Having strong customer engagement is critical for business. Not only does it allow you to identify your business’s strengths and weaknesses based on customer feedback, it also allows for open communication and promotes customer loyalty. Ultimately, engaged customers are loyal customers. The following are tips on how to engage customers and build trust between your business and the community.
- Be consistent: Customer engagement relies on a strong culture where customers know that they will be heard and their opinion will be respected. I often hear that customers have difficulty getting businesses to respond. It’s important to let customers know that what they say matters and that you appreciate their business. This level of consistency goes a long way in shaping what customers think about your company and what they share with their network. Providing customers with positive interactions, dependable business practices and engagement opportunities shows them that your relationship matters.
- Create a community: As a business owner, you create value to your customers through your products and services. However, you can also create value by providing customers with a network of business professionals to interact with them online and in person. It is important to spend time with your customers and give them a voice on your social media platforms, in your office, in stores and in the broader community. This kind of value is not easily replicated and can make you stand out among competitors.
- Tell stories and be personable: People like to interact with other people, and customers want to know that they are doing business with someone who is sensitive to their best interests. Sharing personal stories and experiences provides an opportunity to connect with your customers on a more personal level and establish a genuine connection.
- Live your values: Volunteering in the local community and being honest and reputable are just a few ways that business owners and employees can live their personal and professional values each day. Customers notice character, and when a business puts customer care over personal gain, people often want to work with that company.
By giving your customers a voice, you can learn what your company is doing well and how you can improve your product or services. Two-way communication is becoming increasingly important in business, and engaging customers using these methods is a great way to build credibility and establish a strong reputation for you and your business. QCBN
By David Dinerman
David Dinerman is the senior business relationship manager with Wells Fargo’s Business Banking team in Prescott.
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