Social distancing. Our current reality to stay safe.

However, for businesses, it is the exact opposite. They are concerned about its long-lasting impact that is probably going to be bigger than anticipated.

Currently when you have very few chances of acquiring new business, unless you offer essential products, keeping your existing customers engaged with your business can be your shield.

Here is how you can retain your customers from a distance:

Communication is the key

Although it may sound a bit cliché, it is critical.

Keep your customers updated about your business. Whether you are shut temporarily, adjusting working hours, or the steps you are taking for a safer workplace.
Customers are visiting social media the most. Hence, make sure you’ve updated yours with the latest updates.
If you are operating, it is important to assure them that you and your team are taking proper safety measures. Hence your website should have the necessary information.
While they are sitting at home, there will be temptations for shopping. Offer them to Wishlist products if you have an e-Commerce store. If you are accepting orders then it is important to be transparent about the shipping dates.

Expand the self-service capacities

A couple of days back, I was trying to connect with an airline company, to check the status of my pre-booked flights. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any answer. However, they were able to solve my query through emails.

Now the point here is that the customer service teams are overwhelmed by the customers reaching them out for help. And it is impossible to answer each and every customer. That might also mess up with your customers’ experience. Hence, to provide ease, you can empower your customers with self-service apps equipped with knowledge articles. Along with that, you can also improve communication on your digital channels including live chat, emails, etc. This will help you give a personalized experience and they will be able to solve queries on their own.

Investing in a customer portal will help you empower your customers to solve the majority of their problems on their own. Plus, you can invest your capital into your business continuity plan and make it future-ready.

Make it easy for them

Just like us, everyone’s stress levels might be up with very little patience. Hence, when they are accessing your applications, make sure they do not have to authenticate multiple times or change passwords frequently. This may sound like a small thing, but it will help your customers immediately and you in the long-run.

Assure them that your business values are still the same

Yoga8, a yoga studio in Waco, Texas, announced the online courses to interact and meet their customers and employees. Employees of Hans Wittler’s Automotive Service in Albuquerque, N.M., are picking up vehicles for repair from customers’ homes. Now that is the type of value you need to provide to your customers to really assure them that no matter what, you will be always there. Your company’s values are still the same.

Be prepared

It is important to establish a timeline to evaluate the results from the changes made in your business. This is the time to show that you can do more and go beyond limits when it comes to serving your customers despite government limitations.

The temporary improvements that solve customers’ queries today, may also become permanent improvements for your business model. The key here is to take ownership of the situation quickly in order to get the best from the situation.

Create timely and relevant content

It is important to provide educational and helpful content relevant to your readers. Sharing useful tips for your industry will make sure that you care about your audience.

For example, if you are running a retail shop, you could provide tips to manage finance during such times. The key here is to be creative with content around your industry.

It is about giving back to the community

With the customer-centric attitude, awareness of people’s needs, you can navigate from this crisis and strengthen your relationships with your customers and they will stay with you in the future as well.