About two weeks ago, I attend my first Grow with HubSpot event. I have been an avid HubSpot user and use it daily for our business here at Marketplace Platform. I had received invitations previously but the timing never seemed to align. This time around I was able to attend and let me start off by telling you, whether you are a current HubSpot user or not the information was very valuable.
The event touched on many different points from strategy to networking and left a feeling for wanting to do more. We were able to hear from employees of HubSpot directly such as CMO Kipp Bodnar, Director of Product Marketing Jeff Russo, and Manager North America Regional Marketing Christine McLaughlin.
Anyways, let’s get started with the good stuff and share my learnings with the rest of you.
We Are In The Age Of Convenience
What does this mean? Many like to say millennials are spoiled or lazy but the reality is they are are so focused on other things that they need to cut time where possible. Now sure it is safe to say there are some millennials who fit the “lazy” persona, but it is not fair to generalize them. Not only millennials but even Generation Y or X look for convenience as well.
Take Amazon for example. They have made it possible for us to get items shipped right to our doorsteps on the same day with a few clicks simple on your computer. How much more convenient can that get?
For customers, they want options. This is why Amazon has become so successful as it puts their customers first. Instead of giving them a one size fits all method, they have personalized the experience. From the home page of showing recently viewed items to “deals recommended for you” based on your viewing and buying habits. Amazon even goes as far as customizing by categories along with following up with drip campaigns in case you left something in your shopping cart.
If you are looking for an example of being on top of things, you may want study what Amazon is doing.
The AAA Affect
Not your insurance company but rather the key to your business growth: Adaptable, Available, and Authentic. Each of these play an important role for success so let’s take the time to understand each one.
1. Being Adaptable.
It is vital to be flexible with your form of communication. Whether you are currently using email, social media, phone, messaging apps, or any other form you must go where the conversation is. Don’t limit yourself to one or the other but rather adapt to your customers. If you are starting to generate more conversations on Twitter than email, maybe you should look for ways to supplement your team. Now that does not necessarily mean spend all your time on Twitter interacting but rather be flexible. The conversation may start on Twitter and may need to go into more detail. At this point, getting on a phone call or email thread may be best. Statistics have shown that, 75% of consumers expect a consistent experience wherever they engage with your brand.
The bottom line: Go where your customers want to go.
2. Being Available.
One of the toughest things for a business is to be available 24 hours a day. To be at the need of every customer inquiry and to do so in a timely manner. Whether you are small or big business it is important to set expectations on availability. If your team is not equipped to handle 24/7 customer support, let it be known. Place your hours on your website, bottom of emails, social media, and wherever your information may be. From a business standpoint it is difficult to be always be “online” but the truth of the matter is customers never sleep. This holds especially true with companies that are global. What may a late night here in San Francisco, is the start of a new day across the globe.
It may be worth looking into automation tools to help cover certain tasks such as chats or automated email responses. For example, a chatbot on your website that will respond with hours to expect a response or an email letting them know you have received their inquiry and someone will respond within the next 24 hours. This will help set the expectation rather than customers sitting around waiting for their problems to be fixed and adding to the already stress they may be experiencing.
The bottom line: Set expectations and deliver when promised.
3. Being Authentic.
While you may be wondering, being authentic? Didn’t you just say to use chatbots and automated emails? Sure I did but that is not what being authentic means in this case. Authenticity is referring to personalization. Let’s run with the chatbot idea. An automated chat is programmed to respond initially but the inquiry is then sent to your support team to further handle the situation. This is where personalization come into play. At this point you have contact information along with the issue. The job of your team is now to tailor this experience. Find any resources, links, and information you can regarding the inquiry. It is almost important to research information on the inquirer as well to personalize it even more. Maybe they need it to help their business they are running or an engineer looking to develop their own software. Whatever the case may be, use that information to build a relationship. Know exactly who your customers are and use it to show you truly do care.
The bottom line: Establish and build relationships with each of your customers.
Conclusion
Customers want to be seen, heard, and valued. If you are able to bring that to the table, your business is headed in the right direction. Continue to work together as a team to help your satisfy customers and grow. All the hard work will pay off before you know it.
If you were at the Grow with HubSpot event or have attended one before, what information did you find useful? Would love to chat more. Leave a comment below or send us a message on social media. Happy readings!
