Speed matters. 

The consumer inside of you knows this. 

How annoying is it when companies don’t make a point to resolve your questions quickly? The answer? Very. 

In today’s fast-paced world, nobody has time to wait. The companies that can adapt their strategies to fit the expectations of the modern consumer will win loyalty and repeat business, while the ones who fail to keep up with the pack will surely be left behind. 

In fact, globally, 54% of all consumers say that they have higher customer service expectations than they did just one year ago, according to this blog post from nextiva.com. And even more consumers – 69% to be exact – say that a “quick resolution” to their inquiries is a major factor in meeting those heightened expectations. 

There’s simply no way to look at those statistics and think that speed doesn’t matter.

People and organizations are willing to spend more money with companies that prioritize a good CX, plain and simple. If you can convert those customers to repeat buyers, you have a base that will be more opening to try new products and service offerings and hopefully even forgive the rare negative experience when it does inevitably arise. 

So, what’s the solution? How can your company be confident that it is offering the fastest possible customer service? 

First and foremost, it’s time to make sure that everything about the way you do business is as up-to-date as possible. Implementing technology systems that can meet (or even exceed) the “on-demand” expectations of today’s consumer regardless of the industry you operate in is the foundation to any successful CX initiative. 

After all, it’s clear that the main concern of most customers is instant (or, as instant as possible) assistance. 

Help On Demand’s average response time from our team of Experts is just seconds – compared to the multiple days that other referral processes boast about as “fast”. Our faster connections have produced increased productivity and sales, enhanced relationships, and decreased costs, all while providing that elevated CX that is so crucial to success in today’s marketplace. 

Ready to give your company the competitive advantage it needs? Contact us today.

Corey Patterson of MarTech published an article earlier this year about what customer experience is, why it’s important, and how you can improve it for your customers. We think this is an extremely important topic, this piece does a great job of explaining the basics. 

If you’d like to learn more about the customer experience, make sure to also check out one of our most recent blogs here. 

Now, let’s dive into the article. Patterson starts by making a very important point – one of the best ways to build your brand image and reputation is by prioritizing customer experience (also known as CX).

It’s critical to remember that the CX doesn’t just refer to the actual transaction – it’s every aspect of the larger interaction that a customer has with a business. And yes, that means every customer’s journey is important, even if it doesn’t necessarily lead to a purchase. Patterson’s piece takes a deep dive into the “why” of this concept, and answers some common questions that companies have when they start to take CX more seriously. 

We won’t go into quite as many details here, but something we wanted to make sure to highlight was the list of examples of what exactly a positive customer experience can look like. 

For instance:

• Advertising and marketing materials that give customers a realistic expectation about what your product or service can do for them – big claims don’t mean anything if you can’t deliver. 
• Cohesive, consistent omni-channel communications – this means that your website should function the same for someone looking at it on a desktop, mobile device, or even in its app form if applicable. 
• Easy-to-access resources for when customers need help or have a question. 

Of course, the best place to start is by listening to your customers. Wherever they have a change to give feedback – whether that’s in online reviews or face-to-face during a transaction, take note of what they seem to appreciate about the way you do business and what you might be able to improve upon. 

The main takeaway? Putting the customer first goes a long way. 

Happy customers will come back, spread the word about your company, and facilitate long-term, organic growth that can be truly invaluable for the health and success of your business. 

Like jobs in every industry, the role of the sales professional is changing. This change can largely be attributed to the way that technology has affected the purchasing process. 

There are more ways to get more granular customer data than ever before, and because of this, the sales conversion process has become more personalized and tailored to each individual lead. The good news is that this means salespeople can reach out to more leads, more efficiently with more information at their disposal. 

This is drastically different than our traditional idea of sales, where cold-calling and aggressive closing techniques were the norm. The old way seemed to favor quantity over quality, and newer customers over existing ones. But with the increasing availability of user data, that power dynamic has shifted. 

Now, salespeople are able to separate low-quality leads from high-quality leads before they even make that first call. With new ways to find and nurture leads (including sales tools and automation software that can help pare down lead lists) it’s easier than ever before to see who is already displaying interest in your product or service and go after them, as opposed to someone who will need to be made aware of you in the first place. 

So much is available to the modern salesperson that wasn’t even 10 years ago. Popular social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have sales tools built in that allow you to search for leads based on filters like education, former employers, specific job titles, and much more. Industry-specific groups and pages on these sites can be scraped for potential leads, giving you almost endless opportunities if you know where to look. Email has also gotten smarter, with platforms that allow you to reach out to a list of leads en masse using tailored messages for each specific audience. 

The list of smart tools that can guide you to your prospects is continuously growing,  meaning you can close more sales. That’s exactly what Help On Demand’s technology is designed to do – connect consumers to sales agents, brokers and experts, 24/7 “Live and On-Demand”. Efficient, profitable and easy to use, our technology is just one of the many arrows the modern salesperson can’t afford not to have in their quiver. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help bring your business into the modern era with the help of smart software, get in touch with us today. 

 Anthony Trollope, Vice President of Marketing for Hartman REIT recently wrote a piece for the Houston Business Journal detailing how the pandemic was the tipping point of digital transformation for CRE firms. We gave it a read, and thought we’d go ahead and let you in on a few of our main takeaways.  

The COVID-19 pandemic hit people, businesses and communities in a variety of different ways. One of the major constants we saw, though, was that businesses built on the strength of in-person relationships had to quickly pivot. The CRE industry is a fantastic example of exactly that type of business. Trollope explores this, and how when all the ways of doing business that you have been trained in for years are suddenly not viable, you have no choice but to turn to technology to reach people in new and different ways. 

As lockdowns went into effect and curbside pickup became the norm, it became apparent that several spaces (CRE included) were much more behind the times than others. 

In fact, the CRE industry didn’t really adopt any innovative new technologies – it just finally embraced existing ones that they hadn’t had a reliance on previously. For instance, FaceTime video calls replacing in-person tours. 

But, like all industries, commercial real estate has customers with a certain set of expectations. And like most customers, they don’t want to wait.  

It seems like the CRE industry might finally be catching up. 

As the article says, “Today, with the competitive landscape of CRE and customer business on the line, many firms have taken considerable steps toward digitization.”

Smart technology that connects customers to the best available brokers in their area – in seconds – is the competitive edge that the anyone who wants to be successful in the commercial real estate industry needs in today’s fast-paced world. 

To read more about the digital technology tipping point for CRE, read the full article here.

Let us demonstrate how smart technology works better for you and your buyers. Contact us today.