Companies across the country are having difficulty responding to the effects of COVID-19. Regardless of whether your company has been closed or you are having difficulty staying relevant in times of social distance, communicating with customers is critical. But do you know how to keep in touch with customers?
Most likely, you have to reach customers in a variety of ways to get really important messages across. Here are 25 tips on how to stay in touch with customers that you might consider.
For many companies, it is probably the easiest and most direct way to stay in touch via email. Most small businesses already have an email list sending newsletters or updates on sales or new products. This can be a valuable way to inform customers about changes that your company is currently making due to COVID-19 or due to peculiarities or updates that are relevant to them.
If you have a small customer list and want to keep everyone personally informed, a quick text is a simple and non-invasive way to exchange short blocks of information. You can either contact people individually or send an SMS if you have customers who have signed up for text updates.
If your company has some key customers that you really focus on, you may want to reach them in person by phone. Make sure they are aware of changes in your company and answer any questions.
Video chat is another option that is perfect for companies with customers with whom they work regularly. This is ideal for communicating with people who you might otherwise meet in person or in cases where you may need to share pictures.
If you want to offer your customers virtual customer support in real time, chat apps like Facebook and WhatsApp can be very valuable. You can easily share the link to your chat profile so people can contact you with questions. Or you can send individual messages if you have relevant updates.
Another real-time option for communicating with customers, hosting a livestream, enables video messaging and interaction with viewers. You can host a Q&A session, simple announcement, or demonstration to help customers during this time.
Google is often one of the first places people search for information about businesses. By updating your Google My Business listing, you are communicating the information that may be most relevant to your customers.
Businesses should respond regularly to online reviews on platforms like Yelp and Google anyway. Now that many entrepreneurs have more time, this is the perfect time to catch up. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and encourage more people to do so.
More in: Coronavirus Biz Advice
