The Tool You SHOULD Be Using To Strengthen B2B Client Relations

BY Amanda Levin
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When it comes to customer service, B2C companies have learned something B2B companies tend to ignore: the impact customer-​related data has on their company’s long-​term success. If you work at a B2B company and struggle to keep your customers happy, it’s time to start putting that customer-​related data to use.

In his article for data​-informed​.com, Robert Johnson cites research from Aberdeen Group that indicates customer service representatives waste about 15% of their time trying to find relevant information to solve customer issues. Maybe you do have all the data you need to serve your customers quickly and efficiently, but is that data accessible to everyone in the organization? Is that data easy to navigate and use?

If you are ready to access the full power of your customer-​related data, here are 2 of Johnson’s 4 tips to strengthen your B2B client relationships.

Empower Your Support Teams with Contextual Knowledge

If you expect your support teams to provide A+ service to your customers, you NEED to share any and all data about your customers with them. Johnson states, “The smartest, most successful companies have mechanisms, processes and technologies such as collaborative customer support software” to do just that. Let your support team see the whole customer relationship easily and immediately. From the products they have, to recent issues, to specific idiosyncrasies for interacting and communicating with the client, the more your support team knows, the faster and more efficiently they can serve your clients.

Adopt a Proactive Mindset with Your Customer Service Efforts

Customers are expecting more and more from their business partners. In fact, research from Walker shows that by 2020, responding to customers immediately will no longer be fast enough because customers will expect you to anticipate their pain points and future needs BEFORE they ask for help. Therefore, simply collecting customer data isn’t enough. You should implement tools and processes that use this data and provide actionable insights. Is usage dropping? It may be time to call and suggest refresher training. Is the client content and fairly static in their usage? Perhaps the time is ripe to offer an upgrade to further enhance their bottom line. The more you can attend to your clients’ future needs, the more easily they will trust that you truly care about them, their success and their future.

Try implementing these two strategies and watch your B2B client relationships become stronger and stronger with each interaction.


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