them say that an extraordinary experience increases their expectations of other companies. They therefore have an interest in making the customer experience their priority.
So how do you attract potential customers? How to retain them? How to capitalize on existing tools to achieve maximum customer satisfaction? Here are the keys to success, in 2022, in terms of customer relations.
Betting on artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used much more commonly than one might think in everyday life. And 2022 will be the year of the integration of AI into daily exchanges between brands and their customers.
The power of AI lies in its ability to make sense of large amounts of data in a short time and provide actionable insights. It allows companies to identify opportunities in the market, in marketing or in sales. On the customers’ side, thanks to more precise, effective and better targeted answers, it will help them to make mature and considered decisions by better understanding their behavior.
The association of AI in the customer relationship can only boost the turnover of companies throughout the year.
Integrate social networks
Despite increasingly advanced interaction management solutions, many external exchanges between the company and the customer escape them. Users communicate a lot on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter often to obtain faster responses after a failure in their interactions by traditional means.
By integrating social networks into their platforms, companies have an overview and can analyze the prevailing sentiment around their brand. The advantages will be affirmed: knowing your target better, publishing relevant content on the networks or even providing real-time information on a product or service. Businesses will build stronger relationships with existing and potential customers.
Automate processes
Digitization has already been at the center of priorities for a few years, but it has accelerated further with the pandemic. The major players in the sector have put the automation of customer relations at the heart of their strategy by investing massively in it in recent years.
These platforms make it possible to create automatic processes that “mechanize” important tasks such as emailing campaigns but also smaller actions, for example through the use of chatbots and voicebots, freeing up human resources to provide quality and intelligence for key interactions and apt to build customer loyalty.
With automation coupled with real knowledge formalized in AI engines, companies can deliver high-quality customer services while optimizing operational costs.
Promote self-service and leverage customer reviews
Self-service is increasingly demanded by customers and a figure is there to prove it since 67% [2] of customers prefer to use self-service options rather than dealing with a company employee for simple transactions.
It is therefore highly recommended to create a space where the company community can express themselves, ask questions and interact. Authentic customer reviews will have far more impact on potential buyers than a poster in the subway.
Self-service offers customers the ability to perform many standard tasks, such as creating accounts and paying bills, find their own questions answered, solve their own problems, on their own terms and at their own pace. It’s all about speed and a hands-off approach to customer relations.
Personalize the customer experience
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The customer experience is now as important as the goods and services offered by the company. With all the data available, consumers expect companies to know enough for them to respond quickly and effectively to their needs.
Those that do not focus on improving the experience of their customers will inevitably lose market share. On the other hand, companies that excel in personalization generate 40% more revenue from marketing actions and tactics than average players. [3]which guarantees a high return on investment in knowing your customer.
In sum…
Betting on technology this year will be an advantage for any company that wants to stay at the forefront of customer relations. Digitalization and artificial intelligence are asserting themselves as trends and this is likely to continue in the coming years. External interactions between customers and the brand also take place on social networks, integrating them into the company’s strategy is a plus.
Finally, listening to customer needs remains and will remain the priority for companies in 2022. They are now asking for a level of personalization of the customer experience which is made possible thanks to the large amount of data collected by companies. As for self-service solutions, they allow customers to pace themselves through the buying process, avoiding resentment that the company is forcing their hand.
So many trends to monitor and deploy to make customer relations a growth lever for 2022 and the years to come.
Author: Alain BouveretManaging Director ofEloquent
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[1] Salesforce 2021 study
[2] Etude ZenDesk 2021
[3] Rapport McKinsey
(c). Ill DepositPhotos
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