Create connections, loyalty and a better customer experience by getting to know customers on a more personal level.
Getting to know your customers and creating a connection with them is a necessity for today’s virtual world.
Customers like to do business with people they like. When a connection is created, your customers feel more invested and more comfortable with your company and its offerings.
Building a relationship with your customers increases the likelihood that they’ll recommend your business, return again and again as repeat customers and have a brilliant customer experience each time.
So how can you get to know your customers better and form these mutually beneficial connections? The answer is as simple as asking the right questions. But what can you ask that feels authentic and builds trust? The below questions can help you gather the information that leads to stronger connections. Who knows – you might find you have more in common than you knew!
Connecting with customers and creating great experiences starts with knowing key pieces of information in these categories:
Personal Milestones
Personal information could include birthdays, graduations, retirement celebrations, kids mentioned as part of the conversation.
For example, if someone mentions they have kids, you can ask how old they are or if they play sports. Showing you remember these seemingly small details in future interactions will help show how much you care and that they’re more than just a customer.
Hobbies/Activities
There are many connections to be made on hobbies or activities outside of work.
My favorite question here is: What do you like to do on the weekends? Knowing what your customers like when they’re not interacting with your business can help improve the experience they have when they are. Plus, taking an interest in their interests shows that you want to connect beyond mere business transactions.
Business Challenges
Business information is more about how that person might be thinking about their business, or problems they need to have solved.
A good question to ask is: What is the #1 thing that keeps you up at night as it relates to your business?
Questions like this can reframe how a person is thinking about their company. Knowing what some of their chief concerns are will provide insight into how your company can help alleviate them. And it could even help them see the challenges they’ve been facing under a different light.
Business Goals
Most people have things they want to accomplish, both personally and professionally.
A question that always gets people talking is: If you could wave a magic wand and make one thing happen tomorrow to serve your business, what would it be?
Their answer will show you what some of their highest priority goals are. With that information in mind, you can work on ways to help get them there. More often than not, their answer will indicate something they’ve been frustrated with or struggling to accomplish. It will open an opportunity for you to help.
70% of the customer's journey is based on how the customer feels they are being treated. (McKinsey)
Once you start to collect these connection points, you can start to understand where broader connections between customers might be made, and engage your audience better with custom content and community discussions. Creating connections is a great way to improve customer experience, and the experience you have with others. It’s what doing business should be all about.