Has it ever occurred to you how similar modern marketing is to relations in the 21st century?đ€
In the end, it always comes down to one simple thing: maintaining the other party’s interest. And failure to do so brings unresponsive customers to the marketing sector. Something we know as being âghostedâ in our personal lives.
So how should you engage unresponsive customers? Well, that is exactly the query we are going to target for you in this blog.
But before we consider our major concern, we will follow a path that helps us reach there. Hence, we will begin by understanding what causes this disengagement. Post understanding the root causes of the issue, it will be easier to understand how to deal with unresponsive customers.
But that is not all!
This blog will serve as the one-stop destination for âunresponsive customerâ queries! Keep reading to see all that we have catered to in the blog.
What Causes an Unresponsive Customer?
Having an unresponsive person adds to your frustration. Irrespective of your role – a customer success manager (CSM) or an individual, being ghosted triggers a series of âwhat ifâ scenarios in your head.
The only difference between the two is that in our personal lives, we have the luxury of writing off people who don’t reciprocate our efforts. But, as a CSM your customers are your priority. As a CSM, it becomes your duty to maintain positive and consistent communication.
In other words, part of your job is getting to the core of the issue of unresponsive customers.
Thereâs no simple or one main reason that might result in a customer loss. But that doesnât mean we turn a blind toward why it happens. As we said earlier, you need to know the whyâs of a problem to reach the whatâs of it!
Here are the top five reasons why your customers turn unresponsive.
1. Overflowing Inbox
It is estimated that almost 121 business emails are sent and received every single day. And, if your customer has received a lot of emails, it is natural for them to have missed out on yours.
2. They are Busy
As a brand, getting a response from your customers means everything to you. However, it is also important to understand that your customer has other priorities and duties. Maybe they were interested in your product a week ago, but due to lack of time or even energy, they cannot engage with you.
3. Competitive Market
This is probably the reason you dread the most! Sometimes, your customers have just moved to a different product and there isnât much you can do about it. But, knowing your customer has approached a different brand is a great way to know what your product is lacking.
4. Incompatible Communication Skills
As a brand, your customers are your main focus. Your products and services are meant for them and knowing your customer pain points is an essential part of this journey.
If a customer reach-out fails right after the first or second step, you have to know there was something off about that communication. This can be as simple as customers feeling being spammed, or it could be something that your agent said that put the customer off.
Also, one of the most common reasons for a customer to back off after being in communication is they find your online reviews inefficient.
5. Want vs Need
It is quite common for a consumer to get confused between wants and needs. Sometimes, even after having contacted you, the customer realizes it is more of a want than a need for them. As a result, they decide to hold off on the purchase.
Now that you know the top reasons for customer unresponsiveness, let us look at what you can do to engage unresponsive customers
How to Deal with Unresponsive Customers?
In this section, we have listed 5 steps that you can take to re-engage a customer that has suddenly started acting aloof. However, letâs first see what is it that customers want to see in your customer service.
What Do Customers Expect?
Let us begin by analyzing the customer-brand relationship.
A customer-brand relationship is a give-and-take one. Your customers expect you to provide them with products and services, and in return, they provide you with economic stability.
Your customer, when satisfied completely, is your biggest supporter.
Take a look at these customer expectations.
- Consistent Answers: It is a chief no-no for your brand to provide confusing and conflicting answers. It makes your customer lose confidence in you and your service
- Personalized Service: Your customers indeed want fast responses. However, it is off-putting to receive a cliched, repetitive response. It is for this reason that conversational AI platforms are a trending tool as they enable personalized and easy almost human experiences for your customers.
- Seamless Experience: When your customers contact your customer service department, either by mail or some other means, they expect you to have their information handy. Constantly having to repeat themselves is not how they want to be communicated with.
Knowing what your customers want is the best way to strategize your marketing efforts. Now that you know what customers expect from your service departments, you can easily understand the ways to engage unresponsive customers.
5 Best Ways to Engage Unresponsive Customers
So, here we are. Letâs look at the first one right away.
1. Be Persistent
On average, you require a minimum of 7 calls to secure a deal. So, if youâve had only a few calls before communication dropped, donât lose hope. You can still get hold of your customer.
Ask yes/no questions to identify what your customers want. You can also set deadlines for your customers to respond. If nothing else works, you always express your concern about a customer who has been MIA for a long.
We still recommend you remember the difference between being persistent and annoying. And this is why the 7-call deal is something we stand by!
2. Utilize Calendar Invites
When you send out emails to sell an expensive product, always include a calendar invite. You can also accompany the invite with a message that says,
âThe email consists of a calendar invite for us to discuss things further. Do let us know if you would like to reschedule this for some other timeâ.
Messages like these show that you are committed to your customersâ needs. At the same time, it makes your customers feel respected as you let them be the boss of their own decisions.
A client that has disconnected can easily be brought back with the help of a calendar invite. Missing out on emails is much easier than missing out on calendar invites.đ
3. Use Scheduling Tools
As we mentioned in the previous section, consistency is a key part of holding onto customers. A scheduling tool can help you send regular emails without even thinking about it. These tools also enable your customers to arrange a time to call you.
Even though it demands a little effort on the customersâ side, it ensures that they get a time slot.
4. Never Miss Out On Following Up
One of the biggest mistakes you can do while closing an almost-achieved deal is not setting up a follow-up meeting. Modern customers have access to a lot of brands & services. And, their curious mind is always looking for another, even better option.
Hence, it is easier for them to forget about the next steps. Scheduling a follow-up is a great way to hold onto the customers and yourself for moving forward. It also facilitates a better routine for customer communication.
5. Analyze your Emails and Other Communication Mode
Now, this is an interesting point.
At times we see an otherwise active customer going quiet. If this happens to you you must know either your customer has been offended by something or they are missing your emails.
To improve this, analyze your previous communications and look for points where the communication dropped. Identify a pattern, if any. If most of your customers are turning away from one certain point, you need to take this up with product developers.
However, say if it is not a lack in your productâs feature but actually your email marketing, what can you do?
In our next section, we have devised some important points to take your email marketing to next level.
Re-Engaging Unresponsive Customers with Emails
A larger portion of this blog has mentioned email. Thus, it is only justified that we explain its importance.
As a customer service department, email inquiries can break or make your companyâs reputation. Emails are the first point of contact with customers, or possible customers as they provide consumers with the brand image.
If not done correctly, i.e., matching todayâs ever busier and demanding customersâ expectations, your emails are bound to go unnoticed.
You can use these 4 best practices to write customer service emails.
1. Personalized Conversation
While addressing your customers, you have to ensure that your customers feel acknowledged. Remembering their name is more beneficial than a call log number.
However, we do not recommend blurring the lines between speedy and effective responses.
Remember, the aim behind personalizing their experience is to ensure they feel the human touch.
Maintain a friendly tone and work on building trust because simplicity is your best friend.
When writing customer service emails, itâs important to make sure you do not use over-the-top technical terms. It is tricky, but indeed necessary to put thoughts into the language you wish to use. Even if your industry is big on jargon, find ways to limit it wherever possible.
By keeping your language clear and simple, you can make sure that your customers avoid any kind of misunderstanding It minimizes the number of email exchanges between you and the customer.
2. Address Your Customersâ Feelings
While writing back to your customers, it is important to gauge their tone. If your customers are using distressed, angry or frustrated language make sure to acknowledge them.
No two customers behave the same. While some remain calm, others might be quick with their aggression. The reason being some feel their requirements are met, while others are still struggling with their query.
As a customer care representative, you must learn the art of picking up on emotions. If youâre an agent, brush up on your empathy skills.
3. Donât Shy from Calling
Last, but not least, it is important to understand that email is NOT the only mode of communication.
Owing to its popularity, it is also often overlooked how lengthy and draining a long email chain can be. If a problem has been lingering for too long, you must quit. If email conversations are not reaching anywhere, turn to call your customers.
You can send a mail like,
âHi, Glad to have received a response from you. I think it is easier for this issue to be resolved over a call. If you send across a contact number and a convenient time by which I can reach you, Iâll be happy to do what I can to help.â
A template like this enables you to break the monotony of email chains and facilitates a more personal, engaging connection between you and the customer.
The Bottomline
The customer service industry is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding job sectors.
It serves as a two-way gate for your brand. Seeing that your costumes are well taken care of by the CS departments enables a positive brand image and also increases the chances of customer retention.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance that your CS department is well-versed in the skills of engaging unresponsive customers.
While emails should be your go-to mode of communication, don’t be hesitant to switch your platforms. Leveraging different communication channels can help you get more and more disengaging customers back.
We recommend you invest in an omnichannel software to be available on all platforms. Make engaging with unresponsive clients easier with Simplify360âs omnichannel platform.
Now that you know how to engage unresponsive customers, start engaging them and get those prospects you missed out earlier!