Customer Contact is the first step of a business process improvement. It’s a step that every company should take as it allows a company to effectively communicate with the customer and give them what they want. In order for a company to successfully gain customer contact, the company must offer a wide variety of products and services, have a positive working relationship, and provide a pleasant shopping experience.
C. Customer contact isn’t the same as Customer service or even Relationship Management. Customer service is usually the act of dealing with a customer immediately after the sale of products or services, e.g., purchasing a car, availing of a vacation package, etc. Customer service is typically defined as helping a customer achieve his needs and expectations regarding a purchased item or service. Therefore, Customer contact should be an endeavor that helps the customer find and exploit new opportunities, as well as an opportunity to resolve issues and troubles. However, it is not the same as Relationship management which seeks to establish and nurture ongoing mutually beneficial relationships with customers, which are usually accomplished through a series of channels (such as marketing communications, business development, sales, and support, warranty, and service and support).
D. Customer Contact often happens every time you perform a service or product for a customer. This is when a customer calls in a problem or concern, such as ordering a product over the phone, or needing help with their account, etc. In order to gain sales, most companies must respond to customers via phone or mail. Customers also expect their suppliers to take care of them and will often ask for tips, advice, etc. If a supplier fails to take care of a customer, they are likely to go elsewhere for their needs (i.e., if they don’t get the solution they need from a particular supplier, they’ll try someone else) or to tell their friends about the poor service.
E. Customer Contact occurs when a company chooses to promote their product by phone or mail. For example, many insurance agents will often send a customer contact letter or flyer to a potential client after a prospect has filled out the contact form on their insurance form. These types of mailings usually have an offer of some sort attached, like a discount or a complimentary sample product. Alternatively, a company may use a call center service to call up potential customers and explain a new product, offer, or service, and ask for feedback. The call center service will then have a script that can be used multiple times to make repeat phone calls to each potential client and can be stored in a database for future use.
F. Out of Customer Contact is when a business decides to use its own resources to serve customers. For example, hotels often give a hospitality employee a welcome email or welcome letter to new customers. Similarly, companies may send out a pre-launch or post-launch press kit, containing information about the company, product, or service. These tools are not personalized but provide information for potential customers to read about their offerings, as well as helpful hints to get them started. This type of customer contact usually does not require a personal contact from the company and can be sent over a variety of methods, including email, social media messaging, and traditional mail.
G. Social Media Contact centers have become a significant piece of a successful marketing strategy. In today’s age of viral marketing, social media allows businesses to create viral contact centers by publishing useful information on their Facebook page, Twitter account, or creating a YouTube video. Businesses can set up a fan page, or a page with a combined following on both Facebook and Twitter. This allows them to create a one-on-one connection with their customer base through various mediums. In addition to this type of traditional customer contact center activity, new forms of social media engagement are emerging every day.