Here we share with you a great piece by ActionCo.fr , published by Julia Cames, Hubspot that pinpoints the importance of different customer relation avenues. You can find a translated version of the article below or click here to view the original article in French.

2022 will be the year of customer relations

Companies are putting the customer relationship back at the heart of their strategies, a new essential pivot for generating value. From the disappearance of physical offices to the emergence of metaverses, 2021 has been another year marked by profound and lasting changes. Beyond the pandemic and politics, business priorities today loom more sharply than ever around their customers and employees. From now on, experience is no longer enough, it is necessary to preserve and develop the relationship with the human. Prioritize long-term relationships to support growth. Provided you have the right ingredients, 2022 should therefore be the year of customer relations. Customer knowledge has become the key to the success of organizations, it is now essential to master the exploitation of this data. A mission that falls to the teams in charge of sales and marketing operations. Constantly fed by increasingly structured and relevant data, these teams are developing a much finer understanding of the needs and desires of customers, and as a result, respond to them more effectively. Customers want to feel valued every time they talk to a salesperson on the phone or read a brand’s latest marketing email. Operations teams help provide that degree of attention, simply by formatting the data in a way that works for everyone. Not only are they responsible for ensuring that the marketing, sales, and customer service teams are ready to succeed and that everything is running as it should within the company, but they have also become the real conductors of the customer experience. Don’t neglect human contact in the customer experience The demand for both human and technological experiences is stronger and more complex than ever. For brands, it’s important to remember that while the customer journey has evolved significantly over the past few months – with the number of digital channels available to engage with customers increasing – consumers still want a “human” element, both online and in-store. The advantages of digital are absolutely not called into question for consumers who have become accustomed to new uses (we would even go so far as to speak of digital addiction), nevertheless, they want to be able to exchange directly with an adviser in the event of need. Investments in customer service technologies will continue to ramp up, but whether it’s AI, VR, or chatbots, supporting the “human” element will remain essential. Make your website a real product In the digital age, the website is the gateway to a company. It is therefore essential to offer an optimized and efficient experience to visitors who connect to it. When health restrictions are lifted, customers expect to maintain the accessibility offered in recent months. By maintaining this level of service, companies will be able to increase their traffic. Online shopping experiences are here to stay. The website should therefore not be neglected, and should even be approached as a product, in which to invest in order to improve it. Switching seamlessly between tablet, computer, or smartphone, without the customer experience being altered, is also a prerequisite. Consumers want to be able to get their needs and wants answered, and for that, companies need to optimize their channels to deliver a positive experience. Collaborate Sales, Marketing and Customer Service Whoever holds the information, holds the power. Historically, customer-facing teams within the same organization have operated in silos, meaning customer information was not shared or leveraged. Customers, increasingly demanding about their online experiences, want total honesty and transparency during the purchase process, regardless of the team with whom they interact. It has become essential for businesses to break down internal silos and put the customer first and foremost. 2022 will be the year when collaboration and alignment between marketing, sales and customer service teams will increase. With so many businesses prioritizing digital experiences, poor customer experience is becoming a real barrier to sales. Harnessing the collective power of these three functions is a new priority, with modern CRM playing an instrumental role in solving the customer problem. Focus on content Content marketing is real wealth in the digital age. Competition is fierce between B2B companies, especially in the Tech sector. Companies are multiplying communication actions such as setting up advertising banners and sponsored LinkedIn posts in the hope of obtaining results. It’s getting harder and harder to stand out. In response, expect companies to become their own media companies. Rather than being drowned in competing multi-channel content streams, many players will transform themselves into full-fledged media in order to attract the attention of customers. Traditional media, which also face a saturated market, will find it difficult to keep up with this new pace. The proliferation of information and new players entering the market is a warning signal regarding the urgency of providing quality content and making it a driving force in its growth strategy. This article was originally published in French on ActionCo.fr  

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