Focus on customer engagement

Today I had the pleasure of attending a StartupSmart webinar with Brian Walker, managing director of the Retail Doctor Group on the global trends re-shaping the retail sector.

One of the interesting slides he presented highlighted the benefits of customer engagement and quoted research from Roy Morgan that claimed engaged customers spend 16% more than un-engaged customers.

It’s a fascinating thought and one that raises many questions. What qualifies as an “engaged” customer? What level of “engagement” is required to get them spending more?

Engagement is tough to define, but the point if that companies of all sorts need to more than simply sell stuff. They need to communicate with customers and keep their brand in the client’s mind.

With this simple definition of engagement in mind, what can we do to improve engagement. Some suggestions might include:

• Encouraging customers to communicate on social media and responding to them.
• Developing customer focus groups to get regular feedback.
• Holding awards for customers and suppliers.
• Sending customers a regular newsletter.
• Assigning customers a personal contact within your business.
• Regularly speaking with customers to make sure they are satisfied.

Engagement doesn’t have to be hard, but it is crucial.

Get it done – today!