Current measures protecting health have changed the growth plans of many successful businesses into plans of survival. Each impacted company knows best their field and customers, hence has the best knowledge of how to react to the limited operation. Nonetheless, in Cortex, we have decided to write down a checklist of activities, which could help sustain relationships with customers and boost business to at least partially offset the current downturn. We hope that you will find at least one specific tip you might have missed under the enormous pressure of bad news.

LOYALTY PROGRAMS & CRM

Loyalty programs proved their significance, benefits, and efficiency in the last days. A loyalty program allows you to identify the key customers, sustain and grow relationships with them, and ultimately incentivize them to purchase.

Customer relationships management and loyalty program give you considerable potential, primarily thanks to segmenting and continuous communication with your best customers – inform them about your measures and current situation. Thanks to that, you can sustain and grow relationships even with limited movement and footfall. During the current situation, a loyalty program is an essential tool for preserving and restoring your business. Use this treasure to the fullest and communicate with your most loyal customers in spite of limited operation.

Now, more than ever, it is a challenge to sustain strong relationships with customers. Therefore, it is the right time to re-assess the parameters of your loyalty program and adjust it to incentivize your customers for higher engagement. Collect suggestions and prepare conception, which is ready for both times of abundance as well as for times of scarcity – you will have an advantage over your competition.

In a case that your loyalty program uses a point-based scheme, you can attribute those points to customers for visiting your website, click-throughs from emails, or any other interaction on your website. This way, you assure that customers will know your current story and will count on you in the future – they will undoubtedly want to spend those points, right?

If you rely on a loyalty program with levels of membership, you can temporarily increase customers’ membership level and therefore allow them to access previously unavailable benefits and perks. They will surely want to enjoy them, thus making a purchase and increasing your turnover by doing so.

In a case that you are not running any loyalty program, try to think about what benefits would incentivize your customer to develop a relationship with your business and try to devote energy for concept preparation.

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

Current limitations cause that you will not meet your customers in person, and therefore all communication has moved to the digital world – emails, text messages, and phone calls. Yet this type of communication requires having an email address and a phone number, ideally also consent with communication and commercial messages. Businesses which devoted long-term energy to building customer database are at a great advantage now, yet you can start building a brand new one even during the current situation.

Create a campaign on social networks, webpage, or using a PPC advertisement to collect personal data. During the current wave of solidarity of customers with the affected businesses, the customers will be more than willing to provide their personal data and communication consent as well.

If you own a database containing only physical addresses, you can create a paper coupon campaign sent to mailboxes. It represents a slower path, but you will address your current customer, which increases your conversion rate significantly.

SUSTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

All contact information you collected should be utilized sufficiently. Be in touch with your customers regularly. If your tools allow it, segment out your key customer, and devote them extra care. They will be the first ones to return to standard purchasing behavior and will be essential for the restoration of your business.

Communicate to them your current situation and your story during these challenging weeks via email. The text message can be used to offer a reservation or pre-order of your services. By regular communication, you signal to your customers that you are still here, and once the limitations are lifted, you will provide your services as before.

Social networks are suitable for this purpose as well. They allow you to unfold your story and update on your situation frequently, creating continuous engagement with your customers.

EMAILING – AUTOMATED, OR NOT

If your turnover is suffering or even disappeared completely, the emailing might mitigate your losses. During the current wave of solidarity, people are more willing to prepay services to help their favorite businesses. Create vouchers, gift cards, or offer attractive bundles to your customers. If you own even a simple e-shop, you can sell directly there.

If you don’t have an e-shop, create a simple landing page with an order form. Then send transaction instructions for each form submission via email – it is not ideal, but it can be up & running within a few hours, and the investment is negligible.

If you own a tool for marketing automation, now is the best time to adjust scenarios and copies. If you have launched a personal data collection campaign, create scenarios to incentivize new contact for a quick purchase decision.

REVIVE ACTIVE TELEMARKETING

Active telemarketing has seen its downturn in the last years due to both legislative changes and its work intensity. Yet the current situation makes the telemarketing channel more personal, which substitutes physical contact with your customers. It is more pleasant to speak with a person than just to read an email or a text message, and that is the reason why sales over the phone are increasing. Moreover, people are home with enough time on their hands. Therefore with a correct empathetic phone call, the conversions are well above the average of previous years.

Telemarketing is significantly more expensive than email, text, or push campaigns. Therefore, it is crucial to considerate its profitability carefully, monitor it closely during the execution, and adjust promptly to changes. We would further recommend testing telemarketing on a segment of key customers who have a higher probability of conversion. Only when the conversion rate of key customers is sufficient, it is a good idea to expand telemarketing to other segments. We should mention that telemarketing is more cost consuming and therefore is recommended mainly for services, products, or bundles at a higher price. This assures that the sale provision does not consume a large portion of the margin. Telemarketing is also an excellent tool for sustaining relationships with customers, for market surveys, and feedback collection from key customers as well.

WE ARE HERE WITH YOU

Do not hesitate to contact your project manager for advice or help with the effective restoration of your business.

I wish you strength and health for days to come.

We will manage together!