Good customer engagement is important for any successful business. When, as a company, you ensure optimal customer engagement, it says something about the extent to which you respond to the needs of your customers and how you maintain contact through the various channels. If you have a lot of customer contact, as for example in the role of Contracting Consultant at HeadFirst Group, then you have a decisive role in this. Therefore it is good to know what customer engagement means, how you can increase the involvement of your customers in the contact and which skills are useful in this process.

What is customer engagement and why is it important?

Customer Engagement is the degree to which customers feel engaged with your company. When customers feel valued and understood, they naturally become more engaged. This is a big advantage because it actually pays off: even a small 5% improvement in customer retention can lead to a profit increase of more than 25% (Bain & Company research). Moreover, the more often customers interact with your company, the more insight you gain into their needs and you can better respond to them. This, in turn, can result in strong and long-term customer relationships.

What are practical tips in this area?

So to build a good relationship with customers, it is important to actively engage them, get to know them better and provide them with an optimal experience. How can you ensure this optimal customer engagement? Here are the tips:

1. Provide different contact options for your customers, such as phone, email and live chat and minimize wait time.
2. Always send a receipt with reference number and contact person to let customers know that their query is being processed.
3. Customers want to be helped immediately, so have questions handled immediately by the right person to avoid wasting time.
4. Keep a record of all communications and mail a summary to keep the customer informed of actions taken so they feel valued.
5. Exceed customer expectations and regularly check their satisfaction.
6. Inspire customers and offer new ideas to strengthen their loyalty.
7. Thank customers on various occasions, such as invoices, visits, birthdays and holidays.
8. Recognize that the customer is always right and make every effort to resolve any problems.
9. Deliver what you promise and show that you are willing to go the extra mile.
10. Ask relevant questions to understand their needs and build a relationship of trust.

What are the most important skills within customer engagement?

Finally, here are some skills to consider if your role involves frequent contact with customers:

1. Technology skills: with the rise of artificial intelligence, chatbots and other technologies, it is important to be familiar with these tools.
2. Personal interaction: while automation and self-service options are important, you must be able to provide personal interaction when needed. Show empathy, resolve complaints and support customers in complex situations.
3. Problem solving and creativity: you must be able to come up with creative solutions and solve problems quickly and efficiently. You must be flexible and able to adapt yourself to different situations and customer requests.
4. Communication skills: you need effective communication skills, both written and oral. You must be able to communicate clearly and concisely and be able to understand and help customers regardless of the communication channel chosen.
5. Customer orientation: it goes without saying that you must have a strong customer orientation. You must understand customer needs and expectations and work proactively to provide the best possible experience.

Customer engagement is incredibly important for any business to be successful. It's all about building strong customer relationships, showing appreciation, keeping promises and sometimes even exceeding customer expectations.