Taking steps to facilitate easy contact with customers can help you generate a lot more interest in your business. Here are seven things that you can do to foster good communication with your target base.
1. Be Readily Accessible by Phone
Getting a toll free number for business calls adds credibility to your business and may make people more inclined to get in touch with you. When you put your business’ number on its mobile site format or different social media platforms, build in a call feature so people won’t have to copy and paste the number.
2. Create a Contact Form on Your Website
A “contact us” link that prompts people to open an email app isn’t intuitive for everyone. It may be difficult for people who access their email from their browser rather than an app or program. Creating a contact form may be an easier way for people to reach out. In addition, you can include some drop-down menu items to narrow down the nature of someone’s inquiry so it can be fielded by the right department, and you can specifically ask for the information that you think is most important about a question rather than relying on someone to provide it independently in an email. Ultimately, this method can result in fewer exchanges, using less staff time, and getting people the help they need as expediently as possible.
3. Give People the Opportunity to Chat Online
Instead of sending out a message, some people may really value the option of getting instant access to a live body for immediate help with something. Adding a “chat now” component to your website will show people that it’s well-managed and you have staff ready and able to provide assistance. It’s also possible to outsource some or all of your site’s live chat features, freeing up your in-house staff to work on tasks that will make more valuable use of their time. Third-party services provide live chat support solutions tailored to specific business needs to enhance user experience. For instance, within the manufacturing industry, comprehensive solutions include full-service email/phone support, as well as web chat answering, ensuring seamless customer support across multiple platforms.
4. Equip Your Website With a Mobile Format
A growing number of people shop and arrange for consumer services on their cell phones while they’re on the go, so your website should have a mobile-friendly format that can be easily viewed and navigated on a small screen. It may require using less detail or resolution for certain pictures and graphics so switching between pages on your site won’t take too long to load when someone is in an area with poor internet or network service. You may also have to reconfigure the layout of some items. For example, if your site shows a line of products, you may need to organize just one or two products in each row rather than several so people can scroll down quickly.
5. Create Links to Your Business on Other Sites
Team up with businesses who provide similar but noncompetitive services. Rather than pay for advertising on unrelated sites, you can form a strategic partnership providing one another with links on your respective sites. It will enhance the quality of both sites and potentially help you both earn business. When people click on this type of link, it can include a disclaimer that they’re leaving the current site and about to enter an unaffiliated third-party site.
6. Stay Connected Via Email
Create introductory offers that will pop up on your site and offer a promotional discount when someone signs up to receive emails. You can attain a regular spot in people’s inbox, and they may be more interested to check out your site or reach out with a question when you send something of interest their way.
7. Invite People to Follow Your Business on Social Media
Your website and emails should also encourage your customer base to connect with you one or more of their favorite social media platforms. Some people are on social media more regularly than they check emails or browse the internet, so it’s a good way to cover your bases and form a well-rounded digital relationship with current and prospective customers. While staying active on several platforms may seem like a time-consuming endeavor, you can outsource this task relatively affordably. You simply have to provide the framework for the content that you want to upload, and a professional service provider can take care of the rest.