Five practical ways that you can engage your internal teams, specifically your customer service and technical support teams, to help bolster your communications efforts and see better business performance.
As a business, one of the most valuable assets you have is your customer base. They are the ones who keep your doors open and your revenue flowing, and as such, their needs and wants should be at the forefront of all decision-making.
Enter stage left your customer service and technical support teams. These teams are often the closest to the customer, as they are the ones who interact with them daily. They are privy to customers’ questions, concerns, and feedback, and this information can be incredibly valuable when it comes to shaping your communications and marketing efforts.
First and foremost, your customer service and technical support teams can provide valuable insight into the customer’s pain points and frustrations. They can tell you what issues customers are having and what areas of your product or service are causing the most confusion.
It is vital to ensure that your internal communications strategy leverages this critical info to improve your product or service. Here’s five practical suggestions on how to tackle this head-on.
- Schedule regular meetings or check-ins: Set up regular meetings or check-ins with your customer service and technical support teams to gather feedback and insights on customer pain points and overall experiences. This can work weekly or monthly, depending on the size of your organisation and the volume of customer interactions. We know they’re busy, so a quick recorded Zoom so you can extrapolate the info afterwards might work best for your set-up.
- Involve these teams in your communication planning process: Incorporate customer service and technical support team members into your communication planning process. Include them in brainstorming sessions or the feedback loop for communications materials. This way, you’ll ensure your communications align with the customer’s needs and wants.
- Create a dedicated channel for sharing feedback: Create a dedicated channel for customer service and technical support team members to share customer feedback and insights with the rest of the organization. Consider an email distribution list or internal WhatsApp. This way, all teams can access the valuable information that customer service and technical support teams gather daily.
- Provide training on effective communication: Hold training sessions for customer service and technical support team members on effectively communicating customer feedback and insights internally. We KNOW this takes precious time, but look at the long game, better customer communications often reduce technical and customer service queries in the long run.
- Encourage cross-functional collaboration: Encourage cross-functional collaboration and team building activities, such as team lunches or off-site retreats, to foster a better understanding and appreciation of the customer service and technical support teams among other teams. Imagine an open communication and collaboration culture, leading to better communications and stronger customer relationships. Everyone is a winner.
How to turn feedback from technical teams and customer service into customer-centric communications
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Create (and critically – update) FAQs that address common issues or concerns customers may have. These help customers quickly find answers to their questions and provide a better customer experience. As a bonus, this kind of content can often rank in Google in its own right as answers to questions people are searching, which could result in additional visitors to your website and potential sales.
- Social Slides: Use the feedback to create social media slides or posts highlighting common customer challenges and how your product or service solves those issues. These posts can educate your customers and provide them with valuable information. They’ll also flag your commitment to customer care and aftersales to prospective customers.
- Updated Aftersales Materials: Use the feedback to update your after-sales materials, such as user manuals, guides, and tutorials. Address common customer issues and provide clear instructions on resolving them. This will help customers better understand your product or service and reduce frustration.
- Explainer Videos: Use the feedback to create explainer videos that address common customer issues. These videos can provide step-by-step instructions on resolving issues and can be shared on your website or social media channels. Helping customers quickly understand how to use your product or service and provide a better customer experience.
Transform expertise into advocacy by sharing your company vision
Sharing a clear and compelling vision for your business with your internal team can motivate them to become better advocates for your brand. Here are a few ways that sharing your vision can lead to increased sales:
- Alignment: When your team understands and aligns with your business vision, they will be better equipped to communicate it to others, including potential customers. Customer clarity equals increased buy-in and trust, resulting in more sales.
- Empowerment: Sharing your vision with your internal team gives them a sense of purpose and direction. They will feel more empowered to make decisions that align with the business’s overall goals, which can lead to more effective and efficient communication with customers.
- Passion: When your team is passionate about the vision of your business, they will be more likely to put in extra effort to promote it to others.
- Collaboration: When all teams are aware of the vision and goals of the business, they will be better able to collaborate and work together to achieve them.
- Consistency: Consistency in the message and mission shared with the internal team will reflect in customer communication. A clear and consistent message will increase customers’ chances to understand and trust your brand.
Share your company vision as part of your internal communications
Share your vision with your team by presenting or hosting a town hall meeting. Clearly explain the company’s vision and mission and how it aligns with its values and goals. You can also give examples of how the company works towards that vision and how each employee can contribute.
Another way to share the vision with the team is by creating a document or video (if you have time & budget) that outlines the company’s vision and mission and makes it easily accessible to all employees.
All in all, sharing the company vision and mission with your team is essential for building an internal communications strategy as well as creating alignment, motivation and consistency within the company. Of course, there are many ways to do it, but making it easily accessible, emphasising its importance in decision-making, and regularly gathering feedback from the team is an excellent place to start.
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