How will customer communication evolve in 2024? What you need to know

Connecting with your customers, whether it is to make sales, answer questions, provide more information, or something else is at the heart of B2C business. Understanding consumer needs and how your customers want to engage with you is vital. In this article, we are looking at the different types of customer communication, what channels are being used, the technology that is evolving and adapting to different communication needs, and what customers in 2024 want so you can plan ahead.

What are the different types of customer communication?

Customer Experience (CX) is one of the most important elements of your sales and communications strategy, so it is absolutely vital that your communications strategy and functional structure is working as it should.

Customers want to get in touch in a way they prefer, and some of the most popular methods of communication include:

• Face-to-face
• Instant or Direct messaging
• Email
• Phone
• Text messaging
• Video messaging
• Web chat

CX Today found that 90% of consumers want an omnichannel experience with seamless service between communication methods.

Having an omni-channel approach to communication is key, as different demographics and audience types expect to be able to get in touch and hear from a business using their preferred method, without the hassle of installing or using different applications or programs.

What platforms and channels are consumers using to communicate with businesses?

As well as ‘how’, your business needs to carefully consider ‘where’ when it comes to communicating with your consumers. There are multiple tools, platforms, and applications that can be used, and each one has its own level of consumer expectations involved.

When considering your communication strategy and where to connect, you should consider that customers often engage using:

• Social media
• Company websites
• Mobile devices
• Messaging services
• Video and web services
• Email

Technologies such as Slack, WhatsApp, Skype, Instant Messaging on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are popular choices for consumers who often feel that being reached through these methods is more trustworthy than a cold call from an often ‘unknown’ number. The use of social media for lead generation is a potent method for developing a larger customer base, but is also a vital point for communication and outreach.

How is technology evolving to adapt to new consumer communication needs?

Omnichannel experiences are expected to become a major trend in 2024, and businesses will need to focus on delivering a consistent level of quality, unified brand identity, consistent messaging and tone of voice, in order to provide a level of service that customers do not question or complain drops between one method of communication or another.

Some of the main technologies that will impact 2024 communications for B2C include:

• Voice assistance augmented by machine learning.
• Generative AI.
• Omnichannel support utilising AI and data-driven personalisation.
• Predictive analytics.
• Self-Service portals and chatbot support.

What should your business be doing to improve customer communication in 2024?

Obtaining new customers and maintaining active connections with existing ones is absolutely vital for building a successful business, and your sales activities need to be supported by a strategic approach to communication, the right tools for the job, and a structure that can support your internal and external needs, allowing you to showcase your USPs and convert leads to sales.

CX and communication has to be regularly reviewed and evaluated, in order to ensure you are providing the level of service that your customers want and need. In order to manage your communications (both internally with your team, and externally with your customers) you should consider:

• The customer journey – How are customers engaging with your brand? Where are your connection and touchpoints? Although it is often said that there is a sales funnel or cycle, customers do not always enter at the same point or follow the expected path – your communication strategy should look at the customer journey in its entirety, and all the different potential access points to the cycle or funnel. These points should then be supported by communication and connection opportunities that match the needs of the consumer.
  
  
• Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) – As technology continues to improve, the ability to take communications to another level have done so as well. Many sales and advertising departments are already utilising VR and AR to showcase products in situ, but it is expected that 2024 will see these technologies being used more for customer service and communication as well.
  
  
• Voice Assistants (VA) and integrating voice options in CX – As more people utilise VA platforms such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, etc – businesses are finding that not only are their customers making queries on these platforms but want to communicate with businesses as well. Having Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and interactable content available on voice services is expected to become more popular throughout 2024.
  
  
• Hyper personalisation – Consumers want to feel acknowledged and respected, and although personalisation of content is not a new trend, 2024 looks set to see even more customers assigning importance to businesses who know who they are, what they want, and are able to assist them with minimal initial input. Having a communications strategy which is backed by robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is going to be key.

How can TEB help you evolve your communication strategy to grow sales in 2024 and beyond?

Your communication and sales strategies need to be underpinned by reliable, available, and accurate data – and the right tools to handle the needs of your customers and your teams.

Working with the right software, and applications, and evolving your data strategy is essential in order to grow and develop a keen competitive edge.

With TEB Apps, you will be able to track all of your customer interactions in real-time while streamlining your sales processes to help you provide a better customer experience and win more deals. Some of TEBs key features include:

• Customer storyboard tracking – Track all of your customer interactions in real-time and view them in a user-friendly customer storyboard to understand how they are progressing in the sales funnel.
• Segment your leads – Holistically view all of your leads with a funnel view and segment them to prioritise the most valuable customers.
• Generate reports – With TEBs funnels and filters you can generate reports to overview customer and performance data seamlessly for important insights.
• Automate processes – Automate your sales processes like assigning leads, follow-up reminders and more to offer better customer service.

There is no time like the present to build on your business, improve your structure and ensure that 2024 is a year of superb customer engagement, outstanding communication, and more sales as you grow. Contact our experts today, and discover what TEB can do for you.