During times of crisis, service providers often struggle to connect with their customers. Many companies have recognized the significant risk that the resulting communication and customer service missteps pose to their businesses and are turning to customer engagement software platforms for a solution. Engagement tools, such as online appointment scheduling software, are helping to bridge these gaps by connecting providers and their customers via virtual, call center or in person meetings.
Online customer engagement software enables service providers to control the number of customers that attend appointments or events at their brick and mortar locations. This capability has enabled many financial, retail and healthcare businesses to remain open during the COVID 19 pandemic, while adapting to new safety protocols and ensuring that the appropriate staff resources have been assigned to meet specific customer needs.
Here are a few tips that can help you to deliver a positive customer experience in times of crisis:
1. Encourage rescheduling and pre-booking
In times of crisis, it is important to provide your customers with the option to cancel or reschedule appointments with a service provider. By doing so, you are creating an opportunity for a positive customer interaction while making it easy for them to move the appointment to a later date. This ensures that the appointment remains a priority and is not put off indefinitely. It is always a best practice to encourage customers to reschedule by waiving rescheduling fees. By doing so, you can distinguish your business as one that is considerate and understanding of its customers’ needs
2. Adjust your cancellation policy
Make your customers feel valued by sending email or message reminders about their upcoming appointments. This way, you can avoid no-shows and receive notices whenever your customers need to cancel their appointments. In addition, you can adjust your cancellation policies in cases where your customers cannot keep their appointments due to emergencies.
For example, during regular operation, your cancellation period is 7 days before the appointment date. Whereas, in times of crisis, you can adjust this cancellation period and make it even shorter to ensure that customers can cancel their appointment anytime if emergencies arise without charging them additional fees.
3. Enhance your availability across channels
Online abandonment is one of the most common complaints from customers who attempt to schedule an appointment with a service provider via their website. This problem is typically caused by a poor virtual customer support experience that fails to connect website visitors with a company resource. A recent survey performed by Statista shows that 44% of U.S customers stopped doing business with a company due to its poor customer service.
This issue is further exacerbated during times of crises when both service providers and consumers have no choice but to utilize an online booking process. By integrating customer engagement software tools such as live chat, direct call and video appointment booking into their online customer experience, businesses can overcome this challenge while improving the overall online experience for their customers. In this model, the customer who once felt lost and unsupported is a click away from talking to a live person.
4. Provide improved interaction with Automated emails and reminders
A recent survey from Statista reveals that 20% of customers interact with businesses via email. By improving email response time and content, businesses can greatly improve a customer’s experience and ensure that they remain engaged with your support team. This can be accomplished through automated email and text messaging communications that reduce the risk of missed appointments and lost opportunities for one on one connections. Furthermore, an intelligent scheduling software platform can be used to imbed a hassle free self scheduling link into emails. This puts the customer in the driver seat and encourages continued interaction with your team.
5. Offer personalized recommendations
Personalized customer service makes your customers feel valued and fosters brand loyalty. During a crisis, many people turn to the internet to conduct their business. This offers a great opportunity for savvy business owners who utilize personalized marketing campaigns in order to reach prospective buyers.
Many online browsers offer the ability to use ad words and retargeting tools in order to analyze a customer’s browsing behavior and to generate relevant ads for products and services that align with their specific interests and needs. These tools save customers time and target them at the peak moment of interest during their buying journey. Many companies use this method to advertise special rebates and promotions during a crisis in order to show support and to compel buyers to act.
How to provide a successful customer experience in times of crisis?
A customer engagement platform can help to maintain and grow your business during times of crisis. Intuitive and interactive automated communication tools can ensure success by empowering your customers to connect with your support staff in a safe, consistent and reliable manner.
When using an online customer engagement platform, consider the 5 tips outlined above to ensure the best possible customer experience and retention.
