How To Be More Attentive to Your Customers’ Needs

Customer service is a hot topic. One that, over the years, has become more important to both consumers and businesses alike. 

Around the globe, 96% of consumers say customer service is an important factor in their choice of loyalty to a brand.

Not to mention the fact that:

• 70% of consumers say they have already made a choice to support a company that delivers excellent customer service
• Americans will pay 17% more to do business with firms with great reputations when it comes to customer service

You get the idea. 

So, outside of investing in expensive CRM software, what are some ways your business can invest in better customer experiences for little to no extra cost?

Our best advice? Master the art of paying attention. 

4 Ways To Be More Attentive to Your Customers’ Needs

1. Upsell With a Purpose

Upselling is a pretty standard marketing method. But there’s a way to do it that puts customers’ needs above profit pushing. With a little bit of creativity, you can help customers feel heard and drive sales simultaneously. Here’s what we mean.

Assume a customer purchases a product to solve a problem or satisfy a need. If you can tap into what pain points your product alleviates you can upsell them a new product that works to lessen that same, or a similar, problem. 

For example, say you’re a supplement company with a line of probiotics. You can assume customers who purchase that product have digestive concerns. If you upsell them a new meal replacement shake meant to ease digestion issues, you’ll not only have a better chance of driving a sale, but your customers will feel like they’re receiving white-glove, attentive customer service. 

[Read: How Eu Natural Earned a 563% ROI With One SMS Campaign]

2. Send Personalized Offers

Whenever possible, you’ll want to collect and store information about consumer’s spending habits and communication preferences. The more personalized the offers you send them are, the more money they’ll spend. 79% of consumers say they are only likely to engage with an offer if it has been personalized to reflect previous interactions the consumer has had with the brand!

A simple way to do this is to use a data collection tool like ours. When a new customer subscribes to receive your texts you can automatically ask them information, like their zip code, and store it in a specific segment based on responses. 

Now, you can send them offers specific to the area they live and for the store closest to them!

3. Communicate Through a Preferred Channel

In a study on mobile usage we conducted earlier this year, 68% of respondents reported that checking, sending, and answering text messages is the activity that they’re most engaged with on their phones throughout the day.

When it comes to reaching your customers, mobile phones are where they’re spending their time. Since 80% of people use text messaging for business, it’s safe to assume it’s the best channel to reach them!

4. Share When Feedback Gets Implemented

During a customer service exchange, it’s valuable to log any requests or suggestions a customer makes. They could become an opportunity to reconnect down the line when a change takes action. Additionally, it shows that you were paying attention to the customer when they shared their issues, and you can now demonstrate what you’ve done to earn their business. 

If you’re using text messaging as a customer service tool, you could leave a note in a conversation or snooze it with a reminder to check back in and send a follow-up, so you don’t forget. 

The Key Takeaways of Being More Attentive to Customer Needs

Customers want to feel seen and heard by the businesses they interact with. With so many methods of communication, businesses that don’t pay attention to customer needs are naturally going to be left behind.

As we’ve discussed, customers prefer texting with businesses. And why wouldn’t they? It’s fast, efficient, and requires minimum effort. This also makes texting a great way to follow up with customers and check in with them.

If you’re a business or organization looking to incorporate SMS into your outreach strategy, you can start right here with our 14-day free trial.