Connecting with your clients is essential for increasing customer loyalty. The Biz Community reports that face to face meetings and other interactions provide a stronger basis for long lasting customer relationships and brand loyalty.
Fortunately, face to face and regular connections do not mean that you have to physically be in the same room with your clients. You can use video conferencing services to manage your relationships with your clients and even enhance them. Here are some tips to bear in mind.
Don’t Forget the Little Niceties
According to “The 5 Things You Must Do in Every First Sales Conversation,” you should always take the time to chit chat a little bit. Regular in person conversations typically have a few minutes spent discussing the day, the weather, and even the family. It doesn’t have to go deep, but showing that you remember your client is an individual can help increase your connection. It also breaks the ice. Don’t fall into the common trap of thinking that an online video conference means you shouldn’t have to spend any time on conversation or that you can cut it down to the bare minimum.
If you find it’s difficult to remember specific details about your clients or to come up with chitchat, make a list. It doesn’t have to be in depth. If you’re still having problems coming up with ideas, remember that the weather, general health, and compliments are a good way to start.
Watch Your Own Body Language
Most people know that the vast majority of communication is non verbal. Your body language and tone say far more than your words. When you’re having conversations on the phone, all of the information has to come through your tone and words. People are less inclined to trust this. But through Blue Jeans video conferencing or other similar services, you can let your customers see how you say the words as well as hear the words and the tone. Just make sure that you keep an eye on your non verbal body language.
Certain body language signals indicate distrustfulness or defensiveness. Business Insider reports that among the top ones are
- Avoiding eye contact
- Crossing or folding the arms
- Fidgeting nervously
- Leaning in too close (it gives the impression you are invading their space)
- Nodding too much
You should also keep an eye out for your customer’s body language. Be aware if the client starts
- Frowning
- Fidgeting
- Pulling away from the conversation
- Appearing distracted
It may be something unrelated to your meeting, but always see if there’s a way you can draw your client back in. Even if the distraction isn’t your fault, that distraction is keeping your client from connecting to you.
Don’t Forget Summaries
Whether you’re video conferencing with Blue Jeans or Skype or another similar program, you don’t have to keep all of your communication through the video service. It’s important to keep in touch and coordinate regularly with your clients. Offering written summaries and notes can also be beneficial. The added benefit is that providing written summaries provides an added layer of customer service that not only enhanced communication but also demonstrates your commitment to your clients. It can also help make sure that you are both in agreement after your video conferencing session is done.
Be Gracious
One of the challenges that no video conferencing service can fully deal with is a spotty or bad connection. Bad weather as well as unusual atmospheric activity can all disrupt the strength of the signal and create a bad connection. From garbled voices to distorted screens, these sorts of disruptions can be quite frustrating. The fault may not even be on your own end as your client’s device will also play a role in the overall quality. But in those situations when your client’s connection is bad or his device isn’t working the way that it should, avoid getting impatient at all costs.
Be gracious and understanding. If it turns out that the connection isn’t working at all, consider rescheduling. You have increased flexibility through the video conferencing, particularly when you’re using mobile devices. So use that to your advantage and be as flexible with your customers as you can be.
Video conferencing has brought about many improvements and opportunities for businesses. You can now use them to connect with long distance clients and even improve the relationship and cultivate stronger customer loyalty. Remember to pay attention to the little niceties like small talk and conversation. Keep an eye out for your body language as well as your customer’s.
It can give you clues on the best responses. Provide written summaries to keep the communication channels open and make sure you are on the same page. But most of all, remember to be gracious. Your customers will have challenges sometimes, and you can improve and manage the relationship by being understanding and working with what they are able to do.
Video Conferencing Graphics by Shuttlestock