Build a Business with a Heart

Start by engaging your own heart. Connect at a deeper level with those you serve.

Is the human touch getting lost in our current age of digital communication, automation, and artificial intelligence? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, where one size does not fit all, at least not comfortably. The customer experience often gets defined by standardized email responses, scripted virtual assistance, and programmed chatbots. Connecting with and talking to a real person has become more of a novelty, often absent of any personal touch. Systemizing business is an essential element of growing your business, yet it needs to be focused on what the customer wants in their experience; something more significant than a simplified impersonal exchange relationship. 

Consider these recent customer statistics (SmarterHQ)

  • 80% are more likely to purchase a product or service from a brand that provides personalized experiences.
  • On average, 71% feel frustrated when their shopping experience is impersonal.
  • 63% stop purchasing products and services from companies who offer poorly executed personalization.
  • Personalization can reduce acquisition costs by as much as 50%, lift revenues by 5–15%, and increase marketing spend efficiency by 10–30%.

Shift your thinking. You might think making changes to your marketing or business operations are too costly, yet ask yourself about the lifetime value of a customer who feels cared for and intentionally served. Think of it as an investment in a long-term relationship. Shifting your culture must extend to all levels of your organization. Involve your team members to transform the journey of your customers. Share ideas openly and reward risk-taking to foster a sense of connection and real engagement within your organization.

Our Head Knows this, and our Heart needs to be engaged. “A better customer experience generates loyal customers who recommend you to colleagues, friends, and family. Adding a human touch at every stage of the customer’s journey requires an objective evaluation of your current situation. Everything should be driven by your customer’s data which provides clues and insights you need to stay informed about purchasing behaviors. Then focus on transforming your processes, policies, and actions, so your organization appropriately adapts. Since customers have more options than ever before, stay relevant, authentic, and top of mind. As a former CEO often stated, “The customer may not always be right, but they are still the customer…we need to focus on their experience with us, or they will vote with their feet.”  

Gathering customer data may include surveys, online forms, and polls. On social media, answer posts, ask probing questions and get a conversation going. You would be surprised how powerful this unfiltered feedback can be. 

Other ways to humanize your business with heart:

• Add photos of real people to your marketing (with permission, of course).
• Engage your employees as advocates for your business.
• Show your playful side as well as your business side online.
• Write personal notes as handwritten correspondence.
• Create online communities to discuss issues and share ideas, utilize user content.
• Send welcome or thank you gifts to loyal or new customers.
• Be vulnerable and learn from it. Don’t be afraid to talk about setbacks or failures.
• Rewrite emails to be more conversational and less sanitized.
• Insert names and customer-specific information in your marketing outreach.

Get the heart of your organization pumping. Once you have the pulse on your client and customer needs, you can adapt to meet those needs more effectively and personally with an authentic heart. 

Take Action Today.

Contact Coach Krei for your Complimentary Strategy Session to get you started.

As an award winning, globally recognized, Certified Executive Business Coach and Facilitator, Linda would love to help you take your leadership to the next level. 

Contact Coach Linda Today! 

Linda Krei, ActionCOACH Excel Edge

712.251.7189

lindakrei@actioncoach.com

ExcelEdge.Actioncoach.com

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