Building Community in the Era of COVID-19: Staying Connected to your Customers
In a time where almost everyone is separated, it is important that we take steps to create a sense of togetherness. Non-essential businesses who have their workforce working from home, and essential businesses who are working with a down-sized workforce all need to find ways to stay in business.
The most important element for staying in business today is communication. This is not a new concept, however, the ways in which a business communicates can feel new in this changed landscape. We’re all facing the same challenge and finding ways to help each other get through it. We’re creating communities, literally.
It is more important now than ever that businesses have the right infrastructure to communicate. Salesforce Communities allows business to communicate with customers, clients, vendors, distributors, and other partners. It’s a platform that provides bi-directional communication and is a must for any business dealing with changes, for example, those not equipped to re-route phone calls to home-based employees, or those who have downsized due to the pandemic.
Community Development
Lexicon defines community as “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” Delivering a community to customers/clients allows for organizations to communicate information that meets this definition, while simultaneously, improving the overall customer experience.
A customer community, also referred to as a portal, can deliver up-to-date information on a variety of items at the exact time when the customer wants it. Anyone who’s ever bought anything online can attest to the convenience of logging into their account to track processing and shipping information, any time of the day. Consider how this kind of communication and satisfying experience could affect your business.
Orion is working with several clients to quickly implement their Salesforce Communities. From the ability to easily broadcast information to allowing users to search the databases for specific information, Salesforce Communities are giving new life to customer service and opening new opportunities for sales.
Communication Continuity
As most of us are working from home and spending a high percentage of our time at our computers, there are a lot of digital communications. Inboxes are bursting and cell phones are vibrating off the table with non-stop texts. This results in important messages being missed.
The information available through Salesforce Communities includes FAQs, inventory levels, order details, payment options, company communications, and important alerts, depending on your specific configuration. These options allow for customers to be quickly and easily directed to the most up-to-date information.
Additionally, customers may be experiencing longer wait times. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into May and beyond, customers may start to have less patience for these inconveniences.
By implementing the Salesforce Community platform instead of making people rely on phone calls, texts, emails, or even online chats, you are creating a more enjoyable experience which will lead to greater customer satisfaction, loyalty and a positive ROI. You will set your organization apart from its competition.
Salesforce Communities can be implemented within 2-4 weeks, even if your business is not currently a Salesforce customer. Contact us for a free demonstration and consultation on how Salesforce Communities can help improve your communications, customer experience, and overall sales.