Customer advocacy is a business strategy that places the
needs of the customer first. To develop a strong relationship with their loyal
customers, a strong customer advocacy relies on excellent customer service and
incentives.
What Is Customer Advocacy?
Customer advocacy is a business strategy or business model
that prioritizes developing strong customer relationships and meeting their
needs. When making decisions, a company that focuses on customer advocacy
considers the interests of their customers and will sometimes prioritize
customer satisfaction over things like pricing to make a higher profit.
Customer advocacy can be a company's general philosophy or
model, or it can designate a specific customer advocate role to help build
customer relationships and develop a marketing strategy for building a happy
customer base.
What Does a Customer Advocate Do?
Companies frequently appoint a customer advocate to serve as
a liaison between the company and the customer. A customer advocate is
typically a member of the sales team and is in charge of all aspects of a
company's customer advocacy strategy, such as customer marketing, loyalty
programs, customer support, and managing customer feedback. They are also in
charge of resolving conflicts and are the primary point of contact if one of
your customers is dissatisfied.
Why Is Customer Advocacy Important?
Meeting a customer's needs and developing a customer-centric
business model can have numerous advantages, and a strong customer advocacy
strategy that results in satisfied customers can become a significant
differentiator for your company. Customer advocacy is also important because
it:
Creates brand advocates: Customers who enjoy doing
business with you are more likely to recommend you to others. Loyal customers
will essentially become your word-of-mouth marketing team, sending you customer
referrals and providing positive online testimonials. Building customer loyalty
can be viewed as forming a brand advocacy marketing team for referral marketing
that attracts potential customers and new business.
Improves your reputation: Customers who have a positive
perception of your customer service and user experience will think more highly
of your company. Customers will consider your company's reputation when
deciding whether or not to buy from you.
Increases customer retention: When you meet a new customer's
needs and provide them with a memorable and positive experience, they may
become loyal to your brand and products. When making a purchasing decision,
this frequently means they choose your product over a similar product from
another company.
How to Ensure a Good Customer Experience
Developing a strong customer advocacy program necessitates
putting the customer first and making the customer journey feel satisfying and
thoughtful. Rather than viewing your business as a transaction, you should
consider each customer interaction to be an experience for the customer and the
beginning of a relationship with them. Use the following strategies to help
your company prioritize the customer's voice:
1. Create a customer experience strategy plan. Create a
customer experience management (CEM) strategy that details your plans for
meeting customers' needs and expectations. This can serve as a guidepost and
help you stay focused on your messaging and strategies, paving the way for a
positive customer experience and lowering customer churn.
2. Incentivize customer engagement. Reward your best
customers and offer incentives to existing customers to buy from you or
interact with you. You can set up a loyalty program in which customers earn
points toward future purchases or a referral program in which a customer
receives a reward for recommending your company to a friend.
3. Provide great customer service. Go above and beyond
the norm in terms of customer service. You can also exceed customer
expectations by ensuring that your sales or support staff is well-versed in the
company's products and services. Don't forget about social media”this is
another channel where people will look for high-quality assistance. Avoid
relying entirely on automation to collect feedback or provide service”customers
frequently prefer to speak with a live person for assistance. They may become
irritated while listening to an endless phone menu of options.
4. Take customer feedback. Get real-time customer
feedback to gain insight into your customers' journey. To further discuss their
experiences, you can use surveys or set up calls. Listen to their complaints or
criticisms and come up with solutions to make the experience more seamless and
positive.
5. Understand your customers. You can't guarantee
customer satisfaction unless you know what they want. To better understand
their journey from beginning to end, use customer relationship management (CRM)
services that evaluate customer engagement and provide customer experience
metrics.
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