When running a business, no matter if that’s a small online store or a massive international conglomerate, it’s important to be aware of some basic truths. One, that the market will always move forward and have to keep up with it, and two, if the customer isn’t interested in what you have to offer, even the most profound invention or useful service will have trouble sustaining itself.
Removing any friction between you and your customer is a good way to help live by both of those truths, be that making sure your marketing message is relevant, to ensuring you cater to market demands.
Yet it’s also important to identify where that friction might be. For example, it can even be present after a customer has decided to use your services or products for the first time. When this intent has been decided, and your customer lead has been completed, that’s the time when you wish for the relationship to be as seamless as possible.
Respond Quickly And Personally To Every Lead
Leads are a precious commodity and so you don't want to squander any of them.
- The probability of qualifying a lead decreases rapidly with time: When a lead reaches out to you, they are most likely still in the research stage, and if they don't receive a prompt response, they might lose interest or turn to a competitor. The probability of qualifying a lead decreases rapidly with time, meaning that the longer you wait, the less likely they are to engage with your business.
- Leads have a short attention span: Leads have a short attention span and the longer you wait to respond, the more likely they will forget about you.
- Responding quickly sets a positive first impression: Responding to a lead quickly shows that you are invested in their inquiry and that you are on top of your game. A quick response also sets a positive first impression, setting the tone for future interactions.
- Quick response time can increase the likelihood of closing the sale: Responding to a lead quickly can increase the likelihood of closing the sale. A prompt and engaging response can capture their attention, which can lead to a productive conversation and ultimately increase the likelihood of them doing business with you.
In a highly competitive market, responding to leads ASAP is critical for successful sales. Failure to respond quickly can result in lost opportunities and damage to your reputation. By responding promptly, you can increase your chances of closing a sale while showing your customers they are important to your business.
Invest In Seamless Payment Processing
It’s essential to make sure your business has capable payment processing systems in place, so a customer can easily enter their card information, or use third-party services like PayPal to process the transaction with care. Using the best online payment API for developers, you can make sure your website is up-to-date and compatible. This might help you design your own payment measure for the unique subscriptions you offer or heighten security for those paying with you. The last place a customer should feel friction is when trying to give you money.
Baskets & Order Customization
If you are running an e-commerce business, it’s also essential to make sure your customers can properly assign what they need from you. From scaleable service packages in which customers can add or remove certain “modules” of features and have this reflected in their final cost, to simple utilities like a shopping basket when adding multiple products to their online cart, the more customization you can provide, the better off you’ll be. It will also help your service remain comfortable and accessible to use, so that vital features provided elsewhere won’t be a sacrifice to suffer when trying to use your service.
Customer Support & Outreach
It may seem that a customer having to reach out to your support is a failure of other systems, but that’s not necessarily true. They might just have a question not covered by your FAQ page, or may wish to make a change to their account. What matters is having good enough customer support to ensure the interaction is positive. From live chats that can answer questions immediately, to messages that instantly convert to emails (to be answered within 24 hours) if an agent is not available can be key. That kind of outreach will always be rewarded, then, and with good training and agents that pride themselves on interpersonal skills can make a big difference.
With this advice, you’re sure to remove any friction between customer intent and completed leads going forward, benefiting everyone for the effort.
