In a crowded marketplace customer acquisition is no longer king – customer retention is. The actions your team takes, around and after a sale make a lasting impression. The way you cultivate a relationship with your customers has never been more important. The average business will lose approximately 20% of its customers because they fail to maintain customer relationships.
After the sale has been made, keeping yourself in the forefront of the customer’s mind will ensure that when they run into a problem, you’re the one they call for help. In this blog, we’re going to talk about one of the most effective tactics for building stronger customer relationships, reducing churn, and making sure you get that all-important call when your customer needs assistance.
Earlier this year, our team at Telelink identified video as an emerging tool that we’d like to take advantage of. Here are some of the research we’ve found and the reasons why we’re making an effort to incorporate more video with our customer relationships.
Video as an emerging tool
More businesses are using video as a tool to reach customers. Video is easy to digest, entertaining and engaging. Still not convinced? Let’s quickly review some jaw- dropping stats about the impact of video.
97% of marketers say that video help customers understand products. These days, sales professionals approach customers with value-based offers, not tacky pitches. Videos make an excellent medium for giving customers an easy, educational look at a product or service.
Over 80% of all internet traffic will consist of video by 2021. Talk about a trend that’s here to stay. As long as your videos are properly optimized, search engines will LOVE them. Organizations are always battling for search position and video is already a growing factor in getting top results.
Your customers want it! 54% of consumers said they want to see more video from businesses they work with. Our Co-CEO Cindy Roma often says, “We have to skate to where the puck is going”. A powerful thought when we consider how to engage our customers.
Like many organizations, Telelink still hasn’t jumped in feet first to video creation. Let’s be honest, it’s intimidating to hop in front of a screen and hit record. As clear as the benefits are, many organizations have not made video a priority – yet.
Video to build scalable relationships
It’s clear that video has a place in the future of business, but how can we leverage it to build stronger relationships? Let’s say you’re a customer service manager and you’ve just launched a new product. The product proves to be challenging to set up for customers, but once they are set up, the benefits really pay off.
In this scenario, it is crucial that you get as many customers familiar with and using the product as possible. You could call every major customer and walk them through the setup process to ensure they know how it works, a nice gesture, but very time-consuming.
Alternatively, you could produce one video demonstrating how to get set up. Now you’ve got one piece of content that achieves the same result as 30 individual phone calls, plus the user can pause, rewind, and re-watch your tutorial.
This type of video is great for those of us who are camera shy. Often times, a demonstration can be done “in screen” and you never have to personally be shown on camera. You simply narrate the process you are demonstrating.
Get closer with video
Another great opportunity for customer-facing teams to use video is the onboarding call. Sometimes, depending on the geographic proximity, it may be an onboarding meeting, but due to COVID-19, those will be few and far between for a while.
Choosing to do your onboarding call via video chat allows the customer to feel like they know you better and feel as if you are meeting face-to-face. Especially now that most people are working from home, it really is like showing someone a small piece of your life.
Welcome with video
Great news! The sales team just closed a contract. Why not take a minute to quickly introduce yourself? Clients love this personal touch and appreciate the time you took to make them feel special.
Instead of writing out an email to welcome your newest customer to your organization, whip up a quick, seemingly impromptu video message! These can be very casual and don’t require any production value. Simply grab your phone and say “Welcome to our team! My name is Lucas and I’ll be your contact if you need any assistance. I’ve attached a PDF below to help you get started. I’m looking forward to learning more about your company and helping you grow. Talk soon!”
Not only will the customer appreciate the video, the impression will stick. We all see dozens of emails crowd our inboxes each day, but how often does someone send a welcome video? That is a differentiator.
Video do’s and don’ts
By now you’re probably itching to hit record, but let’s go over a few simple do’s and don’ts. First, let’s talk about the do’s:
- Make sure you have decent lighting. Nothing too crazy, just be aware of windows so you aren’t difficult to see.
- Hold your device at eye level. We don’t want to look up your nose!
- Speak clearly, and loud enough to be heard without straining.
Easy enough, right? Now a quick review of the don’ts: - Don’t wear pajamas please. Throw on a decent looking shirt, as if you’re at the office
- Don’t compete with barking dogs or construction. Find a quiet place.
- Don’t use a script. A couple of talking points aren’t bad, but do your best to keep it natural.
Where else can you use video?
While it’s difficult to be comfortable in front of the camera to record, there are some things you can do to help. Many of us have been forced in front of a camera in recent months due to work from home situations. That’s a start. Telelink now conducts all of our internal meetings with video. It helps us feel closer and more connected, even though we are physically separated, and we’re getting used to being in front of the camera.
Don’t be surprised if your next meeting request from us comes with a video link!
Impress your customers with video today
There is no right or wrong way to get started using video to build your customer relationships. Commit to welcoming the next customer with a welcome video, work with your marketing team to create product demonstration videos, or simply schedule your next customer meeting with a video link.
The upside is tremendous; you’ll be building better relationships, customers may stick around longer, satisfaction may improve, and referrals may become more plentiful.
Let us know if and how your company is using video!