Building long-term customer relationships is like growing a beautiful garden. It takes time, effort, and the right approach. Engaging with your customer waters your garden and keeps them rooted to your brand.

Let's explore how we can make our customers feel valued and keep them coming back.

What is customer engagement?

Customer engagement is all about creating connected experiences for your customers, rather than just single, one-time interactions. It involves optimizing your team structure, operations, and technology to build a continuous feedback loop with your customers. Businesses need to stay updated on their customers' changing needs, uphold and enhance their brand integrity, and use customer data ethically to ensure the best possible experience.

Personalized customer engagement depends on a well-integrated tech stack. For example, Guided CX lets your representatives join customers right where they are: seeing what they see on screen and in-the-moment, directing their navigation, answering their questions, and earning their trust.

Why engagement matters

When we engage with customers, we show that we care about their needs and opinions. This connection builds trust, and trust is the foundation of any strong relationship. Think about your best friend – you trust them because you’ve spent time together and understand each other. The same goes for businesses and their customers.

According to a Salesforce report, 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. This means that the quality of your customer experience directly impacts your success, especially considering the importance of customer retention.

In the last eight years, customer acquisition costs have increased by an astounding 222%. We also know that current customers spend more than new ones, prompting a surge in focus on engagement and retention across industries.

Tips for improving customer engagement 

Here are five key strategies to help build long-term customer relationships through engagement.

Provide a cohesive customer experience.

Brands are in pursuit of truly connected customer journeys. Customers use many channels and modes of communication, but they expect that their interactions with brands are cohesive. This requires careful orchestration and collaboration of technology.

Personalize your customer’s experiences. 

Your customers have clear expectations, and if you don't meet them, they'll move on:

66% of consumers will abandon a brand if they don’t get a personalized experience. Every conversation should feel personal and engaging. Guided CX helps facilitate a personal, collaborative session in just one click!

Anticipate customer needs.

Customer service is often reactive, but today’s top brands are increasingly proactive in their approach. Historically we’ve used data to reflect and improve. Moving forward, we also need to leverage data to predict and prevent — reaching out to customers at pivotal moments to reduce friction and improve their experience.

Listen to your customers.

Pay attention to what they say. When customers feel heard, they are more likely to engage and share their experiences — and their feedback is a goldmine of information that can help us improve products and services. 

Remember the power of human connection.

People crave human interaction.

One of the challenges businesses face today is incorporating the human touch into the digital experience. Instead of relying on human interaction only when digital solutions fall short, it's about blending these two aspects into a seamless experience.

This is where Guided CX shines. It allows agents to assist customers in their digital environments at the moment of need. Agents can guide them with empathy and clarity, establishing trust and providing the personal attention customers crave.

Create meaningful connections with Guided CX 

Imagine you’re shopping online for a new pair of shoes. You find a website that not only has a great selection but also offers a virtual assistant to help you find the perfect pair. This assistant asks you about your preferences, shows you options that match, and even helps you with the checkout process. This is Guided CX at work – making your shopping experience smooth and enjoyable.

By using Guided CX and engaging with customers in meaningful ways, we can build strong, long-lasting relationships. Just like tending to a garden, with the right care and attention, our customer relationships will flourish.

Learn more about Glance’s Guided CX solutions and take a demo today at Glance.cx.