Through the midst of a pandemic, we have witnessed society react and evolve in unpredictable ways – and this couldn’t be truer in the context of customer service during COVID. From the bewildering moment that the world locked down, E-commerce encountered an unexpected spike. Suddenly the world took to digital means to acquire the various commodities usually available at the nearest shopping mall. Meanwhile, brands and businesses needed to provide reimbursements to customers following forced cancellations, and use financial investments as collateral against market volatility. Customer satisfaction was damaged.
It is undeniable that a feeling of global unrest has affected every area of living. However, as the world resurfaces, it’s time for companies to rekindle with their customers with a refreshed and revised service approach; one that recognizes the constant shifts in advisories and guidance, meanwhile, evolving around unfamiliar territory. In this article, we’ll discuss the best ways to increase customer satisfaction online during COVID.
Stay Connected with Customers Online
Though market volatility is slowly leveling out, the requirement of customer service is that it is incredibly versatile, compassionate, and transparent where possible. While there have been inevitable dips in customer satisfaction, for such reasons as cancellation requests or service delays, there’s been simultaneous activity where customers have turned online for almost everything – from grocery deliveries to subscriptions to workout apps in the absence of a gym. Therefore, the digital landscape has provided businesses that usually operate in the physical world an opportunity to connect with customers online as a way of staying connected.
Throughout the thick of lockdown, while the public was encouraged to stay at home, the majority of customer services became entirely online-based. From chatbots to social media, businesses have had the means to stay connected with their customers online. Consequently, as physical stores begin to open their doors, businesses must remain agile and implement the necessary digital developments and necessities (such as contactless payment and contactless service) as a way of maintaining customer connection through online means. These measures have been introduced for the sake of safety, and showing your customers the willingness to ensure theirs awards them peace of mind.
In concurrence, maintain an up-to-date website and fresh social feed – keep your customers aware of business developments. Always have someone available to respond to customers via social, email, instant messaging, and chatbots.
Track Customer Satisfaction
From the smorgasbord of digital tools available – from Google Analytics through to social Business Manager accounts – all levels of customer engagement can be instantly tracked. The rich data and metrics cultivated at the touch of a button offers businesses deep insights into customer behavior and engagement, and therefore, the overall level of satisfaction. Tracking customer satisfaction throughout COVID is key for knowing what your customers do and do not want to see or hear from you.
Promo codes, competitions, or even messages of sincerity are actionable ways to retain customer satisfaction. Each of these can be tracked. Recognizing which social posts customers identify most with from social engagement metrics gives business owners an understanding of the most captivating content for customers. It isn’t a difficult task to look back over your social media to gain an overview of the most engaging content you distribute. The amount number of Likes, Shares, Re-Tweets, Subscriptions, and Comments (etc) etc. that your social content attracts is a very quick method in which you can gauge an impression of engagement.
Better Your Online Experience
Enhancing the online experience of your customers is key in combatting service restrictions during COVID. Updated social, website, and email contact (all of which conducted in a non-spammy way) makes you appear proactive, communicative, and interested in the customer’s online experience. The digital landscape presents a whole scope of opportunity to serve your product or service offerings – use video and imagery to showcase products. Take the opportunity to look into alternative methods to accentuate a customer’s online experience (with such growing trends as voice commerce and influencer marketing).
Remain current despite any personal restrictions. Establish the means to approach the demand for immediate customer communication. Though there is less emphasis on customer support teams in comparison to the first few months of the COVID crisis, the requirement for customer service availability has by no means relaxed. Uncertainties remain while we continue to witness various locations across the world going into intermittent lockdowns. Therefore, it is critical to be accessible to your customers by offering a refined online experience.
Overcoming the Challenges of COVID
There is no denying that COVID has placed tremendous pressure on achieving and retaining customer satisfaction online. However, as well as being a challenge, it has also allowed a business to invoke its capacity to be adaptable, agile, proactive, and reactive in its approach to customer satisfaction. The digital landscape is relentless in its offering of tools and procedures to increase customer satisfaction online during COVID, so use them to their full potential.
