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How to Out Convenience Your Competition in Six Easy Steps *

How to Out Convenience Your Competition in Six Easy Steps *

by | Nov 1, 2020 | Customer engagement

Customer Service is About Expectations

 

I’ve spent my career working in several diverse industries.  From the oil fields, through new home sales, new home construction, real estate sales,  mortgages, and insurance.  The common thread that binds all of my experiences together is the human customer service experiences of each industry.

In every case, customers had the same desire, to have their concerns addressed.  If they had a problem, they wanted their problem fixed.

 

Customers compare you to the best service they have ever received, from anyone

Today, customers have even higher expectations.  Because they have experienced good service.  Now customers know what good service looks like and they expect it.  Your Customers are comparing you to the best service they have ever received, from anyone.

That’s why the customer service baseline has been set higher than ever.  You have to find a way to separate yourself from your competition.  Because your competition is also trying to out-service you.

I have discovered how you can beat your competition.  Your company has to be customer focused rather than operations focused.  This concept is being embraced by successful companies to disrupt their competition and even entire industries.

 

The Secret to Success is Convenience

 

The secret of providing great customer service is Convenience.  You have to find a way to make your customer’s life easier.  Or find a way to be easier to do business with.

Doing that you will add a new level to your customer experience.  Providing a better CX will draw customers away from your competition.  How can you do that?  I can teach you.

 

The secret of keeping your customer service is Convenience, finding a way to make their lives easier

I have discovered the Convenience Principles that successful companies use to set themselves apart from their competition. The principles include: reduce friction, self-service, technology, subscription, delivery, and access.

Let’s examine each one and look at examples of specific companies applying these principles to their business models.

 

Convenience Reduces Friction

 

Not since radios were installed in taxicabs has there been an industry-wide change that had such an impact on customer service.  Rideshare companies Uber and Lyft burst onto the scene and everything changed.

Today if you need a ride, you open your phone app.  You input your destination.  The app tells you how far away your driver is and how much the trip is going to cost.

 

Download the rideshare app, after that use your phone to summon a driver

When the car shows up, the driver even knows your name. When you’re delivered to your destination, you don’t reach into your pocket for money or a credit card.

Since you’re already in the system, payment is automatic.  The driver’s payment is deposited directly into his account by the company.  Rideshare companies changed the entire industry!

 

Self-Service is Convenient

 

Self-service sounds like it’s making your customers work more and harder.  However, that’s not actually how customers feel about using an available self-service option.  Depending on the situation your customers might like having a choice.

When I go to my local Panera Bread, you have choices.  You can go to the counter and have human contact with a friendly employee.  Or you can order and pay for your meal at a kiosk.

Panera has been streamlining its customer service process even further.  Now, after placing your order at a kiosk you are given a pager, then you simply take your seat at a table.

The tables have sensors built into them. When your order is ready, the server brings your food to you.  When I asked my local Panera manager why they made the change.  His answer was simple and direct, “Because it’s more convenient for our guests.”

 

Technology Creates Convenience

 

Today an obvious way for companies to create more convenience is by adopting new technology advances.  When you provide your customers with an app or website, you are giving them more options.  More ways for them to connect, get information or even make purchases.

 

By adopting technology, provide an app or website, giving options to connect

One of my favorite apps is the NoWait app.  NoWait allows restaurant customers to remotely put their name on a restaurant’s waiting list.  While waiting, you can actually watch your name move up the list.  This allows you to time your arrival so when you get to the restaurant, there is … No Wait.

 

Subscriptions Provide Convenience

 

Subscription services have gone from just being for magazines and newspapers.  Today they include all kinds of products and services.  Amazon, the leader in convenience, offers a subscription service for many consumable products.  Annual maintenance contracts are a form of a subscription model.

Instead of purchasing air conditioning filters or refrigerator water filters at your local hardware store.  You can now have them delivered automatically as you need them.  When they arrive it’s your reminder to change them.

Netflix revolutionized the video industry by offering a subscription that made it easier than driving back and forth to the video store.

 

Delivery is Convenient

 

I grew up when milk was one of the few products delivered to your home.  Delivered early in the morning and placed in the insulated box on your porch.  Today many companies are seeing the benefit of taking their product or service directly to the customer.

 

Delivery has gone beyond shipping a product to your customer’s home or office.  Even service-based businesses have begun to offer mobile options.  I frequently see car detailers or pet groomers parked at a neighbors’ home.  Bringing their service to the customer, making life easier.

 

Access Is About Convenience

 

Are you available where and when your customers need you?  If you’re not, you face some stiff competition.  Websites are available 24/7.

Walmarts are everywhere, it’s reported that 90 percent of U.S. residents live within 10 minutes of a Walmart.  Think about your location and hours of operation.  Are they designed to be convenient for your customers, or for you?

Could you disrupt your competition by offering nighttime or weekend hours?  My bank has extended daily and weekend hours.

 

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Convenience is a Competitive Business Weapon

 

Convenience can be the most powerful competitive business weapon in your arsenal.  Hundreds of companies have embraced the Convenience Principles to create a more convenient customer experience.  Your choice is quite simple.  Your customers will pay more for convenience.

They’ll choose to do more business with people and companies that make their lives easier.  Select one or more of the Convenience Principles that you can work on.  Find ways to be more convenient for your customers and you’ll disrupt your competition and create fierce loyalty in your brand.

 

Make Your Blog Posts More Engaging and Conversational *

Make Your Blog Posts More Engaging and Conversational *

by | Oct 28, 2020 | Customer engagement

To Be Effective Your Blog Posts Must Be Engaging

 

I’m sure that you’ve already heard that your blog posts need to be written in a style that is  “conversational”.  You may not understand why it is important to do this.  Your posts are telling your story and creating a connection with your audience.  To keep your audience engaged, your blog needs to come across like a discussion.  You don’t want your blog to come across like your blog is a lecture.

 

Your posts are telling your story and creating a connection with your audience

That’s all true.  But writing in a conversational style goes against the normal rules for business writing.  However, If your blog posts sound dry and stilted your audience will become bored and click away.  To prevent that I’m going to discuss three simple things you can do to improve your writing style.

 

You Need to Talk Directly to Your Audience

 

You should write your post as if you’re talking to a specific reader.  I find that picturing an actual person helps me, it can be someone you know or just an imaginary profile that you are targeting.  If it helps you can even imagine you’re emailing them or writing them a Facebook post or comment.

It’s important to use words like “I” and “you”, even though you were probably taught not to at school.  When you’re blogging it’s preferable for you to write from your personal experience and to invite the reader to step into your post.

 

Blogging is telling your story and creating a connection with your audience

Here’s a great example from Jim Stewart’s post 9 Tips for Recovering Your Google Rankings After a Site Hack.  I’ve highlighted his use of “you” and “your” to help understand what I’m talking about.

“If your WordPress site has been hacked, fear not.  By following these tips you can fortify your site and kick wannabe hackers to the curb.

And provided you act quickly, your WordPress site’s SEO traffic—and even its reputation—can recover within 24 hours.”

In the sample, Jim is using a clear, direct writing style that speaks directly to his reader’s problem.  It’s also very easy to read, understand, and engage with.  it’s almost like having Jim on the phone, talking you through fixing your problem.

You may notice that as Jim does here, always try to use the singular “you” rather than the plural “you”.  I do hope that you have more than one reader.   However, each reader will experience your blog posts individually.  Avoid writing things like “some of you” unless you’re deliberately trying to create a sense of a group environment.

 

You Should Use an Informal Writing Style

 

Writing styles range from very formal to very informal.  I’ve included some examples to help you understand the differences:

Very formal:   Users are not allowed to duplicate, modify, distribute, reproduce or resell any of the included materials.

Formal:   To request a refund, complete our form, include your customer reference number.  Your refund guarantee period is for 30 calendar days from your purchase date.

Neutral:   You will get a confirmation mail after subscribing to our newsletter.  Click the link in the email to confirm your subscription.

Informal:   Hi Buddy, send the link to that thing we talked about.  Thanks!

Very informal:  C U 2morrow!!!

 

You Should Use an Informal Writing Style for Your Blog Posts

Your blogging should be an informal or at least a casual neutral writing style.  Write as if you were emailing a friend.  Doing this makes you seem warm and approachable. Typically, you’ll be using:

  • Contractions like “you’ll” for “you will”
  • Straightforward language such as “get” rather than “receive” or “obtain”
  • Chatty phrases like “you’ll be all set”
  • Possibly slang, if it fits with your personal style “thing”
  • Short sentences and paragraphs
  • Some “ungrammatical” features where appropriate, starting a sentence with “And”

 

This is a good place to take a closer look at some of the blogs you read yourself.  Check out how they create a sense of rapport through their language?  How would you rewrite part of their post to make it more or less formal?  What words or phrases would you change?

 

Give Your Reader Space to Respond

 

Conversations are two-way which means letting your readers have a say too.  If you’ve decided to close comments on your blog, you should open a different avenue for your readers to get involved.  You could use a Facebook page or group to engage your audience.

Remember, when you’re writing your post you don’t need to have the last word on everything.  You don’t have to tie up every loose end.  It’s fine to say you’re still thinking about a particular subject. Or that you’re still learning about it.  This gives your readers the opportunity to jump in and share their expertise or experiences.

 

You may want to consider opening up a different avenue for readers to get involved, such as a Facebook page or group.

You can simply ask readers to add to your post.  If you’ve written, “10 Great Ways to Have More Fun With Your Blogging”.  Ask your readers to share their own ideas in the comments.  Some people won’t comment unless you invite them to do so.  You could add a suggestion such as “What would you add to this list?” or “Have you tried any of these ideas?”)

 

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Some of My Best Ideas Come From Comments

 

Some of my best blog post ideas have come from a reader’s suggestion or question in a comment.  Many other comments have gotten me to think more about a particular topic.

There’s no one “right” way to blog.  Some blogs will be more conversational than others.  If you’d like to make your own posts a bit more conversational, look for opportunities to:

  • Use “you” and “I”.  Talk directly to your reader.  Share from your own experiences where it is appropriate.
  • Make your language fairly informal.  Don’t worry about everything being “correct,” let your voice and style shine through.
  • Open the conversation, invite readers to comment.  Encourage them to check out your Facebook page or join your Facebook group.

 

Have you tried making your blog more conversational?  Or is it something you’re just getting started with?  Either way, leave a comment below to share your experiences and tips.

 

How to Make Your Business More Personable in 5 Easy Steps *

How to Make Your Business More Personable in 5 Easy Steps *

by | Oct 25, 2020 | Customer engagement

How Can You Make Your Business More Personable?

 

Merriam Webster defines personable as pleasant or amiable in person.  That’s a goal that all of us hope we achieve.  After all, everyone wants to be liked, and it’s especially important for your business to be liked.

Part of the reason that someone might like your business has to do with your values.  Two of the hottest values topics today are accessibility and sustainability.  Many of your visitors that you are hoping to turn into customers will have strong feelings about either or both of these topics.  My advice would be to not just support web accessibility for all and sustainable business practices.  You need to embrace both of these values issues and make them an integral part of your brand.

It isn’t easy to build brand loyalty.  You’re asking your visitors to purchase from somebody that they have had none or very little previous contact.  That’s a very tough credibility hill to climb.  However, brands that make an emotional connection with their visitors are twice as likely to turn them into and retain them as customers.

Turning visitors into customers is much easier said than done.  Not every brand has Coca-Cola’s storied brand history or Volkswagens’ iconic brand image to fall back on.  Your business won’t be able to pull from the emotional well of positive experiences that attends these mature and well-tenured brands.

 

Connecting with customers by being personable

With that said, new businesses around the globe successfully connect with customersby being personable. Rather than remain an unknown company to your audience, they show who they are using social media to reach out to their visitors.  By being relatable and personable and offering high-quality products, these companies are able to carve out a niche without being a household name.

There’s no equation for connection, but these five tips can make your brand more accessible to consumers.

 

You Need to Personify Your Brand

 

You have to first understand who you are, who your customers are and what your business niche is. Then, put everything you have into presenting yourself in that light.  Ensure that your brand is always presented in the most positive manner while staying true to your identity.

 

Do everything you can to ensure that your brand is always presented in the best light while staying true to your identity

It really doesn’t matter whether you sell socks or software.  There is a distinct market that will be attracted to your products or services.  While designing your website and publishing on social media, keep this market in mind and make sure that your brand image is in line with it.

 

Brand Consistency Builds Trust and Creates Loyalty

 

No matter what form your branding takes, the key to your business success is consistency in your branding.  Your visitors must feel comfortable before they will become your customers.  This calls for your being available and maintaining contact with your customers.  You can achieve this by using an engaging and informative email list, an informative and knowledge filled company blog and by judicious use of the right social media channels.

 

In every aspect of your branding consistency is key to targeting your audience

Your brand consistency builds trust and creates loyalty, turning your audience into your customers. Remember, your consistency is only good if you’re consistently hitting the right note.  If your strategy isn’t working, tweak, shape and refine your branding message.

 

You Need to Be Active on Social Media

 

Every good brand needs an active social media presence.  Even if you need to practice or if your budget allows you to hire a social media specialist.  It could be worth the investment.  Social media engagement is vital for your business, helping you gain a foothold in the market.

 

Every good brand needs an active social media presence

Thankfully, there are many social networking platforms that make it possible for you to meet your goals.  Building an engaging and informative social media strategy is essential to your success.  The difficult part is turning your hopes and desires into action.

To help you achieve your goals and optimize your social media presence, there are several platforms that offer the social media help that you are looking for.  Take a look at Hootsuite, is a good example.  Hootsuite has terrific analytics capabilities and also provides a wealth of educational content that will up your social media game and help you connect with followers.

 

Your Brand Needs to Exceed Expectations

 

When your terrific online visitor experience exceeds their expectations, you are creating the superior customer experience that your visitors have come to expect.  Great brands find ways to go the extra mile to make connections.  Look at how eyewear company Warby Parker, has built a customer experience that goes above and beyond by sending out five pairs of frames free for customers to try.

 

Eyewear company Warby Parker customer service goes above and beyond by sending out five pairs of frames for free to customers to try on

Because Warby Parker took their level of service past what anybody else was doing, on top of offering an appealing product.  They’ve quickly caught the attention of their visitors and become a huge success by turning them into customers.  This decision could only be made when a company looks to benefit their customers before they look to become profitable.

Ultimately, your efforts must be genuine to allow you to connect to your audience.  If you are able to create a strong connection by being personable it will result in greater sales numbers.  By putting forth a genuine effort to connect to customers and effectively tailoring your experience to what they want, you’ll find yourself with a loyal customer base that will take your business to new heights.

 

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You Can Use Real-time Voice and Video Chat

 

Your business can benefit from using the live aspects of social media, particularly on Facebook and Instagram.  Through your website, you can also utilize real-time voice and video chat to provide customer support.  Make yourself and your website more accessible to your customers by embracing and including this option.  This is especially helpful when you are trying to resolve your customers’ problems.

 

You can facilitate real-time voice and video chat through your website to provide customer support

Embrace available technology to make your user experience better for your visitors.  Check out Tagove, who works with clients like Hyundai and Citibank.  Tagove provides video chat, co-browsing and video conferencing options to their customers.  Customers can be confident they’re working with an actual person who is attending to their needs.

 

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