Written by Michael O'Flynn - Sales & Marketing Manager for Professional Academy
Nowadays there are more and more potential ways for businesses to communicate with potential and existing contacts alike - so how can you make sure you are not missing out on your audiences preferred form of contact?
I was inspired to put write this blog after discussions in our office on our preferred contact medium. I found it very interesting to see the differences in our preferred choices which seemed not to be dictated by age, access to technology, or buying habits – all of the things we’re told as marketers dictate how we communicate with our audiences.
Phone
The granddaddy of the contact methods and my personal favourite is the telephone. This is how I would choose to contact a company to ask a question about an offer or product. From a business stand point it is also how I would prefer people to contact me and my company as it allows you to build a relationship, answer questions that come up on the fly, and give the most complete first contact possible which will ultimately improve the customer experience. That being said I am aware that this is not the case for everybody personally, or for businesses, so what are the other options available?
Email is probably the most popular contact method nowadays for several reasons. First of all it allows you to make an initial enquiry with minimum commitment. You have an opportunity to ask several questions to multiple parties with relative ease. You also have the ability to reply in your own time and control the pace of the conversation to suit you. For a business, emails can be frustrating but are an essential part of day-to-day work - it demonstrates just how essential it is to day-to-day work when sales people are taught “shut down your email for a couple of hours today and just hit the phones” a real change from thinking from even just a few years ago.
Webforms
Webforms are a norm on most websites which plug directly into a CRM system and which can unlock or release something a potential customer wants such as a brochure, a download or a freebie in exchange for certain essential customer data – usually a bare minimum of name and email address. This is excellent for populating a pipeline and for savvy sales 7 marketing teams, can also trigger a series of well-orchestrated auto-responders allowing potential customers to receive the information they need whenever they want it without having to wait for a sales person to respond. Webforms are effective, but are very passive for both the sales force and the potential customer. However they are still a popular form of customers contacting businesses to ask the questions they may have.
Webchat
Relatively new on the scene but becoming a mainstay of customer-facing website design is the live webchat function. The webchat function allows for a mix of the email and contact form methods with the back-and-forth format of a telephone conversation. Webchats are also instant and as we all know marketing is all about talking to the right people at the right time with the right product – if they are already looking at your website and have questions, the chances are that you have the other two essential factors in play as well.
Social media
No blog on how business communicate with their audiences would be complete without mentioning social media. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are ingrained in the minds of all audiences across all industries. Even if your customers are not using them they are aware of them, they are part of the zeitgeist – unavoidable. It is highly likely that if someone has a gripe with your company they may express it, either via Twitter, Google Reviews, Trip Advisor or other review sites. This may not be directed at you, but it is a way of trying to communicate with you about your product or service. If you are on social media platforms you are also presenting an opportunity for a potential customer to contact you via their favourite method of communication. We wrote a blog a while back about how your business should be using Twitter with some helpful tips for you - feel free to check it out.
Other methods
There are, of course, other potential communication methods such as the good old-fashioned letter delivered by the postal service, or face-to-face events being just a couple of them, but in my experience these are the top contact methods in terms of volume and effective interaction (feel free to send over any other suggestion via the Professional Academy Twitter account).
This is a simple one to answer, it really comes down to the personal preference of your audience and the options available so the best thing you can do as a company is make sure you have all of the options available and monitor which ones are the most popular.
The one thing you shouldn’t do is treat these audiences any differently. Choice of communication method may sometimes be frustrating to you but it is the preference of your potential customer and something you should be willing to roll with. I personally advise my team to treat everyone the same and not fob anyone off because the contact method is not a personal choice of yours. Prime examples of this would be webchat and social media.
Sales people can sometimes dismiss these methods and as such try to swing them back to a method they prefer to use. For example they may say something such as ‘thank you for getting in touch, let me send you an email with details’ this isn’t rude, or unhelpful but it is nowhere near as effective as opening a dialogue. You wouldn’t for example pick up the phone and say ‘Can I take your name and email address and what you are interested in? – Great I will now send you an email’ with no additional conversation or probing to find out what product or service was right for the customer – or at least you shouldn’t be doing so.
So, modify the way you respond depending on the method but always be aware of your tone, is this how you would talk to someone in person or on the phone? Do you sound robotic? May you be constructed as rude and trying to fob them off? Any of the above could cost you a potential customer or sale.
Professional Academy are industry leaders in delivering accredited practical minded Professional Qualification in Sales, Marketing, Management, Leadership and Digital Marketing. For more information on the qualifications available why not download a prospectus or contact one of our qualification advisers todayvia your favourite method of communication.
FAQs
What is the best way to contact a business? ›
- Text messaging. ...
- Social media. ...
- Phone call. ...
- Email. ...
- Online chat. ...
- Marketing. ...
- Sales and leads. ...
- Business contacts.
Email was one of the first digital innovations used for customer service purposes, and it's still a great way for companies to offer support. Customers contact companies by sending messages to a designated email address, which is typically displayed on the company's webpage.
How do you notify customers about a change in business? ›- Make It Simple And Personal. Be honest in your communication and be available for the customer. ...
- Be Available. ...
- Survey Your Customers First. ...
- Let Customers Be Part Of The Journey. ...
- Be Transparent. ...
- Give As Much Advance Notice As Possible. ...
- Be Brutally Honest. ...
- Communicate To Build Trust.
Preferred Contact Method means your indicated method of contact authorised on the Direct Debit Request.
What type of contact is important in business? ›Primary Contact is the most important default Contact Type in company-based and mixed organizations. The Primary Contact functions as the point person for organization contact with the company.
What are the 3 most effective methods to reach your best customers? ›- Know your audience. ...
- Provide consistent customer experience. ...
- Invest in Content Marketing. ...
- Take advantage of customers' testimonials. ...
- Set up a referral program. ...
- Stay connected via newsletter. ...
- Listen to your customers' feedback. ...
- Demonstrate your products or services.
- Personalize the interaction. ...
- Avoid negative phrases. ...
- Use positive language with a touch of empathy. ...
- Listen closely and avoid interrupting the customer. ...
- Use consistent brand vocabulary. ...
- Give thorough answers to technical questions. ...
- Make communication clear and concise.
Our five consumer touchpoints include the brand promise, brand story, innovation, purchase moment, and consumer experience. Regardless of the order, they reach the consumer; if the brand does not deliver a consistent message, the consumer will be confused and likely shut out that brand.
How do companies communicate to change? ›- Be clear and honest. ...
- Communicate regularly. ...
- Communicate using multiple communications channels. ...
- Provide opportunities for staff to ask questions and give feedback. ...
- Use visual tools. ...
- Keep your messages employee-focussed. ...
- Target messages to different audience segments.
- Identify the change and perform an impact assessment. ...
- Develop a plan. ...
- Communicate the change to employees. ...
- Provide reasons for the change. ...
- Seek employee feedback. ...
- Launch the change. ...
- Monitor the change. ...
- Evaluate the change.
How do you communicate changes to customers? ›
The traditional ways to communicate new features are emails, newsletters and even blog posts. Of course nowadays, you should also consider social media platforms! However, it's even more important to have in app notifications for a new feature announcement.
What are the 5 ways to communicate in business? ›- Face-To-Face Communication. ...
- Email Communication. ...
- Business Meetings. ...
- Social Media. ...
- Team Messaging Applications.
- Keep the message simple, but deep in meaning. ...
- Build behavior based on market and customer insights. ...
- Use the discipline of a framework. ...
- Think broader than the typical CEO-delivered message. ...
- Put on your “real person” hat. ...
- Tell a story.
The Contact Channels Consumers Prefer To Use
Phone calls, emails and most websites offering a “contact us” form have done the job.
After reading this guide, you will better understand the four main types of communication: Verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual.
What is the most effective communication method? ›Verbal communication makes the conveying of thoughts faster and easier and is the most successful methods of communication.
What is the most common communication method? ›Verbal communication is one of the most commonly used forms of communication in business—and it makes sense.
What are 3 types of communication in a business? ›In a workplace setting, there are three main methods of communication: face-to-face, electronic, and written communication.
What are the 6 types of business communication? ›- Internal upward communication. ...
- Internal downward communication. ...
- Internal lateral communication. ...
- External communication. ...
- Telephone and teleconferencing. ...
- Video conferencing. ...
- Presentations. ...
- Reports and other formal documents.
Core aspects of the best-known communication models. The best known communication models are the transmitter-receiver model according to Shannon & Weaver, the 4-ear model according to Schulz von Thun and the iceberg model according to Watzlawick.
What are the five strategies to attract customers? ›
- Identify Your Ideal New Customers. ...
- Use Direct Response Marketing to Attract Customers. ...
- Give Something Away to Entice New Customers. ...
- Give Your Business a Face Lift to Increase Sales. ...
- Get The (Right) Word Out.
In general, there are four factors that influence consumer behaviour. These factors impact whether or not your target customer buys your product. They are cultural, social, personal and psychological.
What are the six strategies to attract customers? ›- Offer quality products. Good quality is the most important reason cited by consumers for buying directly from farmers. ...
- Cultivate good people skills. ...
- Know your customers. ...
- Use attractive packaging. ...
- Let customers try samples. ...
- Be willing to change.
- Find your voice. ...
- Avoid filler words. ...
- Consider your body language. ...
- Use "I" statements. ...
- Practice active listening. ...
- Pay attention to facial expressions. ...
- Provide visual context. ...
- Learn to say "no"
- Pay attention. Give the speaker your undivided attention: ...
- Show that you're listening. It is important that you are 'seen' to be. ...
- Give feedback. Our life experiences and beliefs can distort. ...
- Keep an open mind. Try not to interrupt. ...
- Respond appropriately. Active listening encourages respect and.
Essentially, the 3 important qualities of customer service center around three “p”s: professionalism, patience, and a “people-first” attitude. Although customer service varies from customer to customer, as long as you're following these guidelines, you're on the right track.
What are the 3 C's of customer service? ›The three Cs of customer satisfaction: Consistency, consistency, consistency. It may not seem sexy, but consistency is the secret ingredient to making customers happy. However, it's difficult to get right and requires top-leadership attention.
What are the 4 C's of customer service? ›To set yourself apart, you need to incorporate the 4C's, which stand for customer experience, conversation, content, and collaboration. Look at them as pillars that hold your client service together. Working on these components in unison and actively managing them will transform your business.
What is the most effective way to communicate a change? ›Share a Vision
One of the best things you can do when communicating change is share a vision of how the organization can benefit from the transition. Individuals need to know the change is both good for them and the company overall.
- Values-Based Leadership.
- Equality-Based Environments.
- Employees Taking Ownership for their Success.
- Dynamic Growth.
What is the best way to communicate change? ›
- Be clear and honest when communicating change to employees. ...
- Use care when communicating organizational change. ...
- Tell employees what's in it for them. ...
- Set expectations with change management communication. ...
- Tell employees what they need to do.
- In person. This is probably the most traditional way of introducing anything. ...
- Email. Emails are a common way for you to introduce your business, but it's important that you do it correctly. ...
- Phone call. ...
- Text messaging. ...
- Website. ...
- Social media. ...
- Through the post.
- First of all, Really Understand the Change.
- Process and Reflect.
- Think from your team's perspective.
- Phase in big changes.
- Communicate the change clearly.
- Discuss as a team. Discuss one-on-one.
- Offer support throughout the transition (and ongoing).
- Communicate the Reasons—Openly and Honestly. ...
- Communicate the Changes From the Top Down. ...
- Explain How the Change Will Affect Them. ...
- Detail the General Change Process. ...
- Get Specific about What They Need to Do.
- Developing the Message.
- Encoding the Message.
- Selecting the Channel.
- Message Transmission.
- Decoding the Message.
- Feedback.
- Learning Effective Communication.
Provide ample time and space for employees to ask questions, request clarification, and provide input. Clearly communicate “what” the change is but also the “why” behind the change. Help people understand how the changes will impact their lives and why the change is important for the team, the unit and the university.
What are the 7 types of communication? ›...
Types of Communication
- Verbal Communication. ...
- Nonverbal Communication. ...
- Written Communication. ...
- Visual Communication. ...
- Listening.
- #1. Written And Oral Communication. ...
- #2. Presentation. ...
- #3. Active Listening. ...
- #4. Nonverbal Communication. ...
- #5. Feedback. ...
- #6. Respect. ...
- #7. Confidence. ...
- #8. Clarity.
Summary: The 7 C's of Business Communication
They can assist you in getting your point across your audience, while maintaining a professional and conversational tone. Clear, concise, complete, considerate, correct, courteous, and concrete content can take your business to the next level.
There were twelve (12) types of Communication Strategies found in this section: message abandonment, topic avoidance, circumlocution, approximation, using nonlinguistic means, literal translation, code switching, appealing for help, using fillers, using wrong terms, self correction, and repetition.
What is the golden rule when communicating with customers? ›
In spite of all the noise and hype involving customer service these days, it truly boils down to one simple, age-old truth, often referred to as the Golden Rule: "Treat others as you would want to be treated."
How do I contact a small business? ›- Website: Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Contact: Contact the Small Business Administration.
- Local Offices: Find an Office Near You.
- Email: answerdesk@sba.gov.
- Toll Free: 1-800-827-5722.
- TTY: 1-704-344-6640.
- Forms: ...
- Popular Services from Small Business Administration.
- Try to get an introduction.
- Tailor your approach to each company.
- Rehearse your telephone sales pitch.
- Be prepared to think on your feet.
- Demonstrate how you can be an asset to the company.
A contact method is a means of contacting a party, other than using an mailing address (such as by telephone, fax, or e-mail). You can add different ways of contacting a party.
How do you call a company professionally? ›- Prepare for a call.
- Introduce yourself.
- State the main reason for your call.
- Listen actively without interrupting.
- Practice your business phone etiquette.
- Give thanks.
- Think of tone on a spectrum. ...
- Use positive language. ...
- Be brief but not brusque. ...
- Reply in a timely manner. ...
- Always use your customer's name. ...
- Talk their talk. ...
- Be careful with jokes. ...
- Create a support style guide.
Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
This prevents them from sharing any relevant information with third parties, it doesn't have to be one way either, you might also get it to apply to you which could help put them at ease. Be wary of an expiry date, not having one might just be preferable.
There are three main ways: phone call, email, and in-person meeting. Before reaching out to them via any of these, you should consider the following factors: The type of work you want - Employers use different hiring practices for different types of work.
How do you approach someone professionally? ›- Ask for information. A good way to start a conversation is to ask for information from the person you want to talk to. ...
- Pay a compliment. ...
- Comment on something pleasant. ...
- Introduce yourself. ...
- Offer help. ...
- Mention a shared experience. ...
- Praise the person. ...
- Ask about them.
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Written communication.
- Listening.
- Visual communication.
What are the 5 methods of communication? ›
- Verbal Communication. Verbal communication occurs when we engage in speaking with others. ...
- Non-Verbal Communication. What we do while we speak often says more than the actual words. ...
- Written Communication. ...
- Listening. ...
- Visual Communication.
Begin your cold call introduction by stating your name and the company you work for. When sharing this information, state it clearly and slowly so the customer comprehends what you are saying. Pause after sharing your company before sharing your next piece of information.
How do you start a professional conversation? ›- Ask a question. One effective tactic to start a conversation is asking a question to the person you want to speak to. ...
- Give a compliment. ...
- Talk about an event or situation. ...
- Ask an opinion. ...
- Offer help. ...
- Ask for help. ...
- Ask open-ended questions. ...
- Share an interesting fact.
- leader.
- foreman.
- manager.
- chief.
- captain.
- master.
- commander.
- supervisor.