A business’s core value is to always place the customer at the top of the hierarchy, listen to them, understand them and their concerns. Heartfelt customer-oriented communication builds close and familiar relationships between employees and customers. It cements loyalty and the customers use these gestures as an example to talk about the brand.
Paytm’s CEO, Vijay Shekar Sharma shared a tweet saying, “Please try Paytm and you won’t have to post support requests. Yes, you can pay directly from your bank account.
Bonus: CEO-level customer support.”
According to a PR Newswire report, 56% of customers are willing to pay a higher price for a product in exchange for exceptional customer support/service. 73% of consumers go for a brand because of effective customer-oriented communication. As a result, a company should use it to communicate its strengths and improve customer perceptions.
What Is Customer-Oriented Communication?
Customer-oriented communication is a business strategy that prioritizes the needs of the customer over the needs of the company. Customer-focused businesses understand that they will not thrive unless they consistently improve their customer focus. It is a way of thinking that aligns your company’s goals with those of your customers. Creating a customer-centric culture requires acknowledging that customers are the business.
Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos is well known for his belief that “customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.” Indeed, Zappos says on its about page “We hope that in the future people won’t even realize we started selling shoes online. Instead, they’ll know Zappos as a service company that just happens to sell…”
This approach begins with Zappos’ employees. The company makes sure that employees have a flexible structure and that everyone works as part of and with a team. Furthermore, Zappos has a customer research group that investigates what customers require and desire. Usability testing, customer surveys, and in-depth interviews are employed. The company takes pride in this approach, and it is what distinguishes them.
Their support staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and calls can consist of friendly conversation rather than a business.
How to Boost Customer Satisfaction with Customer-Oriented Communication?
However, it has an impact on your users in addition to business success. When you show your customers that you care, you build loyalty and trust. This begins at the top. From your executive team on down, everyone must be committed to deliberate intent and action. They must understand that sometimes this means foregoing specific short-term or long-term profits to cultivate customer-oriented communication. To be successful, everyone must believe in the mission.
Raise your bar to be empathetic
Knowing how to assist customers is dependent on your ability to empathize with their problems. Understanding how they feel allows you to help them feel better, which is an important part of the customer service job. Even when there isn’t a quick fix, a little compassion, concern, and understanding can go a long way. For instance, if you’re on the phone with an irate customer and need to transfer them, imagine how they’d feel and speak to that.
- Unempathetic response: “I’m putting you on hold and then transferring your call, OK?”
- Empathetic response: “That must be annoying for you. I’ll put you in touch with a specialist who deems fit to solve this problem. Neelam is her name, and she knows you’re on the line.”
Employees who exemplify empathy for customers in all aspects of their work (whether directly related to customer service or not) are a part of a company that is built on meaningful relationships that last.
Choice of words
One of the most effective tools while communicating with a customer is using positive words. Using the phrase, “As much as I’d love to help, your request is beyond what we’re able to do for customers,” instead of a blunt ‘no’ will sting less. It’s never fun to say, “It’s impossible for us to do that,” but just as you have to bite the bullet and say “no” to feature requests, you also have to say “no” to service requests from time to time. But at the very least, you can do it nicely.
Tone or courtesy
Difficult customers are a part of any business, however, you must deal with them with great tact so that you do not lose business from them. Choosing and employing the right tone or courtesy can improve communication and interaction. It can be a game changer, transforming a mundane conversation into an engaging one. It can assist a person in resolving problems while maintaining a positive attitude, resulting in high levels of customer comfort. Here are some game-changing customer service phrases to keep you on your side during difficult conversations and situations.
Thank you for bringing this subject to my attention, I understand why you would want that…, thank you for being our esteemed customer, I think we are facing a slight misunderstanding here, great question! I will find the solution for you soon, or I would be glad to assist you.
Acknowledge the problem
The employees may not be able to solve the problem immediately, however, they can inform the customer by acknowledging their problem by saying that we are working on it. Simply appreciating the customer’s concern would make them feel heard. If you do not take care of your customers, someone else will. Research says 96% of customers do not complain, and the 4% of customers who complain have a higher probability to stay in the customer lifecycle for that company. Out of 96% of customers who do not complain, 25% of them have serious concerns and the other 35% don’t bother to request a complaint, switching to another brand is a far easier option for them. The rest either want their concerns to be resolved or better if resolved immediately. This is the reason it is critical for employees to reach out to their customers to identify and acknowledge their concerns.
Quick problem resolution
We all have people we go to when we have problems. Customer service should elicit that sentiment in a company’s customers. That is only possible with the right communication methods. While having a knowledgeable support team is essential, they must also communicate that information in an understandable manner.
Rather than reading technical jargon from company pages and product catalogs, concentrate on providing solutions. Listen to the client’s question and direct them to the appropriate source of information or, in some cases, the more appropriate point of contact.
Use of power words
We use powerful words in our communication to provoke a certain feeling in the person we are engaged in communication with. Words play a significant role in assisting our brains in deciding which products to purchase. There are numerous variables, but one thing has been proven time and again: certain words sell better than others. They simply do. Here are some powerful words: established, presented, facilitate, integrate, maintain, support, consult, impact, analyze, enhance, demonstrate, generate, troubleshoot, and so on and so forth.
Hire the right people
It is critical who you hire for your customer-oriented communication. Rather than hiring for skills that can be taught, hire for attitude and friendliness. Additionally, look for empathetic problem solvers. Finding the right people can make or break your customer relationships.
Customer-oriented communication helps to preserve the tone and voice of the brand and its leaders, as they are at the heart of any customer interaction. It enables businesses to remain true to their values while communicating with customers. Customer communication bridges the gap between a business’s mission and its end users, from receiving feedback on reviews to promoting social media campaigns.
Payoffs of Customer-Oriented Communication
Being a customer-oriented business or keeping your communication customer-focused means to be a business that operates by encircling the needs and wants of the customers. Brands that focus on assisting customers may experience increased loyalty and employee satisfaction. A customer-focused company can foster a company culture that prioritizes meeting customer needs, providing maximum value, and developing and supporting its employees. Having happy and well-trained employees can assist you in providing quality customer service.
Customer-oriented communication comprises many benefits, including:
- It enhances customers’ trust, satisfaction, and retention.
- It results in building good relationships between customers and employees.
- It encourages greater product sales.
- It establishes quality and service standards for your brand.
- It increases conversion rate, as conversations are the new conversions.
Customer-oriented communication is the product of customer-oriented thinking which should be your brand’s fundamental value, both internally and externally. Customers may acknowledge that your company listens to their concerns and provides them with positive experiences if they know your brand is customer-oriented. You can also demonstrate that your company is customer-oriented by providing excellent customer support and resources, developing your business around customer needs, and interacting with customers online and in-store.
https://pavansoni.medium.com/paytm-and-its-user-centric-design-practices-80901c7921dd
https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-orientation
https://www.helpscout.com/blog/customer-oriented/
https://www.helpscout.com/blog/customer-service-phrases/
https://www.smartkarrot.com/resources/blog/customer-service-phrases/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-does-it-mean-to-be-customer-oriented
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https://siss.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/sol-7-1170×542.jpg
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Written By: Jimmy Jain
Edited By: Afreen Fatima
Society of Design Thinking Professionals
