{"id":225272,"date":"2020-05-11T13:06:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T07:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/?p=225272"},"modified":"2020-05-11T13:06:17","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T07:36:17","slug":"how-to-improve-the-customer-experience-with-communications-during-a-crisis-4-things-to-consider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/how-to-improve-the-customer-experience-with-communications-during-a-crisis-4-things-to-consider\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Improve the Customer Experience with Communications During a Crisis: 4 Things to Consider"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article originally appeared on <\/span><\/i><\/b>SmarterCX<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span> as <\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201c4 Ways Communications Can Improve CX During a Crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span> <\/i><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How do you continue to provide a great customer experience during a crisis, when the very definition of \u201ccustomer experience\u201d may have changed? Now the priority must be to address customers\u2019 needs, not to try to persuade them to buy your products.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As\u00a0<\/span>McKinsey & Company<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0points out, \u201cParticularly in a times of crisis, a customer\u2019s interaction with a company can trigger an immediate and lingering effect on his or her sense of trust and loyalty.\u201d Therefore, open, transparent communication is a necessity, not an option.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Communicate and communicate well<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a\u00a0<\/span>recent article in Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, Paul A. Argenti, Professor of Corporate Communication at Dartmouth College, states, \u201cAs someone who studies crisis communication, I regularly tell my students and clients that you need to communicate early and often with your key constituencies throughout a crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now is the time to openly, honestly, and regularly communicate with your customers. According to Argenti, \u201cEven if you\u2019re still trying to understand the extent of the problem, be honest and open to maintain credibility.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To<\/span> avoid coming across as tone-deaf in your CX<\/span><\/a><\/span>, keep in mind these four things when communicating with your customer base.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tone<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Think transparency, trust, confidence, and empathy, not business as usual. Being clear and concise goes a long way. Readability is also essential when communicating with customers. Overly descriptive, intense communications are likely to receive pushback. Also, keep in mind that\u00a0<\/span>people read differently based on the medium they are using<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. When it comes to digital communication,\u00a0<\/span>we tend to scan<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. We read the first line of each paragraph, glance at section headings, scan lists, and generally hop all over the place to see what interests us.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Audience<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Write for your audience. To do so may require <\/span>segmentation<\/span><\/a><\/span> and utilizing different communication tactics. Follow these four questions from\u00a0<\/span>Forrester<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0to help segment your audience accordingly:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n