Creating a Roadmap
In order to give the best customer experience possible, you need to be in contact with your customers during every step of the journey. They need to be completely satisfied after the sale, or else you may lose more than just a customer. A negative experience is more likely to be shared with family and friends over social media than positive ones.
That’s why developing a roadmap will prevent mistakes and a lack of satisfaction from becoming a negative experience. Letting customers know about special promotions, sales, and other deals is also part of your roadmap toward successful customer service.
1. Purchase Confirmation
A receipt is nice, but people are reassured when they receive confirmation, either by text or email. This needs to be personal. It needs to let the customer know that you’re excited about doing business with them. It’s also the perfect time to introduce them to your loyalty program and let them know how many points they’ve collected toward their next reward from the moment they walk out of the store.
2. Delivery Status
People tend to be impatient. They need to know when their purchase will arrive, so they can make arrangements or change their schedule. Any delay can affect their schedule, so they need to have that information right away. Communicating the delivery status will alleviate some of their anxiety and keep them up-to-date on exactly when it will arrive and who is delivering it. The best way to keep them aware of delivery times is through text messaging. Most texts are read within 3 minutes and get over a 90% open rate.
3. Follow-Up with a Satisfaction Survey
Once delivered, the customer has their new purchase and probably used it. It’s time to send a brief survey. No more than a few questions to make sure their purchase arrived and is functioning to their expectations:
- Are you completely satisfied with your purchase?
- How would you rate our service?
- How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or family?
This should be sent via text and email. Your customer will use whichever one is more convenient.
4. Show Your Passion and Enthusiasm
After-sale communications show your passion for offering the best products available. You are the expert and should let them know about the latest product reviews and tips to get the most from their purchases. Encourage your customers to receive newsletters and follow you on social media. This will help you upsell and cross-sell other products for their next purchase. These communications show your enthusiasm for great customer service.
Building Expectations
Too often, the customer has unrealistic expectations about your products and services. Keeping in contact after the sale will help manage their expectations while reassuring them that they made the right choice. All of this begins with a roadmap for support and service after the sale.