At a time when budgets are being shrunk and workforces are being trimmed amid economic turmoil that is sweeping the nation, successful businesses continue to thrive because they are able to effectively service their customers. In an age where communications media choices are greater than ever before, customer service necessarily means being able to offer alternative means of communication and access to information, based on each customer’s needs and desires.
A recent survey of more than 200 key decision makers in financial services, retail, telecom, and other industries conducted by Forrester Consulting confirmed the same, with 77 percent of respondents agreeing that proactive customer communications is integral to their businesses. At a time when the business landscape is as competitive as ever, and when the effects of a slumping economy are being felt across all sectors, the realization that they must proactively engage existing and prospective customers will drive flourishing businesses.
“Adopting a multi-channel communications strategy will enable organizations to communicate more effectively with customers and reach them by the most appropriate channel based on the customer’s preference or message content,” said Mark Friedman, chief marketing officer at SoundBite Communications, which commissioned the study.
Of course, reaching the customer is but one step — the other is turning that contact into revenue and customer satisfaction and loyalty, with an eye on cost reduction as well. To that end, 75 percent of respondents to the survey said they expect to grow their multi-channel communications capabilities within the next three years.
The survey also suggests that the top three drivers for deploying proactive customer communications measures are: Customer Satisfaction (71 percent), Increasing Customer Loyalty (65 percent), and Increasing Sales (53 percent).
“Forrester’s (News - Alert) study explains why it is important for companies across many industries to adopt this type of technology now and how it can increase revenues and cut costs, while keeping customers satisfied,” added Friedman.
With new possibilities for engaging customers emerging every day — from targeted fixed and mobile advertising and messaging to Web 2.0 applications to IP video and automated voice campaigns, and more, businesses have at their disposal new, exciting technologies for extending their messaging to ever-widening, yet targeted audiences.
For an in-depth discussion of the study, and how today’s emerging technologies can be leveraged to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and ultimately to drive increased revenues, join Forrester analyst Elizabeth Herrell and Soundbite’s Friedman for a one-hour live Webinar this Thursday, November 6 at 2:00pm ET.
Herrell and Friedman will discuss:
- How to reduce operational costs while increasing revenue;
- Techniques to prompt timely payments and increase debt collected;
- Ways to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty in challenging financial times; and
- How to determine the right communication channels for your customers that yield the best results.
Attendees will also receive a complementary copy of the study, Proactive Customer Communications Promote Closer Customer Connections: Market Growth Driven by New Services in Customer Care.
Click here to register.
Erik Linask (News - Alert) is Group Managing Editor of TMCnet, which brings news and compelling feature articles, podcasts, and videos to nearly 3,000,000 visitors each month. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Erik Linask