Can automation help you retain more customers? Yes, here is how

Customer retention should be an essential part of your business strategy, after all as the Harvard Business Review points out – it can be anywhere from five to twenty-five times more expensive to gain a new customer when compared to retaining an existing one. Automation is a powerful tool for sales, customer service and customer retention, and the right automation solutions can make a massive difference to your business. In this article, we are looking at how automation helps with customer service, the benefits of using automation retention strategies, the challenges you might face in taking this approach, and what we can do to take you to the next level.

How automation can help with improved customer service

There are five stages of the customer journey:

• Awareness – where the potential customer realises they have a problem or need.
• Consideration – where research is underway, and the potential customer is looking at your product or service.
• Decision – where they choose who to purchase from.
• Retention – where a customer decides whether it was a one-off or if they will continue to use the business.
• Loyalty – where the customer recommends the brand / product / services to others.

Each of these stages comes with its own needs and targeted approach, and how you deal with customer service will differ depending on where in the process they are – for example, a customer who is in the consideration stage may need basic level Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), but a customer in the retention stage may be looking for more detail and a reason to remain loyal to the brand.

Customers want their needs seen to as quickly and efficiently as possible, and they often want this interaction on channels or platforms that suit their own needs – businesses that do not cater for this, or expect customers to wait for longer than a day for a response, will often see them losing the customer and potentially getting negative reviews, sentiment, or media attention as a result.

A survey conducted by Shep Hyken found that 58% of customers will pay more for better customer service, and PR Newsletter discovered that 84% of businesses working on improving their customer experience reported increased profits.

Automation allows customer service to be improved by:

• Speeding up response times
• Prioritising cases
• Scheduling and sending out regular communication
• Generating data-driven ideas for new content
• Notifying team members of new cases or follow-ups as needed

What benefits are there to using automated retention strategies?

Keeping your customers happy means keeping them interested, engaged, and wanting to be involved with your brand.

A retention strategy needs to involve actively reaching out to existing customers, showing them goods and services that will interest them, and taking a personal approach that makes them feel that they are wanted and needed.

Some of the main benefits of using an automated retention strategy include:

• Greater availability – with automation such as AI, chatbots, and scheduled emails, your customer service options can be available even when it is out of hours.
  
  
• Targeted correspondence – by combining automation with a CRM system, you can send out communication on a regular basis, without having to spend additional staff time in handling it. You can also utilise analytics to determine what your customers are buying and send them reminders when they are expected to run out.
  
  
• Direct offers and promotions – using your analytics and automation, you can determine which customer demographics your promotions or offers are best suited for, and directly target those who will be interested, rather than wasting resources on a general campaign that does not suit everyone.
  
  
• Engage before customers lapse – Automation allows you to set regular reminders and send out correspondence to customers to keep them interested, and your brand fresh in their mind – by involving yourself with your customers, you have the opportunity to keep their interest and return purchases, before they decide to go looking elsewhere.

What challenges might you face in adopting automation for your business?

Businesses that have not had much experience with automation or have not progressed through a digital transformation may initially find it difficult to implement an automation strategy, this is mainly due to the lack of data available, inexperience with what tools and software is required, and overly complicated processes that have not been recently reviewed.

Some of the main challenges that businesses face include:

• Lack of technological understanding, and staff who are capable of setting up the systems.
• Inexperience in determining what tools and software are essential, useful, or not needed.
• Inappropriate choices in software that does not protect data security or comply with legal obligations.
• Existing business structure that has not been optimised or streamlined and is outdated.

Many of the challenges that you might face in adopting automation for customer retention can be solved by working with experts, who know what services you need, how to get the best from your business, and can ensure that your solutions are exactly that – solutions, which will lead you to success.

How we can help you with your automation solutions

TEB Apps is a rapidly growing CRM and automation software that is changing the landscape of business. With centralised customer data, more efficient processes and aligned departments, TEB Apps helps businesses offer unparalleled customer service to obtain, and retain customers. TEB Apps provides businesses with:

• Centralised customer data – Centralise your customer data to get a deep understanding of your lead sources, your customer requirements and your interactions with the customer
• Prioritise the right customers – See what customers need to be prioritised to win more sales and retain customers with great customer service.
• Deeper understanding of your customers – so you can engage with them in the right place at the right time.
• Task automation – Allowing you to spend more time on the tasks that need your attention, without compromising the day-to-day running of your business.

Book a demonstration today, and discover how we can help you take your business to the next level so that you can be your best now and in the future.