Tips and Software for Mastering Customer Communication Management

Experts recommend a number of best practices for communicating effectively with customers. These include using a range of communication channels, leveraging useful content, and being aware of previous interactions.

Here are details on best practices for customer communication:

• Use Omnichannel Delivery:This refers to a CCM system that allows an organization to communicate with each customer in a number of different and coordinated ways. Customers who expect to be able to communicate through numerous channels — email, text, phone, and more — have preferred ways of receiving and sending communication with an organization. All organizations must be able to use all of the communication channels that customers prefer.
• Be Efficient with Your Organization's Written Content:That means leveraging similar content that can be used in various communication for various purposes.
  
  “The philosophy behind CCM is to do as much as possible with as little as possible,” Topdown’s Zimmerer says.
• Create Clear, Readable, and Compelling Content:Content must be concise, clear, and easy to digest. Otherwise, no one will read it.
• Take into Account All Previous Communication with a Customer:A huge issue with most organizations is not tracking previous communication with a customer. One 2018 survey by Gladly, which offers an online customer service platform, found that 71 percent of consumers want the companies they do business with to remember their previous interactions, but only 29 percent say that happens regularly for them. (Eighty-seven percent of respondents also were frustrated that they have to repeat themselves several times to different customer service agents about the same issue.)
  
  Your CCM system must track all communication in all channels with a customer. When a customer calls your customer service line, your separate email to her on a different issue a few days later may need to reflect that interaction.
  
  
  
  Justin Butlion, a business analytics consultant and founder ofProjectBI, which provides information and advice on using business analytics and data, says your organization’s CCM system or software should, for instance, “give you a list of all of the (request for help or communication) tickets open under a certain email.”
  
  Max, from Netomi, says your organization might send a message to certain customers offering an incentive when they recommend your company’s product or service to a colleague. “But you don’t want to send that to someone who just sent you a customer complaint,” Max says.
• Understand and Be Relevant for Your Customers:Beyond tracking all previous communication with a customer, your organization also needs to personalize those messages. Your organization will still send some general customer communication. But many messages should be individualized for each customer — taking into account the customer’s order history and other interactions with your organization, along with their preferences.
  
  
  
  
  “In order for it to work, you have to understand your customer,” says Brian Zotti, Senior Vice President of Services and Operations atContek Consulting LLC, a business strategy consultancy. “You can’t just push a generic message out to everyone and play the volume game. They expect something to feel personal. They expect you to be Netflix in your anticipation power.”
  
  
  
  Chris Huff, Chief Strategy Officer forKofax, a process automation software provider that offers CCM solutions, says that when customers get personalized communication that recognizes their history with an organization, “they feel like this company has really gotten to know them. They say: ‘I’m not just a number. I’m someone.’”
• Don’t Get Too Personal — It Can Be Intrusive:Still, some organizations’ attempts at “personalization” can veer into “creepy” territory. This is most obvious when an organization tracks a customer’s online activities on the organization’s website or elsewhere. Even more concerning for many customers, an organization might track a customer’s offline shopping through GPS devices.
  
  The2018 CX Trends Reportby Inmoment, a customer experience management company, found that 75 percent of respondents consider most forms of personalization to be at least somewhat “creepy.”
• Don’t Send Spam:Spam, of course, is a huge turnoff for customers and potential customers. The fix to that is to provide information that is most relevant for a specific customer.
• Let Your Customers Decide:Ask customers what communication they want to receive from your organization and through which channels. Then heed those preferences.
• Give Equal Attention to Every Customer:A CCM system should allow your organization to monitor its interactions with each customer and respond accordingly.
• Don’t Forget That Security Is Vital:Your CCM systems or software that allow for outbound communication must be digitally secure. This is important for all organizations, but especially for those in industries — financial services and healthcare, among others — where regulations dictate specific levels of security.