Effective ways South African businesses can better understand their customers

Automated tools and software systems

With the vast array of affordable business tools available today, there’s no reason why every business shouldn’t be able to understand their customers based on the data they generate. Planning, marketing analytics, and customer relationship management systems are just some of the tools every business owner should seriously consider investing in.

Once these tools and systems are in place, you will be able to easily look back at all the transactions and interactions that have taken place and learn a lot more about the people you and your business are dealing with.

Get online

The Internet has changed the way a huge number of businesses operate, how business is conducted, and how customers interact with businesses. Online reviews, in particular, are a great way to gain a deeper understanding of what customers and buyers are thinking.

Everyone has an opinion about a product or service they have purchased, and many of these people are not shy about expressing their opinions online when it comes to their shopping experience. Constantly checking online customer reviews from your customers and customers of businesses similar to yours is a useful exercise that can improve the way you do business.

Customer engagement and employee training

Employees who interact directly with your customers and buyers are in the best position to learn exactly what these people want from your business. That’s why it’s so important to provide excellent customer support and communication training for everyone in your company who interacts with customers. Typical situations where your employees can expand their knowledge of your customers include trade shows, in your store, at conferences, or online through email, social media, or any online help desk you’ve set up.

Surveys and questionnaires

When done right, surveys and asking customers to fill out questionnaires are two very powerful ways to get important information from customers. This is an exercise that customers can complete when they are dealing directly with your business, and these techniques can also be used online without having to call your customers to your business in person.

If you are a South African business owner or decision maker and you are not looking for ways to learn as much as possible about your customers, you are making a big mistake. The information gathering strategies mentioned above are relatively easy to implement in today’s business, and the results you get from this type of exercise can benefit your organization in ways you may not have believed possible.