The world is really sick right now. The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic has now become a global concern; with the way it’s spreading across all nations and affecting people in different ways. Social distancing and self-isolation have now become the order of the day.
The effects of this virus are no joke, as it has rendered many people jobless, businesses shut down, and even the businesses that are operating are doing that skeletally. Hence, a massive blow to the economy.
Now, your customers may be on self-quarantine or isolation. It doesn’t mean you should stop providing your services to customers. As a matter of fact, this is the time to support and communicate more to your customers because it’s really a scary time. This article emphasizes more on this.
Let Customers Know What You’re Doing to Prevent the Spread of The Virus
Communication with your customers on how you’re going about the prevention of the spread is an excellent idea in keeping them updated. You can send an email to your customers or make a post on your store, assuring them of how you’re doing everything to speed up things for them in case of any orders. Also, posts on increased cleaning, disinfecting, or hygiene protocols could do. It’s affecting the whole world, so everyone needs to play their own part.
Statement of Commitment
During trying times, a statement of commitment is vital from every business. It shows concern and empathy that you’re there and will be there for your customers. A statement of commitment is nothing hard to do. You could make a video, or you could write a statement: both showing your concern and the steps to maintain business continuity, and good services for your customers.
Communicate with Key Constituencies
As a store owner, you need to keep constant communication with the key constituencies in your business. If your distributor is going to have a delay in delivering products, then you should be able to know this and communicate to your customers beforehand.
Also, regular updates matter in this trying time, use clear and compassionate tone to communicate timely messages to your customers. Your credibility and reputation are important, so be open.
Increase Your Social Media Presence
We all know how important social media is for e-commerce anyway. Even right before the time of coronavirus, a good dropshipper must have a strong social media presence. Now, it’s even more important to leverage this medium.
People are spending almost all the 24 hours in a day indoors, so they are likely to check in into their social media accounts for the virus updates. Frequent posting ensures you (your business) are showing up in their news feeds. You can use all these social media platforms to offer positive and quality content to help customers take their minds off the panic of the pandemic.
Be Positive and Stay Clear of the Politics
There’s always that politics that comes with times like this. You shouldn’t bore and force things like this unto your customers’ throats. Share what focuses on their needs instead. Avoid sharing information from unreliable sources. Your information should be positive, and how to stay safe, do not spread myths and scary stories, some customers might not like it. Also, don’t over-promise.
Be Transparent
As mentioned earlier, do not over-promise. Transparency is vital in this trying time; the same way corona might affect your business is the same way it affects your customers’ business or work. There’s really no reason to hide that from them. If you’re struggling with orders, deliveries are being delayed, or something will not be feasible, it’s better to communicate and be transparent with your communication. Let them know deliveries may be delayed, but undoubtedly their orders will be shipped out.
Avoid Hitting on a Sensitive Nerve
Less or no job means less to spend. It’s a sensitive situation already. People are recording losses in business; unemployment rate has increased; the economic situation is nothing to write home about. In this kind of situation, it’s easy for people to get upset.
You wouldn’t blame them, would you? You may want to wow your customers with promotional offers, but remember something like “COVID19” as code might upset a man who just lost his job. Also, while sending emails or posts across your social media base, be mindful of words or images that might be considered insensitive so as not to be seen as an attempt to profit off the situation.
There you have it! Above are some essential tips for communicating to your customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-purchase support and effective communication with customer is important for every dropshipping or ecommerce business. However, with the current challenges being experienced all over the world, you have to stay in touch with your buyers. By following the tips above, you can communicate effectively with your customers and offer the post-purchase support like you always do. Remember, keeping in touch with your customers during these trying times shows that they matter to you.
Contact us today at Fulfillman to know more about our services. We specialize in providing excellent Drop Shipping services, Warehouse fulfillment, China sourcing, Third Party Logistics, and so forth. Our dedicated experts will be available to speak with you and discuss the options available to you. We guarantee you get quality and excellent services that gives 100% client satisfaction.
