Manning all the marketing touchpoints available can seem overwhelming but you can do it more easily by implementing automation that uses the customer perspective to build loyalty rather than create defection. The term touchpoint refers to a point of contact and every touchpoint becomes an opportunity to improve your customer’s experience. Channels differ from touchpoints. For example, online communication is a channel, but online chat is a touchpoint. Here are some channels you can easily automate to better serve customers.
Chat Automation
Happy customers and loyal customers go hand-in-hand. You can keep customers happy by solving issues immediately. Your customer visits your website to find an answer to their problem. They want to find it in one or two clicks and solve their problem. A bot creates a touchpoint that serves the customer and their needs first and foremost. It also saves the business money by reducing the amount of time that customer service representatives must spend on each customer contact. You improve customer experience by automatically collecting the needed information and reduce each CSR’s contact time by providing the information to them in a way that's already organized.
Social Engagement
You might not think of automated tools and social media as going together but they do. One diverse tool, Buffer, lets you automate posts to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter. You’ll be able to make any type of post you would on the actual social media platform. For example, you can make an Instagram video post and even set the cover image for it. It will post when you schedule it to do so. Other options include HootSuite and SproutSocial. You will also be able to automate analytics on these platforms.
Direct Mail
Automate direct mail marketing to send out postal mail that works to direct customers into and through your sales funnel. You can automate mass mailing using digital platforms. Modern API integrations automate mass mailing to almost a background business process. Automating direct mail can help make your process a lot faster and provide less room for error. It can also help make sure that you are only ordering the printing supplies that you need, which can save you money.
Drop Shipping
Using drop shipping automation you can serve your customer better and save your business time and money. A third-party fulfillment service reduces shipping costs and automates shipments from the moment of the order. The fulfillment center tracks the order, communicates with the customer, handles shipping, and tracks inventory.
Your business needs every edge in today’s competitive marketplace. The options you provide your customers decide their loyalty or defection. It’s important to take a look at your processes every so often and identify where you can improve. Keep your customers coming back by serving their needs through automation online.