5 Ways to Show Customers Love This Valentine's Day (and All Year Long)

When I started my career back in 1988, contact centers were very different. Dialers were a box nailed under our desks, scripts were pages stapled in a folder and we didn't have computers. But one thing has remained the same, the customer has always been the top priority. With Valentine's Day celebrated this month I wanted to share five ways to show customers love this Valentine's Day and all year long.

1. Invest in Contact Center Technology - One of the most important ways companies can show customers love is to ensure that every customer touchpoint with your company is handled properly. Some examples include having a solid interactive voice response (IVR) solution to ensure calls are routed to the right agent for quick resolution, providing omnichannel options so customers can contact you however they prefer, and integrating with CRM solutions to ensure your agents can provide quality customer service when your customers call in. If customers are truly your top priority, invest in technology to show them some love.

2. Listen and Respond - Every company should be doing a customer survey to measure customer satisfaction and solicit specific customer feedback for improvement. It's also smart to measure Net Promoter Score (NPS) and track NPS by month/quarter/year. But listening doesn't just happen in surveys, it also happens live in social media. Technology is available so you can monitor social media comments as they happen and respond to them.

3. Communicate - Once your customers purchase from you they want to stay in touch. Communicate with them via a monthly newsletter to let them know about product updates, company news, promotions, and other announcements.

4. Hire Quality Employees Who Treat Customers Right - One of the biggest ways you can show your customers love all year long is hiring employees who treat customers well. This begins by looking for this skill when you interview and then providing customer service training and coaching to ensure your customers are provided exceptional customer service. If you have built a customer-first culture, customers can tell when they speak to your employees. When customers are treated right they will share their experience in social media, online reviews and will give positive recommendations about your company to family, friends and peers.

5. Show Gratitude - Last but not least, whether it's a gift or a handwritten thank you note, always thank your customers for their business. Sometimes a small gesture can make a really big difference.

Learn More:

• Find out how Five9 technology can help you show your customers love
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• Connect with Five9 on LinkedIn

Show customers love #ValentinesDayin3Words

— Five9, Inc. (@Five9) February 9, 2017