DSM Forward Customer Service in a World Affected by COVID-19

The Greater Des Moines Partnership DSM Forward webinar series offers insight on moving the Greater Des Moines (DSM) region forward in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. As plans are made and businesses reopen, The Partnership has put together resources for employers at DSMpartnership.com/DSMForward.

McLellan Marketing Group’s Drew McLellan offered customer service advice during the recent “Post-Pandemic Customer Service” webinar.

Customer Service Tips

The ideas shared in the webinar focus on ways to connect with customers and calm their fears in the midst of many unknowns. Tips include:

• Taking a customer survey
• Continuing implemented changes that customers appreciate
• Understanding customer expectations

It’s important to remember that now is the time to get out there and create positive experiences for customers. Many will retreat during this time and it’s up to you to find ways to reach out to your customers and let them know how you can help during this time. McLellan outlines the new consumers that business owners and marketers must understand, including these five diverse groups:

• The Worrier
• The Individualist
• The Rationalist
• The Activist
• The Indifferent

When deciding how to proceed post-pandemic, business owners must understand each type of new consumer and which group makes up the largest portion of their customer base.

Other factors that need to be considered include safety protocols or rules for entering your business, new return policies, whether masks are required and changed business hours. This is the time to overcommunicate with customers. Consider using signage, floor markings, etc. — utilize all senses to communicate. Remember that with the use of masks, nonverbal communication is more difficult so you have to use alternative means to get information across.

Make sure your entire staff is aware of any new rules/policies and consider special requests from customers. Your employees will be looking to you to understand what’s acceptable and needed during this crisis. As time goes on, adapt to changes and let your staff evolve, too.

Supporting Local Businesses

As the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the permanent closure of some businesses, there’s been a shift in how we look at shopping with local businesses. As the country watches small businesses struggle to remain open, people are becoming more motivated to help these companies survive. Business owners must share their local stories and how they have been and will continue to be involved in their communities.

See the entire webinar below:

 

Updates from the McLellan Marketing Group regarding the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.

You can count on The Partnership to continue to share accurate and fact-based updates as well. See more on COVID-19 here.