MarketStar Blog | Sales (6)

You have just landed a new customer for your product - congratulations! The first step toward product adoption is now behind you, but there’s a lot more to come. How you onboard your new user, especially during the early stages of the adoption process, will have a huge impact on how long they are going to stay with you, how enthusiastic they are about new features in the future and how often they refer your tool to other people.

Responding to a popular survey, liking an inspiring post or availing an irresistible offer– these are just a few of the ways customers express their thoughts after their interaction with a product. Forums, social media, groups, blog comments and events are the most common channels where customers usually voice their opinions and air their grievances. But the biggest challenge for a business is to decipher meaningful insights from these common actions. Known as the Voice of Customer (VoC) in customer service parlance, these expressions can mean a lot to a business that is looking to offer products that are acceptable and commercially viable.

The roles of customer success and marketing are different, and yet interdependent. The former interacts with customers to help them derive maximum value from the products they buy.

Most sales reps congratulate themselves on a job well done when customers sign on the dotted line, but in reality, that is only the beginning. Customers buy a product with a purpose, and companies need to ensure that the purpose for which they bought the product is well served. But this is not always so. Technology companies often have a way of making customer onboarding complicated and daunting. They put their customers through complex product tutorials, long-form pdf guides, endless how-to videos, and tedious sign-up processes as a way of welcoming them on board. Consider these alarming stats:

Great customer service pays. It leads to customer loyalty, increased profits, and a better brand image. Customer service is not just about gifts or coupons and promotional schemes. It involves putting customers’ needs first and making them feel good after they interact with your organization. Each customer-facing employee should know how to communicate with customers, what kind of words to use, and how to solve simple problems. A study published by Harvard Business Review found that buyers who have a positive experience with a brand are likely to spend as much as 140% more than average.1

Digital technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Business needs are in constant flux. And organizations are looking for flexible solutions that can evolve with their needs. This has resulted in subscription-based products and solutions being given preference over pay-per-product models. “Subscription businesses are proliferating because billions of digital customers are increasingly favoring access over ownership”, writes Tien Tzuo, CEO of cloud-based solutions company Zuoro, in his book, ‘Subscribed’.¹

There’s no questioning the critical role that content has to play in sales enablement. This is clearly illustrated by the fact that 58% of sales pipelines grind to a halt as a result of sales representatives’ inability to add value — something they’d be able to do with the right content at their disposal.1  

There’s also the small matter of 95% of buyers ultimately selecting a solution or service provider who delivered content that was aligned with each stage of the buying process.2 The numbers don’t end there, but the case is made: content is critical in sales enablement. 

Naturally, then, the next question you’d have is about how to get sales enablement content right. It’s a nuanced topic that doesn’t have a simple answer, but there are a few pointers that can set you on the right path to creating high-value sales enablement content.  

Let’s get right to it. 

The role of contact centers has evolved over the years, with the emphasis now on improving customer experiences and generating revenue for companies. It's not just about the delivery of customer service or cutting costs anymore. Rather, it's about building relationships with your customers and maintaining these relationships effectively.

If a customer is unhappy with your brand, it is very likely that they have not had a seamless experience during their interactions with the brand across multiple touch points and devices. A ‘unified customer journey’ approach holds immense potential for brands. Having a well-orchestrated omni-channel strategy will ensure that customer convenience is always treated as topmost priority.

ROI is a cold, hard number that business executives can use to determine the profitability of an investment. As such, it’s one of the most important parameters that they take into account when considering the adoption of new solutions or services.