Communication is key

I believe there are 7 key mistakes (or sins!) a business can make. Any one will mean they don’t deliver a great experience for their customers. The 4th sin is: DON’T COMMUNICATE.

This isn’t just about telling customers when you can’t deliver on time. It’s about proactive communication. By that I mean giving them the information they need, when they need it, through the whole customer lifecycle:

1. Awareness – showing potential customers how your product or service could benefit them. The aim is to create enough interest for them to move to the next phase:
2. Consideration – make sure a potential customer has enough information to know if they want to use you. That includes training your sales staff and having the right information on leaflets and your website.  It means understanding customer needs and how you meet them. Don’t just list all the features. Structure the way you give information so that the customer sees what is relevant to them.
3. Buying – setting out the next steps, and explaining what support is available.
4. Using – There are always opportunities for upselling and cross selling. Make sure they are relevant to the customer. For example, check how Amazon does it when recommending other products.
5. Changes – telling customers when you make changes, especially if you used their feedback. It goes a long way to deepening a relationship.
6. Query/complaint – this is a critical time for keeping the customer informed. It is especially important if the query will take some time to resolve.

The key is proactive, relevant communication at the right time via the right channel.

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