Cultivating Your E-Experience: Understanding Aspects of Customer Communications

As online marketing and e-commerce continue to expand and flourish, the importance of providing a high-quality consumer experience has never been more critical. While this has always been the case, it's especially true now that opportunities for personal interactions are often either more limited or non-existent. Customer service, or customer care, is an integral component of marketing and business success. Research shows that "80% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services" (Salesforce, State of the Customer 2018). The impact of your e-service customer care can be substantial.  In another study, 21% of customers were more likely to buy from businesses they can reach on social media (Sprout Social Index 2018). Other research has found that people indicate that they would be less likely to do business with someone who didn't answer questions on their social media pages.

Benefits of exceptional customer care include improved customer retention, greater customer satisfaction, and increased revenues. The value of providing a quality customer experience raises some important considerations for your business's strategy for meeting consumers' expectations in an online environment – especially as it relates to communication.

When a customer approaches you at your market or farm, how do you interact with them?  Hopefully with courtesy, respect, and genuine appreciation for their comment, question, or concern. The same must be true of your online interactions. A solid understanding of the types of communication and customers as well as your customers' needs will position you to ensure that the online customer communication experience you provide lives up to your in-person standards and expectations. This article discusses the types of needs customers have and the communication and customer types you may want to consider as you develop your communications strategy.

Meeting Customer Needs

Consumers have rational, emotional, and social needs they are trying to meet with their questions and communications with you. Rational needs can be addressed with factual information. For example, a customer may have a question about whether a specific allergen is in a product's ingredients.  Emotional needs can be more difficult to pinpoint through online communication but are arguably more important since how a consumer feels about their experiences with you and your business in large part influences whether they return. Customers' emotional needs can be met by sharing your business's values and operating principles. Using the food allergen example, a customer that contacts you may be feeling anxious if they are unable to determine whether an allergen is in a product and they or someone they care about has been exposed. In this instance, reaffirming your commitment to providing accurate and easy to find information would be one way of sharing your values regarding transparency.  Put simply, consumers look for businesses that they can identify with through shared values. For instance, consumers who value sustainability will appreciate knowing your commitment to foster sustainability through the sharing information about the types of packaging used for products, or your use of renewable energy. In sum, your ability to respond not only with factual information (meeting their rational need), but also with understanding and empathy is important to meeting their emotional needs.

While this article focuses on understanding aspects of customer communications to prepare your business for effectively responding, one way of cultivating a high-quality consumer experience is to proactively address issues and topics that you believe your customers are interested in.  For instance, including a 'Frequently Asked Questions' section on your business website that is easily found can head off many questions and makes customers feel that you understand their needs.  Mailed and electronic newsletters are another avenue for providing customers with information or addressing topics of importance both proactively and following individual communications.

Communication Types

Having a thorough understanding of the communication types can also play an important role in developing your most effective communication strategies and responses. Consumers and customers will typically reach out to

1. send a compliment,
2. ask a question, or
3. convey a complaint or criticism. 

Most of us feel comfortable with receiving, and appropriately responding, to a compliment whether in person or online.  It could be that a customer wants to let you know how much they enjoy your product(s), about an exceptionally positive interaction with an employee, or how much they value your business.  Whatever the reason, a compliment, is what we hope for with all customer interactions.

Consumers typically have questions about a wide variety of things from crop production practices, hours of operation, availability of products, and so forth.  While your current customers likely already trust and value your expertise, they may still express concerns or have questions. New customers may come to you with different questions or concerns than existing customers. Your ability to assess and effectively respond to their needs will largely determine whether they become, or remain, a returning customer.

Complaints and criticisms are what business owners least prefer to receive. They can hit you emotionally given the personal investment and sacrifice you put into your farm and business. However, complaints can also serve a beneficial purpose if it helps you better meet your customers' needs. Not only can a complaint point out or help you identify an aspect of your business that isn't up to your standards or operating as intended, the manner in which you handle complaints can be an opportunity to turn that consumer into an advocate for your business – something that can be difficult to put a value on.

It's important to also be aware that both questions and complaints can sometimes be more complex in an online environment. For example, sometimes people may be more aggressive in virtual environments than they would in a face-to-face environment. Additionally, you may not have a prior relationship with them, or be able to read non-verbal cues as you would in person – all of which may require you to be extra thoughtful about responding in the most effective manner possible.

There are three different types of complaints and criticisms that may be directed at your business:

Straight Problem.
These are problems, or complaints, where the customer can directly tell you what the issue or problem is and how they would like to solve or fix it. For instance, they ordered a jar of strawberry preserves from your online store but received blackberry.

Constructive Criticism.
Consumers and customers that send, or post, constructive criticisms typically genuinely want to help you improve that aspect of your business. It's always difficult to receive criticism, but upon reflection consider whether what has been shared is something that will help you improve your business.

Merited Grievance.
Sometimes things just don't turn out the way you intend or planned for. Perhaps a couple of employees were sick and unable to work during a key event that you held leading to long lines and a sense of disorganization, or your website crashed several times while they were trying to place an order for your products.  In instances like these, some customers will let you know, as they should.

Typical Complainer Types

As you strive to effectively respond to the different types of complaints and criticisms, an understanding of the variety of complainer customer types of customers you are likely to encounter will enable you to respond most effectively. Complaining customers can be categorized as one of five types (Wysocki, Kepner, Glasser, Farnsworth, and Clark).

The Meek Customer. 
These are individuals that don't like to complain but will do so when feeling that they have been pushed. They are seeking reassurance and to know that they have been heard.

The Aggressive Customer. 
The aggressive customer is vocal with their complaints and has no problems sharing them with you; the opposite of the meek customer.

The High-Roller Customer. 
Customers in this category expect the best and will pay for it.  While these individuals may come across similar to the aggressive customer, high rollers are more interested in solutions and how their complaint is handled.

The Opportunist Customer. 
This type of customer complains with the end goal to get something extra - beyond what they've paid for - and is not truly interested in seeing that their problem is resolved.

The Chronic Complainer Customer. 
The constant complainer is your "negative Nancy" type personality in general. Nothing is quite right, yet they continue to purchase from you.

While online communications can sometimes make it difficult to know which type of customer you're interacting with, the point is that doing your best to diagnose the context of the complaint or criticism will best allow you to respond in the most effective way possible. It is also a good idea, if you have the opportunity to consult with another person in your business to ensure that you are assessing and responding in the most effective manner possible.

Communication is just one aspect of the customer experience.  Cultivating a positive online customer experience requires investing the effort into understanding the needs consumers have when they reach out to you and the purpose for their communication. This may require additional time and effort when compared to in-person interactions, but the benefits from customer retention and increased revenue will surely be worth it.

References

Salesforce. 2018. State of the Connected Customer Second Version.

Sprout Social Index 2018.

Wysocki, Allen F., Karl W. Kepner, Michelle W. Glasser, Derek Farnsworth, and Jennifer L. Clark. July 2019. Customer Complaints and Types of Customers. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.

Additional Resources

Pilet, Jonan. March 9, 2020. How to communicate with consumers about food safety. Food Safety News.

Toister, Jeff. February 3, 2014. The Most Important Customer Need is Also the Most Overlooked. American Management Association.