Every time a customer tries to contact a business, they have high hopes, hopes of getting a better and detailed response within a day or two. If the business is unable to meet the expectations of its customers, customers might leave you for your competitors.

When you serve them well during the interaction, it is more likely that they will now trust your brand or product and will buy it. They will also go above and beyond to support your brand, your culture, and your philosophies in the future.

Customer experience or interaction does not end when they make a purchase. It is an always running process. So what exactly is customer interaction? Let’s define it.
 

Customer interaction is the moment that occurs when people try to communicate with brands or businesses. Throughout the customer journey, these kinds of interactions can occur numerous times. Usually, these moments appear when the business is running marketing campaigns, sales promotions, and service-related activities.

There can be plenty of reasons for customers to make interactions with the brand. They can even use a plethora of mediums to contact a business. These are 5 examples that can be the reason for most customer interactions.

Awareness: “The customer is looking for a new project management software.”

Consideration: “The customer is comparing you with your competitors.”

Acquisition: “The customer decides to go with your product and goes through the checkout process.”

Experience: “The customer is using the software now.”

Loyalty: “The customer is satisfied with the result and recommends the software in his/ her circle.”

So these are the 5 reasons why a customer might try to interact with your business. But the three main reasons to do so are marketing, sales, and customer service. Depending on the reason, a customer shares different goals. Let’s look at the examples depending on the reason for interaction.

• Commenting on your advertisement for the brand or product on social media
• Asking for product or service by coming to your store
• A customer signing up for your newsletter
• A customer coming to your company event or company itself

• A customer calling your support team
• A customer chatting live through your website with your customer service team
• The company calling customers for their feedback on its software
• Sales executive sending mail to follow up an old conversation

• A customer calling the support line to get some help
• A customer asking about products, services, or offers on social media
• A customer sending negative feedbacks of your product.
• Salesperson calling customer who is afraid to

So a customer made an interaction, but how to make this interaction the best of it. Here are how.

There is a golden rule you may have heard of, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

When it comes to customer service, it becomes, “Treat your customers the way you want to be treated as a customer.”

You understand what I am trying to say here, right?

It doesn’t matter whether the customer is approaching you for the first time or not. You must show empathy to them each and every time. Don’t just stop at empathy. Show them how grateful you are for their loyalty.

These two things can establish a great relationship with your customers.

“Honesty is the best policy.”

A lesson that we all learned in our childhood. This lesson applies to customer service too. When you act like a brand that is honest with its customers, connected, or happy to take feedback, they start to trust you more.

If you can not come up with the solution for the customer’s problem, then tell them the whole timeline to get the result.

If you have resolved an issue for your customer, follow up with them after a week or two. Do this to know if your customer is doing fine.

Conduct research about where usually your customers are facing issues. If it is from your end, resolve it ASAP. If it is from their end, make an education communication like FAQ to guide them.

It is extremely important to be transparent when you are communicating with your customers. Whether it is good or bad, being transparent creates trust between customers and the brand.

Use empathy and gratitude to be transparent with your customers. Say sorry if your product or brand made the mistake. Communicate and resolve the issue. Make them believe that it won’t happen again.

If your product or service requires to store the personal data of its users, then you must show them that you are a responsible brand, and you will always be transparent with them.

Feedback is the pillar that supports the growth of a business. Feedbacks help you identify where your brand is lacking and where it is performing well. Taking feedbacks at an interval is the best way to keep yourself updated about the flaws and strengths of your brand, product, or service.

Making one on one conversations with your customers makes them see you as a responsible brand. Some companies already have this process, so if you are one, then do not inundate your customers with more communication efforts.

Yes, automation helps you do things at a faster and more efficient rate, but when it comes to customer interaction, make sure you are talking like a human and not a humanoid. Whenever a customer approaches you, they want an explained answer from a human. This gives them the feeling that you are hearing them and you care about them.

If you rely on chatbots and automated emails and SMS for customer interaction, give your content a human touch. Never let them feel like you are ignoring them.

So now you know how you can improve your interaction with your customers. For a brand or business, customers are everything. They are their unpaid brand ambassadors. If you treat them right, they will make sure you reach every corner of the market. If not, they can affect your growth. So treat your customers well and make a proper interaction with them.