Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links
Communication with your clients is essential. Effective communication can help you to build trusting and lasting relationships. It can increase word of mouth marketing and help you to get noticed, and it can be what keeps your customers coming back. But, in a world where there are so many varied ways to communicate, we seem to be getting worse at it.
The world of social media, and other forms of communication, such as WhatsApp messaging, move quickly. Things pass us by, or we’re overwhelmed by all of the messages that we can see. It can be too much, and businesses can get lost. You might think that as a business owner, you’ve got more important things to do than communicate with clients, but improved communication can actually make other things easier. Here are some tips to help you.
Hire a Translator
If you do business with overseas clients, hiring a professional service translator can be a big help. You might think that it’s unnecessary with online translations so readily available. But, so many misunderstandings are born out of poor or incorrect translation. Hiring a translator can be a big help when it comes to improving communication with clients in other countries.
Offer More Communication Options
There are so many ways to communicate nowadays, but you shouldn’t assume that all of your customers like to do it in the same way. Younger customers might prefer to communicate via messages or social media, but if your business has an older clientele, they may prefer phone calls, and even face to face contact. Give your customers a variety of ways to get in touch with you, and ask how they’d prefer you to reach out to them. Try to make things as comfortable as possible.
Schedule Routine Communication
Routines make things easier to remember. Don’t just assume that your staff, or even you, will follow up with clients at some point. Have a routine that you stick to. A time frame for follow up communications or routine future communication. Make this part of the job, and train your team members to do the same, making sure they understand how important this communication is.
Establish Real Connections
You are more likely to communicate openly and honestly with your clients if you’ve got a real connection with them. They are more likely to contact you with problems and concerns if they think that you care. Taking the time to get two know your clients, and to learn more about them with friendly conversations is one of the best ways to maintain open channels of communication in the future.
Follow Up
You might think that your clients will get in touch if they need you, but most of them won’t. That’s why following up after a meeting or sale is so important. A quick phone call or message can help you to highlight problems quickly; increasing loyalty and boosting relationships.
Add a Personal Touch
Personal touches, like a handwritten card or a personal message on an invoice, can make a world of difference, and help your business to stand out from the rest.