Customer Success in the Era of Coronavirus

Guidelines, restrictions, and regulations are changing faster than I can hit the ‘refresh’ button on my browser. Every business and every individual on this planet has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

But as a Televerde Client Success Manager who takes my clients’ success very seriously, my role during this crisis is to provide my clients with peace-of-mind and a sense of stability.

I’m here to be a much-needed vessel of reassurance, consistently reminding my clients (and colleagues, for that matter) that we will get through this – that everything is going to be okay.

And how do I know, that everything, in fact, will be okay? Because for me and my clients, failure isn’t an option. Life can be challenging, sometimes more so than others. But if we choose to be proactive, and to adapt and pivot when needed, we can choose to be successful.

Shifting priorities

My clients’ campaigns had revenue goals, KPIs, and messaging strategies mapped out for 2020. By the first day of the new year, we knew exactly what we needed to do and when we needed to do it. We had all our ducks in a neatly-stacked row with a proverbial cherry on top. But, life had other plans. Life looked down upon our 2020 campaign strategies, said “Oh, that’s cute”, and then proceeded to crush our dreams.

Understandably, priorities and budgets have shifted during this global pandemic. My clients are now focused on doing everything they can to keep the lights on, keep their employees safe, and keep their companies afloat.

This is where our partnership can really prove its value. I am now serving as a trusted sales and marketing advisor – a confidante of sorts – laser-focused on ensuring my clients’ continued business success.

I am finding that during this crisis, they want to maintain momentum, and they are looking to us for guidance on where to adjust and pivot.

Clients need reassurance

Our clients are panicked and everything is high urgency. They are coming to us for direction and leaning on us to be a good, consultative partner through this uncertain time.

Initially, almost every client wanted to pause and halt everything. The interesting thing is that in many cases, we haven’t seen a decrease in contact rates or conversions (in some cases we’ve actually seen a huge increase!); so we are using the data on a day-by-day basis to make informed decisions on the direction of the campaign.

We are finding out that ‘stopping everything’ would have been a hasty decision; and that in most cases, now is not the time to pump the breaks. Now is the time to push through.

We have the responsibility to make sure our customers stay informed, so client interactions are early and often. We provide them with information from the front lines, and are finding ways to pivot their communication style and outreach to stay relevant.

Tea parties and coffee dates

With most people working remotely, people have more time on their hands. People are hungry for some face-time. So use this time as an opportunity to schedule virtual coffee (or tea, if you’re feeling British) dates with clients.

I am doing a ton of video chats, and I am finding that these circumstances are forcing us to find ways to be more interactive with each other.

We are able to talk face-to-face, having coffee together; and as a result, I am building stronger relationships. Since video chat is the new norm, I’m actually able to see facial expressions and body language. And it makes a huge difference!

In a way, social distancing is actually bringing us closer.

Time to get creative

One of my clients is a manufacturer of consumer goods, and they weren’t sure whether to continue conducting their calling campaigns in heavily-affected areas. We’ve been able to provide guidance with insight into what’s happening in the market to help them decide where to go from here.

Our agents on the front lines give valuable feedback that takes the guesswork out of their crisis-time sales and marketing strategies. The value we provide goes well beyond what we can tangibly define, and into higher-level insight.

With a focus on providing value during the current crisis, we altered their positioning and adjusted how they are using current resources (currently focusing on more emails instead of calling).

Providing the most value

As a partner to my clients, I aim to provide them with insightful feedback. Knowing what to do in this uncertain time is more valuable than anything else we could possibly offer.

Sometimes sales people can be selfish (not talking about anyone I know, of course), and only looking at the dollar. I as a partner, look at the client holistically. I strive to provide peace of mind, a sense of stability, and data-driven recommendations and feedback.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about me and it’s not about Televerde. It’s about the clients and the value we can provide.

Lasting changes

This pandemic will fundamentally change how businesses operate around the globe; including more video conferencing, more people working from home, and (as an unforeseen bonus) overhead cost reduction.

We will come out of this with stronger business relationships, tough lessons learned, and a newfound empathy for one another. Let’s use this experience to learn from our mistakes, and make sure to be better prepared for next time life wants to catch us off guard.