Every consumer wants something different—but there are a few universal commonalities. For instance, customers want you to recognize their preferences no matter what channel they use to engage. They want frictionless buying and support experiences. Above all, they don’t want to wait while you figure out a game plan.
Real-time customer engagement strategies let you respond and adapt to unique needs as they arise. Here are some tips on using conversational marketing to enthrall consumers.
Real-time Customer Engagement Basics
What is real-time customer engagement? Think of it as any engagement strategy that responds and reacts to feedback in real-time.
A good parallel is what happens when you speak to someone in person. If you’re a good conversationalist, you don’t just listen to their words—you also observe their expression, tone, and how they react to what you say. In other words, you build a conversational context that deepens the interaction with added meaning. This context allows you to keep up with what they’re saying and hold an enjoyable conversation.
Real-time customer engagement works the same way, but you’re picking up on different signals. You can’t always hear someone’s tone or observe their body language in the digital world, so you have to harness data to build context and react quickly.
3 Simple Ways to Boost Real-Time Engagement
Conversational marketing just means having real-time conversations with your customer audiences across multiple channels. But some conversations don’t feel as seamless as they should. It’s up to you to eliminate lag, reduce misunderstandings, and refine channel transitions in pursuit of a more genuine experience.
1. Eliminate Lag to Keep Consumers Interested
People shouldn’t have to wait for answers. If you want them to stay loyal, you’ll work to speed up your responses as much as possible. Go back to the in-person conversation example. You’d probably think something was seriously wrong if your conversation partner paused for a couple of minutes every time you asked a question!
Tools like text marketing software can help you reduce response times and provide the instant gratification consumers demand. Remember: You don’t always have to solve problems on the first response. If you need to escalate an issue to a live human, your software can send a temporary placeholder reply, like “We’re working on that, and we’ll get back to you soon.”
2. Reduce Misunderstandings Through Personalization
The most rewarding conversations make people feel like they’re understood. While there’s no magic formula for creating this sense of connection, personalization is a good start. If you can provide each customer with personally relevant replies, information, and feedback, they’ll feel like you’re truly taking care of them.
Setting up an omnichannel messaging system can help you achieve this. These software tools keep all of your customer conversations in one place, simplifying tasks like fielding support inquiries, nurturing leads, and answering product questions. As the system facilitates interactions across different marketing channels, it gathers data about individual customers, giving future engagements that personal touch.
3. Refine Channel Transitions With Backend Orchestration
You don’t know where customers will strike up a conversation—or decide to continue it. But your social media marketing, SMS campaigns, and other forms of outreach should create the impression of a seamless interaction. Someone who starts chatting with you on Instagram, for instance, ought to be able to complete the same discussion on your main eCommerce site.
Regardless of whether you’re using a comprehensive dashboard or an independent integration, your backend should impose an organized hierarchy on your conversations. Here are some examples:
- Your agents should always have access to the account information of the customers who contact them.
- If your research indicates that a specific customer might like a particular product, your sales team should know.
- Consumers shouldn’t have to repeatedly remind you that they placed a specific order—your email, chat, and other systems should make the connection automatically.
Implement Superior Conversational Marketing Strategies Today
Omnichannel communication can understandably seem tough. It’s a huge task, and you can’t afford to focus on just one channel.
Mitto lets you build a broader, data-backed perspective that keeps conversations flowing smoothly. Learn more by trying a demo.
