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What are the main tools you use to communicate with your customers?
Do you rely on social media? Do you have a hosted community? Do you host virtual Q&A sessions? Do you host user conferences?
How do you talk to your customers?
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6 Answers
First, I use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to maintain contact with them. Second, I also participate in Q and A sessions like this one to meet more potential clients and to learn from them.
Interesting question, Lauren.
Let's break it down into two parts:
ONE - Mass Communication
TWO- One to one communication
When I want to communicate the same message to many customers, email is the channel of choice. It still offers the most flexibility re: length of message, format of message (HTML, images, links, etc.) and the ability to send attachments. Email marketing tools will also allow me to see who's opened the email, and clicked through to landing pages, etc.
When I'm communicating to one individual customer, I use email most often, because flexible and convenient for both the sender and the recipient.
When I want to communicate something that may have an emotional element, I'll use the telephone. The telephone allows me to hear my customer's reaction live, and respond as necessary. A live voice conversation allows me to convey feelings and emotions, which can add great value to the message.
Finally, I’ll use Skype when I call customers that I know are big users of Skype. It offers the same emotional value as the telephone, but also gives a lot of the advantages as email, such as instantly sending links, attachments and images.
So, to recap, I select the communication tool based on the number of people with whom I'm communicating, and the nature/emotional sensitivity of the communication.
'Hope that helps!
Jim Watson
Without meaning to be evasive, it's important to use the mix of tools appropriate for the situation, objective, customers (individuals and enterprises). Jim, outlines a number of alternatives depending on mass or one to one. We also have to look at how our customers like to be communicated to--phone, meetings, emails, text.....
It's important to leverage a variety of channels, reaching customers through any and all channels that are appropriate.
Turning the question around a little, too often I see sales people hiding behind a particular channel---email is one of the easiest to hide behind. Sometimes it's better to pick up the phone and call the customer rather than emails.
Great sales people will leverage many tools and channels--social media, conferencing, email, text, phone, meetings, and even snail mail. They'll adopt the method to that which is most impactful for the situation and customer.
Good point, Dave Brock: Consider your customer's preference (of channel) before choosing how to communicate to her/him.
As a transcription company (http://www.transcriptionstar.com) we are using three vital tool to communicate with customer across the USA and UK
1. LinkedIn- http://www.linkedin.com/in/transcriptionservicess
2. Facebook fan page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quality-transcription-service-from-iSource-Cali...
3. Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/admasmith1
Above three social media platform linked in a best to interact and do business with customer.
While I agree with all of the above, for me the important point is to communicate in the mode the customer contacts you in. So if they email you, email back. However, if there is more than one or two emails, I'd kick it up to a phone call.
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