Making it easy for customers to contact your business is key when it comes to acquiring new leads. Kissmetrics reports that the average cost of a lost customer amounts to $243.
Having your contact information readily available builds trust and increases the number of leads acquired. It can also increase revenue since customers may have pre-sale questions or need assistance in completing their transactions. Here are a few ways to make it easier for customers to contact you.
Display Contact Info Prominently
Studies show that 51 percent of customers were put off by a lack of clear contact information on a website.
The lack of an available business contact phone numbers and the inability to get a live person on the phone has resulted the surgence of sites like Flaptor and 800-Numbers designed with the sole purpose of making contact info more accessible and transparent to consumers.
Try to display your contact number on every page of your site in a prominent position such as the header area. You’ll also want a dedicated “Contact Us” page which lists all of your contact information including your business address and e-mail. Make sure that your business is listed in relevant business directories such as Yellow Pages, Yelp and Google Places.
Make It Easy to Reach a Human
Marketing Land reports that 74 percent of customers are likely to go with a competitor due to poor customer service over the phone. This includes not being able to navigate the IVR (interactive voice respond system) with ease, long hold times and receiving unprofessional service.
Keep your automated answering system simple and don’t overwhelm callers by providing them with an extensive menu with tons of options. Three to five options is optimal. Make it easy for callers to reach a live person without having to listen to an extensive recording. Streamline the information collecting process so that the customer doesn’t have to provide the same information to numerous representatives.
Reach Out via Social Media
Some companies make the mistake of only utilizing social media for the purpose of obtaining new leads. Make sure that your customer service reps are also using these channels to offer support.
J.D Power reports that 67 percent of customers have utilized a company’s social media account for customer service. Find out where your customers are most active online and meet your customers there. This could be Facebook, Twitter or Instagram but for some brands it can be an online forum or community.
A timely response is essential when dealing with social media. According to a study by Edison Research, 42 percent of customers who contact a company with a problem via social media expect a response in an hour. One way of addressing this is by setting up your account to automatically send out a message acknowledging that you’ve seen their post and are working on a resolution.
One example of a company using social media to provide customer service is Ford Motors. The company has a staff of dedicated customer service representatives searching for mentions of their brand across numerous social media channels in order to address and resolve customer complaints. The company is engaging on average with 2,000 customers per week.
Offer a Live Chat Option
Live chat is convenient for visitors on your website since they can just click on the chat button without the hassle of making a phone call. Benefits from a customer’s point of view include zero hold times and immediate attention. Agents can multi-task and respond to several customers at the same time making live chat more efficient compared to phone support.
Live chat also allows you to address pre-sale concerns and provide personalized service. Question are addressed in real-time without the customer having to fill out a form and wait for a response. Customers are more likely to come back if they know they will get a fast response to their queries.
Enabling customers to contact you via numerous channels helps to build trust and drive engagement which ultimately means more sales.