Communicating with Impact: Improve Your Customer Experience Online
You’re probably on the internet right now, reading this. You might be at work or sitting in a coffee shop. What you do know is that your experience of the web has changed dramatically over the last decade: it’s become faster and more personalized.
That means businesses have more opportunities to reach out to customers online than ever before – but only if they understand how to communicate with impact! This post will discuss ways to improve your customer experience online by communicating effectively with effects. Dive in!
Invest in High-End Quality Audio
Every company wants to be able to say that they are the best at what they do. This is especially true with online marketers who wish their blogs and websites to stand out from the competition. Companies can communicate this quality by investing in high-end, professional-grade audio equipment so listeners will experience a higher caliber of sound when listening to podcasts or watching videos on your site.
For example, professional-grade microphones often have frequencies as low as 20 Hz up into the very high ranges – over 30 kHz for some models – which gives them an edge over most consumer-level devices (and even many pro-sumer ones).
The downside? These mics typically cost $700-$2000 per mic, whereas consumers may pay upwards of $50 for a microphone used in live performances. Even so, they have high-end quality audio equipment that provides listeners with an enhanced experience, and you’ll be able to stand out from the competition by investing in these items.
You won’t find many inexpensive options if your budget will only allow for one or two products (because of their high cost), so it might not be the best option for companies on a tight budget.
But all in all, it will be worth it to invest in high-end quality audio equipment for podcasts and videos.
Invest in Video Making Software and Skills
Video is one of the most popular and engaging types of content, with an estimated 83% share of global mobile traffic. Videos are perhaps the best way to communicate to your customers and make an impact because they are highly engaging.
What kind of videos should you create? Well, it depends on your goals – research has shown a correlation between business-oriented videos and increased conversions in eCommerce sites (though this doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll convert better than other sorts).
As for length, as long as people are willing to watch them online, the actual duration doesn’t matter too much so long as you are passing the message you intend to communicate to your audience. And if you need some inspiration or ideas, it will help to check out videos posted by other companies on various social platforms.
How Do You Make a Video?
The first step is coming up with an idea, which might take some work but can be rewarding. Once you’ve got one in mind, it’s time to get your equipment together: many smartphones and tablets have cameras built-in these days, so if that works for you, go right ahead!
You’ll need a couple of things – like lights or tripods – depending on the type of camera set-up (or lack thereof) that best suits what you’re shooting. If this sounds too complicated, look up “how to shoot good quality video” or try using YouTube as a learning tool.
What about editing? Well, once again, there are many different types of editing software out there, and a lot of them are free or cheap – so no excuses! The best way to learn how to do it is by actually doing it.
Use Live Chat to Convert Web Traffic to Leads
Live chat has been gaining in popularity over the last few years and is a cost-effective way for businesses to improve customer service, increase conversions on web pages, and reach more leads. If you are not at par with this trend, click here for more information on live chat software.
Studies show that visitors who can speak with someone (live) before making decisions online are 18 times more likely to convert than those without this opportunity. Some ways of using live chat include:
- Providing updates when order status changes or you ship your product out. For instance, “Your package will arrive at noon tomorrow”
- Offering personalized recommendations based on previous purchases. For example, “Hi Bob! Do you want to add this item?”
- Assisting customers with placing orders by walking them through the process. For instance, “How would you like to pay for your purchase?”
- Giving customers a “live chat” button on their favorite website pages (Facebook, Twitter, Amazon) so they can contact businesses directly without having to search or navigate away from what they are looking at online.
It is important to personalize and write live chats in a conversational language with as few words as possible; remember, this is not an email! This will also help retain visitors’ attention who may otherwise go elsewhere.
Many companies are investing in live chat software to improve customer experience. When you combine the benefits of this service with your other online marketing efforts, it’s possible to transform web traffic into leads. For example, many marketers have found that using a live chat widget for their website can increase conversions by 30%.
Be Very Clear About Your Services
You must be very clear about your services. List the most critical features and benefits of what you offer concisely. This will ensure your customers do not waste time trying to figure out what to get.
For example, reveal the one thing that sets you apart from any other company or brand selling similar products or services, but do it subtly with an eye-catching headline or call to action link so people know how they can contact you for more information if interested.
Learn Your Audience’s Needs
Hovering is an indication of interest. When someone hovers over a button, they’re trying to decide whether or not that’s the action they want to take next.
Unless you have done your research and know what these people are looking for – make it easy on them by including “hover” text: call-to-action buttons with clear labels like your company’s contact, where to read more information about your services, and how to create an account.
Use this time wisely while customers hover around indecisively by providing concise information that lets them know what will happen when they click the button.
Make it Short
Hiding behind a wall of text is the quickest way to discourage your audience from reading on. It’s estimated that only 20% of people will read any content if it has more than 500 words, which means you’re losing 80%!
That’s not even counting those who never get past the first sentence because they can’t be bothered with scrolling through all that. Therefore, it would be best to keep everything short, interesting and straight to the point.
Use Twitter’s New Customer Tools
Twitter has a suite of new tools that can help businesses improve their customer service. One of the latest features is called “customer feedback.” This allows companies to collect feedback from customers and answer any questions about your company’s product or services.
Twitter also offers an online form for getting in touch with you on social media if there are technical issues with one of your apps, which lets them ask questions embedded directly into the chat window instead of emailing them to get answers.
Another cool tool is called “@mentions” – this automatically alerts all followers who’ve opted-in to these notifications whenever someone mentions them by name in a tweet.
Provide Updated Contact Information
Your contact information is an essential part of your website. It’s the toll-free number, email address, and physical mailing address – that tells people where to go if they have questions or want more information about you.
Make sure your telephone number is easy for potential customers to find with a prominent link on every page of your site. Be sure that you code links so when someone clicks on them from their phone, they’ll automatically be connected instead of having to dial manually.
You can also include hours that you’re available by including this in the contact section and any other details like whether online purchases will be handled through PayPal or not.
Use Colorful, Custom Photographs
Lastly, images are worth a thousand words. Your business or website won’t be taken seriously without high-quality, engaging photos representing your brand and services.
A significant first step is to hire professional photographers who specialize in what you do for example, interior design, and food photography. Photographers can create compelling imagery for every project from start to finish by taking photos throughout the process- beginning at the initial design meeting through final installation shots.
The photographer will also gather background information on your company’s history, so they’re able to tell its story with their work better.
In conclusion, you can see that there are many ways to communicate with impact. People respond favorably to quality, professionalism, and a positive tone in customer service communications. So, as you set out on your journey of communicating more effectively, be sure to invest in high-end audio or video equipment if needed and learn from industry experts what works for them. And never forget the basics; be clear about what you offer, make it short, provide updated contact information, and use colorful photographs!
