That's definitely the worst news for everyone. I have no idea why Apple designers think that a mobile gesture should work on a desktop. It becomes messier each year:(

I cannot agree more. It started over three years ago or so when they started to bring in "small widgets" from iOS to macOS.

Since then and every time WWDC comes around (real soon again) I'm worried what atrocities they will introduce as "innovation" in the new macOS version.

I use macOS because it's the OS that allows me to access everything and every app without muss hassle.

But Apple, the company, has lost its way and is lead by someone who is good at counting numbers and organization. It took a while after Steve left, but that mentality has now sadly reached every department within Apple.

If you are a developer, macOS just works. No need to fiddle with WSL or "remote" setup, etc. (And I've tested it extensively).

Hence, macOS is my favorite OS. The terminal alone makes it "seamless".

That said, if i wouldn't code i would just use a Chromebook.

So far I'm not impressed by CodeWhisperer. Hardly provides any useful suggestions and where Github CoPilot provides a lot of options, CodeWhisperer whispers nothing :(

How to Choose the Right Customer Engagement Platforms for Your Small Business

Do you need help keeping your customers engaged and loyal to your brand? Do you want to take your customer engagement to the next level but need help figuring out where to start? Look no further than customer engagement platforms!

These powerful tools can help you connect with your audience, build lasting relationships, and grow your business. In this guide, we will show you how to choose the right platform for your needs and use it to engage your customers. Keep reading as we explore more!

What Are Customer Engagement Platforms?

Customer engagement platforms help businesses connect with their customers on a deeper level. These platforms provide a range of communication channels and engagement features.

They enable businesses to interact with customers in real time. And they allow companies to gather valuable feedback and build long-lasting relationships.

Customer engagement platforms typically offer a range of features, such as:

• Messaging and chatbots
• Email campaigns and newsletters
• Social media integration
• Feedback and survey tools
• Customer segmentation and targeting
• Data analytics and reporting

Businesses can create personalized customer experiences and build strong relationships. Doing this allows companies to increase loyalty and revenue. These platforms also benefit small businesses that may need more resources to manage customer engagement.

The Benefits of Using Customer Engagement Software and Tools

Using customer engagement software and tools can benefit businesses of all sizes. Here are some of the key advantages:

1. Improved Customer Satisfaction

By providing customers with personalized experiences, businesses create an overall positive customer experience. Doing this leads to increased satisfaction and loyalty.

Additionally, customer engagement platforms can help businesses gain valuable customer insights. And it allows them to make data-driven decisions to improve the customer experience.

Customer engagement platforms can also help with collecting customer feedback. Feedback provides valuable insights that you can use to improve products and services.

2. Enhanced Engagement

These platforms provide businesses with numerous ways to interact and engage with customers. For example, such engagement can happen through messaging or email campaigns.

As a result, companies can build better customer relationships. A better relationship helps generate more leads.

Businesses can also create automated campaigns and target specific customers with personalized messages. That allows companies to stay top-of-mind with their customers and increase engagement.

Additionally, you can use customer engagement platforms to launch loyalty programs. These programs reward customers for their repeat purchases or other interactions.

3. Increased Revenue

Businesses can increase customer loyalty and generate more revenue. That is done by providing customers with personalized experiences and better customer service.

Customer engagement platforms can also help companies identify customers likely to purchase more. And they can target customers with specific offers or discounts.

Additionally, companies can use customer engagement platforms to launch targeted campaigns to specific customer segments. Doing this can increase sales.

These strategies help companies increase their revenue and grow their business.

4. Increased Brand Awareness

Businesses can increase brand awareness by generating more word-of-mouth referrals. Achieve this by engaging customers on various channels.

Customer engagement platforms can help companies to create and manage effective campaigns. That allows companies to reach their target audience and increase their brand visibility.

Also, you can leverage customer trust and loyalty with customer engagement platforms. All of this increases brand recognition.

5. Increased Customer Retention

By engaging customers more, businesses can increase customer retention rates. Achieve that by creating loyalty and trust with customers.

Additionally, customer engagement platforms enable companies to target customers with relevant offers. Offers and incentives improve the chances of repeat sales.

6. Efficient Communication

With customer engagement platforms, businesses can communicate with customers in real-time.

As a result, they can provide immediate support and address concerns before they escalate. That also helps companies build trust and loyalty and ensure customer satisfaction. And it allows businesses to communicate with their customers without dedicating many resources to manual outreach.

7. Data-Driven Insights

Customer engagement platforms provide businesses with valuable data and insights. Such data include customer feedback and preferences. You can use this data to improve marketing and sales strategies.

Customer engagement platforms can also track customer behavior and identify trends. That helps businesses target customers more effectively.

This data-driven approach allows companies to optimize customer engagement strategies. With this, their efforts have more of a chance of succeeding.

8. Scalability

As businesses grow, customer engagement platforms can scale to meet their needs. This scalability provides a flexible solution that can adapt to changing business requirements.

You can integrate customer engagement platforms with existing systems. Doing this provides a seamless experience for customers. And it helps businesses ensure that their customer engagement strategies are effective.

Customer engagement software and tools can help businesses create better customer experiences and build lasting relationships. All of this help drive revenue and growth. So, if you’re looking for a powerful platform to help you engage with customers, customer engagement platforms are the way to go.

Now let’s compare the top customer engagement platforms and see which is best for you.

Top Customer Engagement Platforms Compared

Numerous customer engagement platforms are available on the market, each with unique features and benefits. Here are some of the top customer engagement platforms and how they compare:

Helpmonks

Helpmonks is an email management platform that allows businesses and teams to manage their emails efficiently. It provides an all-in-one solution for email management, enabling team members to share emails, delegate tasks, collaborate, and communicate internally to resolve customer inquiries faster. Let’s explore the features that Helpmonks offers to help teams work better together.

Shared Inbox

Helpmonks offers a shared inbox that allows team members to access and work on emails collaboratively. With the shared inbox, team members can assign emails to specific team members, set deadlines, and leave notes for each other. Doing this ensures that everyone is on the same page.

These features can reduce response times and improve customer satisfaction.

Email Management

Helpmonks allows users to organize their emails into different categories, such as labels, tags, and folders. That makes it easier to manage and find specific emails, especially for businesses that receive high volumes of emails. In addition, email management lets users quickly filter through their inboxes and prioritize customer inquiries.

Collaboration

With Helpmonks, team members can discuss and collaborate on specific emails. They can assign tasks to each other, set deadlines, and leave comments, ensuring that customer inquiries are addressed promptly. The collaboration feature benefits teams that work in a fast-paced environment and need to respond to customer inquiries quickly.

Live Chat

Helpmonks includes a powerful live chat widget. Put on your website or online store enables you to chat in real-time with your customers or use targeted messaging to selectively reach out to customers. The integrated push notifications further help to convey your message to your online users.

Knowledge Base

With Helpmonks one can create private and public knowledge base sites that are powered by an AI driven search engine. There are some unique features includes, like a Roadmap (think Trello) and an Announcement section. Besides, one can use the Live Chat Widget to embed the help center and live chat onto any website.

Email Marketing & Email Sequences

Helpmonks also features a integrated email marketing platform. Customers can use it to send out email newsletters. It features an easy-to-use drag&drop editor to create beautiful marketing emails. Furthermore, email sequences are available for automated follow-ups, to create a series of emails, or abandoned shopping carts.

Workflow Management

Helpmonks offers a customizable workflow that enables team members to automate tasks. That includes sending automated replies, assigning tickets, and creating workflows based on specific criteria. The workflow management feature streamlines email management and ensures that emails are processed quickly and efficiently.

Reporting and Analytics

Helpmonks provides users with reports and analytics to track team performance, response times, and customer satisfaction rates. The reporting feature is essential for businesses that want to improve their customer service and track the effectiveness of their email management.

Pricing

Helpmonks offers several pricing plans.

Helpmonks is a powerful customer engagement software that enables teams to manage their emails. Its features include a shared inbox, email management, collaboration, workflow management, email marketing, email automation, live chat, knowledge base, and reporting and analytics.

The flexible pricing plan makes it affordable for businesses of all sizes. In addition, their free trial allows users to test its features before committing. With Helpmonks, teams can work together seamlessly to improve customer service, and grow their business.

Intercom

Intercom is a customer engagement platform that offers tools to help businesses communicate with their customers more effectively. Intercom’s platform combines live chat, email marketing, and customer support features to create a seamless customer experience. Let’s explore some of the features that make Intercom an excellent customer engagement platform for businesses of all sizes.

Live Chat

Intercom’s live chat feature allows businesses to communicate with their customers in real time. You can customize the chat widget to match the website’s branding and offers various features, such as canned responses, emoji reactions, and file uploads. The live chat feature is an excellent way to quickly engage with customers and answer their questions.

Email Marketing

Intercom’s email marketing tools allow businesses to send targeted and personalized emails to their customers. The email editor is easy to use, and the platform offers a variety of templates to choose from.

Intercom’s email marketing tools also allow businesses to segment their audience and automate email campaigns based on specific criteria, such as user behavior and engagement.

Customer Support

Intercom’s customer support tools allow businesses to manage customer inquiries and support requests. The platform offers a shared inbox where team members can collaborate and assign tickets to specific team members. Intercom’s customer support tools also include a knowledge base where businesses can create articles to help customers find answers to common questions.

Product Tours

Intercom’s product tours feature allows businesses to create interactive guides to help customers navigate their products or services. The product tours can be customized to match the website’s branding and offer various features, such as progress bars, tooltips, and animations. The product tours feature an excellent way to onboard new customers and improve customer engagement.

Reporting and Analytics

Intercom’s reporting and analytics tools give businesses insights into customer behavior and engagement. The platform offers a variety of reports, such as conversation volume, response time, and user engagement. Intercom’s reporting and analytics tools also allow businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and improve their customer engagement strategies.

Pricing

Intercom offers pricing plans that vary based on different factors. The higher programs offer additional features and functions such as team inbox, product tours, and reporting and analytics.

No matter how you look at it, Intercom’s prices are quite high and are based on users, usage, and volumes.

Intercom is a customer engagement platform that offers tools to help businesses communicate with their customers. Its features include live chat, email marketing, customer support, product tours, and reporting and analytics. And the flexible pricing plans make it affordable for businesses of all sizes.

In addition, the platform is easy to use and customize. With Intercom, companies can engage with their customers, improve customer service, and grow their business.

HubSpot

HubSpot is a leading all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer service software platform that enables businesses to attract, engage and delight their customers. With a range of powerful features and tools, HubSpot offers a comprehensive solution for businesses of all sizes. Let’s explore the features that HubSpot offers to help companies to grow and succeed.

Marketing

HubSpot’s marketing features include tools for content creation, lead generation, social media management, email marketing, and analytics. With these features, businesses can create and publish content, attract visitors to their website, convert visitors into leads, and track their marketing performance.

Sales

HubSpot’s sales features include tools for prospecting, lead tracking, deal management, email tracking, and analytics. With these features, businesses can manage their sales pipeline, track their deals, and close more deals.

Service

HubSpot’s service features include tools for customer support, ticket management, knowledge base creation, and customer feedback. With these features, businesses can provide excellent customer service and support, resolve customer issues quickly, and collect feedback to improve their service.

CRM

HubSpot’s CRM is at the heart of its platform, providing businesses with a single view of customer interactions and data. CRM features include contact management, deal tracking, and task automation, enabling companies to manage customer relationships more effectively.

Integration

HubSpot integrates with various third-party apps and services, including Salesforce, Shopify, WordPress, and Slack. This integration enables businesses to streamline their workflows and processes. That saves time and improves productivity.

Pricing

Hubspot offers a plan at $30/month and the next tier starts at $800/month. It’s quite a steep price increase for growing teams.

The higher plans offer additional features and functions like contact management, deal tracking, and task automation.

HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing, sales, and customer service software platform. Its features include marketing, sales, service, CRM, and integration, providing businesses with a complete solution for customer interactions and data management.

Zendesk

Zendesk is a customer service platform that provides businesses with tools to manage and improve customer interactions across multiple channels, including email, chat, phone, and social media. Let’s explore the features that make Zendesk a popular choice for customer service management.

Ticket Management

Zendesk offers a ticketing system that enables businesses to manage customer inquiries. The system provides a centralized location for all customer interactions. That allows customer service representatives to track, prioritize, and resolve issues on time.

Multi-Channel Support

Zendesk supports multiple communication channels, including email, chat, phone, and social media, providing customers with various options to reach out for help. This feature ensures that customers can receive assistance through their preferred channel.

Self-Service Tools

Zendesk provides businesses with tools to create a knowledge base and community forums, allowing customers to find answers to common questions independently. This feature reduces the volume of support requests and helps customers find solutions quickly.

Collaboration

Zendesk enables customer service representatives to collaborate and share information to resolve customer inquiries more effectively. This feature is handy for businesses with complex issues requiring multiple departments’ input.

Automation

Zendesk offers automation tools that enable businesses to create workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and set up triggers for specific events, such as customer replies or resolution times. This feature saves time and improves efficiency in managing customer inquiries.

Reporting and Analytics

Zendesk provides businesses with insights into their customer service performance through real-time reporting and analytics. This feature helps companies to understand how their customer service team is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Pricing

Zendesk offers several pricing plans to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, starting at different price points depending on the features and services required. The pricing plans are designed to be competitively priced, making Zendesk an affordable solution for businesses.

The higher programs offer additional features and functions, such as multi-channel support, self-service tools, collaboration, automation, and reporting. In addition, the pricing plans are designed to be flexible. That makes Zendesk an excellent choice for businesses looking to improve their customer service and sales management.

Zendesk is a powerful customer service platform that provides businesses with tools to manage and improve customer interactions across multiple channels. Its features include ticket management, multi-channel support, self-service tools, collaboration, automation, and reporting and analytics. In addition, the pricing plans are designed to suit businesses of all sizes and needs, making Zendesk a popular choice for customer service management.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk is a cloud-based helpdesk software that provides businesses with an all-in-one solution to manage customer service operations. And Freshdesk offers various features that help companies to streamline their customer service processes, including:

Ticket Management

Freshdesk offers a centralized inbox that allows businesses to manage their customer inquiries from different channels, such as email, phone, chat, and social media. In addition, the ticket management system enables companies to track, prioritize, and assign tickets to team members. That ensures the timely resolution of customer inquiries.

Automation

Freshdesk provides businesses with automation tools to save time and improve efficiency. Automation features include ticket routing, canned responses, and service level agreements (SLAs), which help businesses provide consistent and timely customer responses.

Collaboration

Freshdesk allows team members to collaborate and work together on tickets, providing a unified view of customer interactions. The collaboration features include internal notes, team huddles, and collision detection, ensuring team members can work together seamlessly without duplicating efforts.

Knowledge Base

Freshdesk provides businesses with a knowledge base where they can create articles, FAQs, and self-help portals for their customers. The knowledge base helps companies to reduce the volume of incoming tickets. That enables customers to find answers to their questions quickly.

Reporting and Analytics

Freshdesk provides businesses with reports and analytics that help them track their team’s performance, monitor customer satisfaction rates, and identify areas for improvement. The reporting features include SLA compliance, agent performance, and customer satisfaction surveys.

Pricing

Freshdesk’s basic pricing plan starts at $0 per month, while the higher programs offer additional features and services. The pricing plans are designed to be affordable, making Freshdesk an attractive choice for businesses looking to manage their customer service operations. The higher programs offer additional features like multi-channel support, automation tools, collaboration, and reporting and analytics.

Freshdesk provides businesses with an all-in-one helpdesk solution enabling them to manage their customer service operations effectively. Its features include ticket management, automation, collaboration, knowledge base, reporting, and analytics.

In addition, the flexible pricing plans make it affordable for businesses of all sizes. And the free program enables firms to test its features before committing. With Freshdesk, companies can provide excellent customer service, improve customer satisfaction, and grow their business.

Salesforce

Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform that enables businesses to manage their sales, marketing, customer service, and analytics in one place. Let’s explore the features that make Salesforce a popular choice for businesses of all sizes.

Sales Management

Salesforce allows businesses to manage their sales processes more efficiently. Users can track leads, opportunities, and deals in real-time, assign tasks to team members and automate workflows to streamline their sales processes. The platform also provides analytics and reporting tools to help businesses track their sales performance and identify areas for improvement.

Marketing Automation

Salesforce enables businesses to automate their marketing processes and engage with customers through multiple channels like email, social media, and mobile. Users can create personalized campaigns, track customer interactions, and analyze the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Customer Service

Salesforce provides a comprehensive customer service platform that enables businesses to deliver personalized support across multiple channels. These channels include phone, email, chat, and social media.

In addition, the platform includes features such as case management, a knowledge base, and self-service portals to help businesses improve their customer service experience.

Analytics and Reporting

Salesforce offers robust analytics and reporting tools that enable businesses to track their performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Users can create custom reports and dashboards, analyze customer data, and gain insights into their business operations.

Mobile App

Salesforce offers a mobile app that allows users to access their CRM data on the go. And the app provides access to all the platform’s features, including sales, marketing, and customer service, enabling users to stay productive away from their desks.

Pricing

Salesforce offers a scalable pricing plan tailored to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. The higher plans offer additional features like analytics and reporting tools, custom development, and mobile app access.

Salesforce is a powerful CRM platform that enables businesses to manage their sales, marketing, customer service, and analytics in one place. Its features include sales management, marketing automation, customer service, analytics and reporting, and a mobile app.

The flexible pricing plans make it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Also, the platform’s scalability means companies can quickly grow and adapt as their needs change.

Front

FrontApp is not a customer engagement solution but merely a shared inbox platform that allows teams to manage messages and social media channels in one place. It provides an all-in-one solution for communication management, enabling team members to work together, delegate tasks, collaborate, and communicate internally and externally to resolve customer inquiries faster. Let’s explore the features that Front offers to help teams work better together.

Shared Inbox

Front offers a shared inbox that allows team members to access and work on emails, messages, and social media channels. With the shared inbox, team members can assign conversations to specific team members, set deadlines, and leave notes for each other. That ensures everyone is on the same page.

This feature can reduce response times and improve customer satisfaction.

Message Management

Front allows users to organize their messages into different categories, such as labels, tags, and folders. That makes managing and finding specific conversations easier, especially for businesses that receive high volumes of messages. And message management lets users quickly filter through their inboxes and prioritize customer inquiries.

Collaboration

With Front, team members can discuss and collaborate on specific conversations. They can assign tasks to each other, set deadlines, and leave comments, ensuring that customer inquiries are addressed promptly. The collaboration feature benefits teams that work in a fast-paced environment and need to respond to customer inquiries quickly.

Workflow Management

Front offers a customizable workflow that enables team members to automate tasks. That includes sending automated replies, assigning tickets, and creating workflows based on specific criteria. The workflow feature streamlines communication and ensures that conversations are processed quickly.

Reporting and Analytics

Front provides users with reports and analytics to track team performance, response times, and customer satisfaction rates. The reporting feature is essential for businesses that want to improve their customer service and track the effectiveness of their communication management.

Pricing

Front offers several pricing plans tailored to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. The Basic program costs $38 per month (they impose a minimum of two user licenses) and includes access to the shared inbox, message management, and collaboration tools.

Their higher plans offer additional features like advanced analytics and reporting tools, custom development, and integration with other business applications. Front’s pricing plans make it suitable for businesses of all sizes. And their scalability ensures businesses can grow and adapt as their needs change.

Front is a powerful collaborative inbox platform that enables teams to manage their communication efficiently. Its features include a shared inbox, message management, collaboration, workflow management, and reporting and analytics. The flexible pricing plan makes it affordable for businesses of all sizes.

In addition, their free trial allows users to test its features before committing. With Front, teams can work together seamlessly, improve customer service, and grow their business.

ServiceNow

ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform that offers enterprise-level software solutions for IT service management (ITSM), IT operations management (ITOM), and IT business management (ITBM). It provides a comprehensive suite of tools to help businesses streamline their IT services and operations, automate workflows, and improve customer service.

Let’s explore the features that ServiceNow offers to help organizations work more efficiently.

IT Service Management (ITSM)

ServiceNow offers a powerful ITSM suite that enables organizations to manage their IT services efficiently. With its Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, and Service Request Management modules, organizations can automate their IT processes, track issues, and resolve problems quickly. ServiceNow’s ITSM suite also provides a self-service portal, enabling users to request IT services and report incidents online.

IT Operations Management (ITOM)

ServiceNow’s ITOM suite helps organizations manage their IT infrastructure and operations effectively. With its Discovery, Service Mapping, Event Management, and Orchestration modules, organizations can automate their IT operations, monitor and manage their IT assets, and respond to issues proactively. ServiceNow’s ITOM suite also offers dashboards and analytics to help organizations gain insights into their IT operations.

IT Business Management (ITBM)

ServiceNow’s ITBM suite provides tools to help organizations align their IT services with their business goals. For example, with its Project Portfolio Management, Agile Development, and Financial Management modules, organizations can prioritize IT projects, manage development cycles, and track IT costs. ServiceNow’s ITBM suite also offers dashboards and analytics to help organizations monitor their IT investments and measure their performance.

Service Portal

ServiceNow’s Service Portal provides a user-friendly interface for users to request IT services, report issues, and access knowledge articles. And organizations can customize the Service Portal to meet their specific needs and provide a personalized experience for their users.

Reporting and Analytics

ServiceNow provides users with reports and analytics to track their performance, response times, and customer satisfaction rates. The reporting feature is essential for businesses that want to improve their customer service and track the effectiveness of their IT operations.

Pricing

ServiceNow offers a flexible pricing plan based on the organization’s specific needs. In addition, the pricing plan includes different modules that organizations can choose from based on their requirements.

ServiceNow is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that provides ITSM, ITOM, and ITBM solutions to help organizations manage their IT services and operations efficiently. Its features include ITSM, ITOM, ITBM suites, a Service Portal, and reporting and analytics. With ServiceNow, organizations can streamline their IT services and operations, improve customer service, and grow their business.

Schedule a Demo With Helpmonks and Experience Better Email Collaboration

Choosing the right customer engagement platform for your small business can be daunting, given the wide range of options available in the market. However, by considering factors such as your business goals, budget, and specific customer engagement needs, you can narrow down your options and select a platform that meets your requirements.

Compared to other customer engagement platforms, Helpmonks offers comprehensive features that make it the ideal choice for businesses looking to improve their email collaboration and customer service. With its shared inbox, email management, collaboration, workflow management, live chat tools, CRM, knowledge base, email marketing, email automation, and reporting and analytics features, Helpmonks provides a complete solution for managing emails efficiently and delivering exceptional customer service at an affordable price.

The platform also offers a free trial period to test its features before committing.

Schedule a demo with Helpmonks today and experience the difference that exceptional email management can make for your business.

I think you don't know about the site search within search engines :)

Just type:

site:reddit.com (search term)

For instance: site:reddit.com customer engagement

and you get "almost" an ad free experience.

I've switched to a Pixel 6 Pro when it was brand new and never looked back. I like the notifications and gestures a lot. They just feel natural. Taking photos is just a pleasure. 

For me, Android is a much better experience in all aspects. I wish Apple would get off it's high horse and be a better team player. The whole "we protect our users and better privacy" arguments are just a facade to keep the money coming in.

What Does it Mean to be Customer Service Oriented?

Did you know that 56% of customers will buy from a brand they are loyal to even if there are cheaper options available? This means that customers are willing to support businesses that focus on loyalty.

The relationship between businesses and customers is a critical component that defines success. Customers are the backbone of any business, and building a lasting relationship with them is essential. This is the best way to ensure sustained growth and profitability.

If you want to learn more about the importance of a strong business-customer relationship, this article can help. Keep reading for tips on building trust and loyalty, and the benefits of becoming customer service-oriented.

What Is a Customer-Oriented Brand?

A customer-oriented brand is a brand designed with its customers in mind. Branding products, marketing, and customer service are all focused on the expectations of the customer. This is great because it centers on experience rather than purely profit.

A customer-oriented brand is not just about offering a high-quality product or service. It’s also about creating an emotional connection with the customer.

Companies need to have an understanding of their customers to create a customer-focused brand. This means understanding their needs, preferences, and behaviors so they can resonate. Companies that do this use the information to create products, services, and experiences.

Why Is the Business-Customer Relationship Important?

There are several reasons why the business-customer relationship is important to protect. First, customers are the main source of revenue for businesses. Without customers coming back, there is no business to run.

Building a strong relationship with customers is essential for revenue and driving growth. On top of this, a good business-customer relationship can lead to increased customer loyalty. When customers feel valued, they are more likely to continue doing business with the company.

Loyal customers are also highly likely to recommend a company to others, which can lead to new customers and higher revenue. A strong business-customer relationship can help businesses understand their customers’ needs and preferences. This can result in better products, services, and effective marketing and communication strategies.

Tips for Building Trust and Loyalty

Now you know what building a strong connection with your customers can do for your growth. You might be wondering how you can foster and develop these types of relationships. Here are a few tips to start out with:

Provide Exceptional Customer Service

Providing the best possible customer service is essential for building trust and loyalty. People want to know what to expect with the things that they get involved in. Try not to switch things up unnecessarily, and if you do, inform them.

Respond to customer inquiries and complaints promptly and listen to their concerns. This is the easiest way to make customers feel appreciated and listened to. If customers feel like you did everything in your power to resolve any issues they may have, they will have a positive experience.

Be Transparent and Honest

Customers nowadays expect transparency and honesty from businesses. They want to know what is going on and feel like they are in the loop with their products. Make sure to be open and honest about your products and services, pricing, and policies.

Personalize the Customer Experience

Personalizing the customer experience can go a long way in building strong relationships. You can find customer data to tailor your products and services to their preferences. This will help ensure that you are offering services that are relevant to your customer, saving you both time and money.

Also, communicating with them in a way that feels personal and human will make them feel welcome. No one wants to deal with an operator that ends up not helping you with what you need. This is a great way to lose customers to other companies that offer face-to-face interactions.

Reward Customer Loyalty

Rewarding customers who are loyal can help build long-term relationships. You can create programs that customers can join to offer discounts, special promotions, or exclusive content. This is an easy way to acknowledge customers as a way of thanking them for their business.

Benefits of a Customer-Focused Approach

Taking a customer-focused approach to your company can have several positive outcomes. It has the potential to result in higher earnings and greater financial gain. One of the top things that a customer-focused approach can lead to is a company having a positive brand.

Customers are more likely to recommend places that provide exceptional customer service. Personalized experiences can lead to new business and more money flow.

A customer-focused approach can help businesses stay ahead of their competitors. By understanding their customers in every way, businesses can tailor their products to fit perfectly. This allows them to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Why Are Customer Retention Rates Important?

Customer retention rates are important because they provide insight into the effectiveness of a company. This includes customer service, products, and overall business model. High retention rates indicate that customers are satisfied with their experience with the company.

They will be likely to continue doing business with them. This is important because it costs significantly less to retain an existing customer than to acquire a new one. Also, high retention rates can be an indicator of a positive brand reputation.

Satisfied customers are more likely to recommend a company to others, which can lead to new business and revenue. Retained customers can also provide valuable feedback. This can help a company improve everything that it offers to its clients.

How to Calculate Customer Retention Rates

To calculate customer retention rates, a company needs to determine the number of customers that return. This period can change depending on preference. Here’s a simple formula for calculating customer retention rates.

Customer Retention Rate = ((CE-CN)/CS)) X 100

CE is the number of customers at the end of a period. CN is the number of new customers acquired during that period. Lastly, CS is the number of customers at the start of that period.

For example, you might see a company started the month with 100 customers, gained 20 new customers, and ended the month with 110 customers. That retention rate would be: (110–20)/100) X 100 = 90%. This means that 90% of the company’s customers returned to do business with them another time.

Strategies for Improving Customer Retention Rates

Customer retention rates are an essential metric for any business. They provide insight into the effectiveness of a company’s entire model. This includes customer service, products, and business plans.

High retention rates show customer satisfaction, loyalty, and trust. These are all key elements for long-term success.

Improving customer retention rates requires a combination of different things. Here are a few strategies that companies can use to improve their retention rates:

Provide Exceptional Customer Service

Providing excellent customer service is essential for retaining customers. Respond to customer inquiries and complaints promptly. Make sure you listen to their concerns and do everything in your power to resolve any issues they may have.

Offer High-quality Products

Customers are more likely to return to a company if they are satisfied with the products or services that they receive. Offering high-quality products that meet or exceed customer expectations is essential for retention.

Personalize the Customer Experience

Personalizing the customer experience can go a long way in building customer loyalty. Use customer data to tailor your products and services to their preferences. If you communicate with them in a way that feels personal and human, they will have a positive experience.

Offer Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs can be an effective way of rewarding customers for their continued business. Offer discounts, special promotions, or exclusive content to loyal customers as a way of thanking them for their business.

Use Customer Feedback to Improve

Actively seek out customer feedback and use it to improve your products, services, and customer experience. This can help you identify areas where you need to improve and make changes that can help retain customers.

Benefits of Being a Customer-Oriented Brand

There are several benefits to becoming a customer-oriented brand. Here are a few benefits below.

Increased Customer Loyalty

When customers feel that a brand understands and cares about their needs, they are more likely to remain loyal to that brand. People can have one great experience and be lifetime customers because they feel important.

Improved Customer Satisfaction

A customer-oriented brand is more likely to create a positive customer experience. This means that you should focus on meeting the needs of every individual. The experience shouldn’t be cookie-cutter.

Higher Customer Lifetime Value

When customers remain loyal to a brand, they are more likely to make repeat purchases. This increases their lifetime value to the company.

Competitive Advantage

In a crowded marketplace, a customer-oriented brand can stand out from its competitors. If they are offering a unique, customer-focused experience, they will be a valid competitor.

How to Become a Customer-Oriented Brand

Becoming a customer-oriented brand requires a concerted effort on the part of the company. Here are some steps that companies can take to become more customer-oriented:

Conduct Market Research

Companies must have a deep understanding of their target audience to be successful. This requires conducting market research. Get ahead of the game by gathering data on customer needs, preferences, and behaviors.

Use customer Feedback

Actively soliciting and using customer feedback is a key part of becoming a customer-oriented brand. Use customer feedback to improve products, services, and the overall customer experience.

Create a Customer-Centric Culture

Creating a customer-oriented brand requires a company-wide effort. This means creating a company culture that prioritizes customer needs and expectations.

Invest in Customer Service

Customer service is a critical part of the customer experience. Companies that invest in customer service can create a positive customer experience. This includes both resources and training.

Emphasize Customer Retention

Customer retention is an essential part of having a good brand and being successful. Companies should focus on retaining existing customers because it’s much cheaper. Try things like offering rewards, promotions, and excellent customer service.

Key Elements of a Customer Orientation Checklist

A customer orientation checklist is a tool used by businesses. The checklist outlines the key elements of a customer-oriented brand. It provides a framework for businesses to check their level of customer orientation.

Customer Needs and Expectations

The first element is understanding what your clients need. This requires businesses to conduct market research. It’s helpful to gather data on customer needs, preferences, and behaviors.

Customer-Focused Culture

A customer-oriented brand requires a company-wide effort. This means creating a company culture that prioritizes customer needs and expectations.

A customer-focused culture means that every employee understands the importance of customer satisfaction. They need to be empowered to take action to improve the customer experience.

Product and Service Design

A customer-oriented brand designs its products and services with the needs and expectations of its target audience in mind. This means creating products and services that are easy to use, meet customer needs, and offer a unique proposition.

Marketing and Communication

A customer-oriented brand uses marketing and communication to connect with its target audience and communicate the value of its products and services. This requires understanding the language, tone, and preferences of the target audience.

Customer Service

Customer service is a critical part of the customer experience. A customer-oriented brand invests in customer service, both in terms of resources and training, to make sure that customers receive a positive experience. This means providing timely, personalized, and efficient customer service that addresses customer concerns.

What Is a Customer-service Checklist

A customer orientation checklist is a valuable tool for businesses that want to improve their customer focus. The checklist outlines the key elements of a customer-oriented brand.

It also provides a framework for evaluating your business’s level of customer orientation. By using a customer orientation checklist, businesses can ensure that they are meeting the needs and expectations of their target audience.

How to Use a Customer Orientation Checklist

A customer orientation checklist should be used by businesses to evaluate their level of customer orientation and identify areas for improvement. You might be wondering where to start, so we’ve created a checklist below for you to follow.

1. Review the Checklist

The first step is to review the key elements of the customer orientation checklist and evaluate your business’s level of customer orientation. Make sure that you are being honest about your business.

2. Identify Areas for Improvement

Based on your evaluation, identify areas where your business could improve its customer orientation. This may involve improving customer service, investing in market research, or creating a customer-focused culture.

3. Develop an Action Plan

Once you have identified areas for improvement, develop an action plan to address them. This could look like training employees, investing in new technology, or changing marketing strategies.

4. Monitor Progress

It is important to monitor progress regularly to ensure that the action plan is working. Monitoring includes tracking customer satisfaction, analyzing sales data, or conducting customer surveys.

5. Set Clear Goals to Prioritize Your Tasks

Setting goals for your company is essential. A lot of the time people can become overwhelmed with the workload that it takes to run a business. It can be helpful to break projects into smaller and more achievable tasks.

If your goal is to complete a project in two weeks, you can break down the project into smaller tasks such as research, writing, and editing, and then prioritize each task based on its importance and deadline.

7. Stay Organized and Keep Track of Deadlines

Using tools like emails and to-do lists can help you keep track of your deadlines. Setting reminders can save you when you have a busy day, and ensure you don’t miss anything important. There are businesses that can help you keep track of things and have all-in-one services.

Keeping your workspace clean and tidy can help with production as well. It’s hard to stay on top of things when they are covered in a mess. Establishing a system for organizing your documents and files will go a long way.

8. Seek Feedback and Learn From Your Mistakes

Asking for feedback from coworkers, supervisors, or mentors can help you learn from the past. People who grow their company take constructive criticism and use it to improve. It helps people reflect on their performance and identify where they can make improvements.

This helps people continually grow and develop personal skills. This will roll over into your business mindset.

9. Network and Build Professional Relationships

Networking is important when creating a customer-oriented brand because it helps you build relationships with potential customers, partners, and stakeholders in your industry. By networking, you can get to know people who can help you promote your company. They can provide feedback on your products or services, and connect you with potential customers.

Here are some easy ways to network:

• Attend networking events or conferences
• Connect with colleagues or industry professionals on social media
• Participate in community or volunteer activities
• Host or attend networking events such as meetups or coffee meetings
• Offer to speak or present at industry events or conferences
• Participate in online webinars or virtual events related to your industry
• Collaborate with other businesses or professionals in your industry
• Stay active on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn

10. Stay Up-to-date With Industry Trends

Staying up-to-date with industry trends is important because it lets you remain relevant and competitive in your field. Industry trends can shed new ideas, strategies, and technologies. They can help you improve your products or services and stay ahead of the curve.

You can subscribe to industry publications and read relevant articles to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments. You can also attend industry events or conferences and participate in online courses or webinars. This will help you learn new skills and knowledge.

11. Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health

For production, it’s incredibly important that you exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet. People who practice stress management techniques or yoga tend to be more successful. It can also be really beneficial to seek professional help for self-growth.

Those who are successful aim to get 30 minutes of exercise a day, eat a balanced diet, and get at least 7–8 hours of sleep each night. You can also practice stress management techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.

Remain Persistent and Persevere

Mindset is an important part of being successful. Using positive self-talk and visualizing your success can help you stay motivated and reach your goals.

Tell yourself that you can use setbacks and make adjustments to your approach. This way, even if you take a step back, you are ready to take two forwards.

Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Celebrating your accomplishments and milestones is an important aspect of maintaining motivation and staying positive. Even if it seems like a smaller task, you should make sure to celebrate and acknowledge your milestones. This is especially important when you have staff working under you to build morale.

How to Manage Stress in the Workplace

Stress in the workplace is a common problem that can have negative effects on employee productivity, health, and well-being. It is important for workers and organizations to understand how to manage workplace stress effectively.

When employees are experiencing high levels of stress, they may become less engaged, patient, and empathetic. Below are some ways that workplace stress can affect customer service.

Causes of Workplace Stress

Workplace stress varies for each person depending on the job. Everyone can be impacted by different stressors. Here are some common causes of workplace stress:

High Workload

This refers to situations where companies have employees complete a large amount of work within a short amount of time. Job demands can sometimes be unrealistic. Especially when the tasks assigned are complex or difficult and there is not enough time given.

Tight Deadlines

This is hurtful to employee mentality. When there is a limited amount of time to complete a project or task, it can lead to increased stress and pressure. This results in customer service that can be short or unpleasant.

Poor Management and Leadership

When a manager or supervisor may be ineffective or unskilled in their role, it can negatively impact the team’s morale and productivity. This can uproot the success of an entire company because the culture and atmosphere play into everything.

Conflict With Coworkers

Any disagreements, misunderstandings, or personality clashes between colleagues can create a tense or hostile work environment. Customers can see and feel this, which is why it should be avoided at all costs.

Lack of Control

Autonomy in the workplace makes people feel in charge of their own lives. When an employee has limited decision-making authority or input in their work processes or procedures, they likely do less quality work.

Job Insecurity

The feeling of uncertainty about one’s job or future employment can lead to anxiety or stress. People won’t care about giving quality customer service if they don’t think their job is on the line.

Long Work Hours

A lack of work-life balance can cripple an employee. This is when people have to work extended hours, often sacrificing their personal or family time. It can lead to burnout and reduced job satisfaction.

Effects of Workplace Stress

All of these items that cause workplace stress can have a significant impact on the quality of customer service provided by employees. When employees are experiencing high levels of stress, they may become less engaged, less patient, and less empathetic. Below are some specific ways that workplace stress can affect customer service.

Reduced Job Satisfaction

When employees are stressed, they may feel less satisfied with their job and less motivated to perform. This can lead to a decrease in the level of engagement and investment in their work. It can also manifest in a lack of enthusiasm or effort when interacting with customers.

Impaired Judgment and Decision-making

Stress can also impair an employee’s ability to make sound judgments and decisions at work. In a customer service context, this could result in poor problem-solving or difficulty handling a customer interaction. This will end in a moment of misery for the customer.

Shortened Fuse and Impatience

High-stress levels can also lead to increased irritability or impatience. This may make it more difficult for employees to maintain a calm and professional demeanor when dealing with challenging situations. This can result in a negative customer experience, which can impact the business’s reputation.

Lack of Focus and Attention to Detail

When employees are dealing with stress, they may find it more difficult to focus on the task at hand and pay attention to details. This can lead to mistakes or oversights that impact the quality of service provided to customers.

Tips for Managing Workplace Stress

Workplace stress is a problem that can have negative effects on employee productivity and well-being. By understanding the causes and effects of workplace stressors, individuals and organizations can manage stress.

There are many resources that you can find online to help reduce stress in your business and life. Here are some practical tips and strategies for managing stress in the workplace:

Take Regular Breaks

Taking regular breaks throughout the workday can help reduce stress and increase productivity. Try taking a short walk, practicing deep breathing exercises, or listening to relaxing music during breaks.

Practice Time Management

Effective time management can help reduce stress by allowing individuals to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines more efficiently. Try using a planner or calendar to schedule tasks and set reminders.

Seek Support

Talking to a coworker, supervisor, or mental health professional can help to manage stress and cope with workplace challenges. Many organizations offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) that provide counseling and other resources to help employees manage stress. Some of these programs even help with personal issues.

Practice Self-care

Engaging in self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, and healthy eating can help individuals manage stress and improve overall well-being. If people are stressed in their home lives, it can be hard to leave it at home when they go to work.

Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries and creating a work-life balance can help reduce stress and prevent burnout. Try setting limits on work hours, taking time off when needed, and avoiding work-related activities outside of work hours.

Build Relationships

Building positive relationships with coworkers and supervisors can help reduce stress. If people are transparent, it can help create a supportive and comfortable workplace environment.

Hire a Team to Help

When it comes to running a business, it’s nice to get all the help that you can get because you are likely dealing with a lot. There are companies that can offer valuable services to those who want a customer-oriented brand.

Helpmonks provides advanced tools and technologies that can streamline customer support processes. This helps guarantee that customers receive timely and effective responses.

Become Customer Service Oriented Today

If you are hoping to improve your company and become customer service-oriented, you have the right idea. Follow the steps above to transform your company into something that people want to support and you will be off on the right foot. With Helpmonks, you can increase lead generation and grow your business.

Sign up today for business support without the high cost. If you want to work with others and improve the customer experience, there are products available that can help you.