THE IMPACT OF MESSAGING APPLICATIONS ON THE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

Published on : 04 May 20204 min reading time

Today, messaging applications are essential in customer relations. For small and medium-sized companies, it is now unthinkable not to use this mode of communication known as ‘messaging’. Messaging applications, be it Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp or Twitter DM, are an additional marketing and implementation opportunity and more and more VSEs and SMEs have decided to take the plunge and occupy the niche. However, this commercial opportunity is also linked to constraints that it would be dangerous to try to minimise: customer relationship management in multi-channel mode is indeed complex.

A NEW MODE OF EXCHANGE WITH CUSTOMERS THANKS TO MESSAGING APPLICATIONS

Business customers have become accustomed, like most of us, to using messaging applications for personal use. Many small and medium-sized businesses have understood the value of this new type of exchange, which is growing exponentially. Facilitating customer interactions and contributing to a better user experience are just some of the benefits of messaging applications. Today, more than 90% of Internet users are registered on at least one of these messaging applications. Most of them use more than one. All applications combined, there are nearly 4 billion users worldwide. In France, 55% of Internet users prefer instant messaging for contacts with corporate customer services or online shops. While the value of messaging for customer relationship management is well established, the fact remains that it is not always easy for companies to manage contacts via different applications. Fortunately, there are various solutions for optimizing customer relations.

SOLUTIONS TO ENABLE SMES AND SMES TO ADAPT TO CUSTOMER USAGE

When a customer uses Facebook Messenger, it is via his favorite instant messenger that he intends to contact the company. There’s no question of imposing another messaging application, such as Whatsapp or Twitter DM. Or the other way around, of course. Or the other way around, of course. Least of all to offer him a company-specific application. SMEs and VSEs that want to make the most of instant messaging to improve the user experience and make the relationship with their customers or prospects more user-friendly must be able to adapt to the habits of Internet users. Customer service therefore needs to be reachable through different messaging channels. In any case, it is essential to communicate at least on the three main applications, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Twitter DM. A presence through less widespread or more confidential applications is not necessarily a necessity. The solution lies in the implementation of a universal inbox.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A UNIVERSAL INBOX FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES

Installing a universal inbox has become a necessity if the customer service department wants to be able to juggle different messaging applications in addition to traditional email contacts. Today, there are dedicated software programs available that allow you to add the different mailboxes and instant messaging accounts in a single interface. This makes it easier to centralize messages from different channels and optimize your customer relationship management. The solutions for a multi-channel relationship can be installed on the company’s computer or server, but it is also possible to subscribe to an online solution.

The advantages of this type of organisation of the relationship by messaging are multiple. By having access to all messages via a single interface, your customer service department can respond more quickly. We know that customers are usually in a hurry. You therefore improve your response time. This is all the more true since most of these software programs allow you to pre-record responses. You can also use it to simplify access to the right person within the company by using intelligent redirections. A knowledge base can be integrated, which usually reduces the number of calls.

 

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