3 Proven Strategies to Make Customer Communications Management Work For You (And Them!)

In the digital era, customers expect more from brands than simple transactions.They expect personalized experiences.They expect ongoing relationships.And they expect to be heard.In a Microsoft survey, 90% of respondents indicated that customer service is important to their brand loyalty. Another 58% said they will sever a relationship with a business following a poor customer service experience.Customer experience matters – period.And great customer experience always starts with great customer communications.That’s why fostering effective customers communications should be an integral part of your business ethos. And that’s why you need to formalize your communications processes, workflows and best practices into a comprehensive Customer Communications Management (CCM) program. Read our whitepaper on the subject for more information. CCM is a unified strategy that enables organizations to:· Address customers’ challenges quickly with high-quality support· Close more sales faster· Develop meaningful customer relationships,and thus garner their long-term loyalty.Here are 3 proven ways to make CCM work for them–and for you!1. Build an omni-channel communication strategyCompanies with the strongest omni-channel customer engagement strategies enjoy 10% YoY growth and 25% increase in close rates.In the modern era, an omni-channel communications strategy definitely works.To design one that works for your customers and for you:· Identify which channels your customers use most· Design an engagement strategy for each channel· Make sure everyone in your organization is trained to deliver a consistent experience across each channel.2. Provide ‘always-on’ support with chatbotsA recent Walker survey found that by the end of 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.If you want your brand to set itself apart from the fluff and noise, you must provide exceptional customer experiences. And one great way to do this, is by automating customer communications with chatbots.Chatbots deliver all these powerful advantages for your organization’s CCM strategy:· Quicker 24×7 support even when your (human) support team is not available· Faster responses mean faster solutions and happier customers· Support across multiple stages of a customer’s journey.In today’s highly competitive environment, you can’t afford missed opportunities and lost customers. A chatbot can help you minimize these risks. But remember not to over-automate. Many people prefer to talk to a live human, so human backup should always be available–at least during business hours–if a chatbot cannot satisfactorily resolve a customer’s query.3. Use a feature-rich, intuitive CCM software like OpenText ExstreamSince today’s customer communication landscape is so complex and inter-connected, it’s no longer sufficient to provide a single call center number or support email address to customers. Your organization’s CCM strategy must be robust and comprehensive. To manage it and to stay connected with customers, you need the right support tools that enable you to:· Create and deliver responsive, interactive digital communications· Improve customer experiences through personalized and automated interactions· Drive profitable customer engagement through multiple channels and touchpoints.With OpenText Exstream, you can do all this and more. Plus, you can automate document creation, streamline user experiences, track customer engagement analytics and ultimately, maximize customer lifetime value. Plus, with accelerator packages, OpenText Exstream integration with core systems and third-party applications like ERP and CRM tools offers even more benefits to help you effortlessly achieve your CCM objectives.SingleStone, with our experienced CCM consulting experts, can design a powerful CCM strategy for your customer-facing organization with OpenText Exstream. If you’re looking for a customizable solution that can transform your run-of-the-mill customer communications into highly-personalized, engaging customer experiences, talk to us about OpenText Exstream. Call +1-877-334-4266 or fill out the form here. We’ll show you the best way forward to achieve your CCM goals with OpenText Exstream.