When did you last think “Wow” or “That’s nice and unexpected” around a company? Maybe you received a call that said your order was on its way, and you didn’t even need to wonder where it was. Or perhaps it’s simply a message that said “Thank you” for being a Customer. Proactive Conversations can provide more ways to engage with your Customers in a manner they may not always expect.
Proactive Conversations consist of the following tools:
Reasons to use Proactive Conversations #
There are a variety of ways to use Proactive Conversations to communicate and reach out to your Customers. Plus, you have options on which Proactive Conversation tool to use (and what Channel) based on what you need to communicate.
Tip – When to use Proactive Conversations vs. marketing communication tools
The simplest way to distinguish when to use a Proactive Conversation tool (like Proactive SMS and Proactive Email) is by asking yourself this question: “Is this communication a Service or Marketing communication?”
- Service-type communications lean toward communicating information that helps provide better service to Customers. For example, telling Customers whose subscriptions are about to expire is a Service communication. It also typically impacts a group list of Customers.
- Marketing-type communications lean towards mass communications and having a message that affects your general Customer population. For example, telling all your Customers about the newest device and how they can pre-order resembles a Marketing-type communication. Mass, general communications are better suited for tools like Attentive, Mailchimp, and other marketing communication tools.
Important announcements
Did you incorrectly communicate something or need a previous communication clarified? What about ensuring your updated policy is seen by your Customers? Utilizing Proactive Conversations is a great way to get that information to Customers fast.
Sample use cases
- Your company accidentally left out the pricing details in a previous communication for the new rewards programs, and you want to apologize and provide the information to your Customers.
- You have an updated refund policy that you need Customers to know.
- A subset of your Customer base has payment details on file that is about to expire, and you want to inform them so you can get their updated payment information.
Events & Sales
Say you have a special promotion going on, and you want to communicate to your top-spending Customers to let them know.
Sample use cases
- A group of Customers still have not picked up their order in the store, and you want to remind them.
- Your Anniversary Sale is coming up, and you want your top-spending Customers to know they have early access to the sale.
- A limited edition product is available, and you want a special group of Customers to know about it.
- A Members-Only event is coming up, and you need to send a registration link to select Customers.
Shipment status
Let’s imagine that you have a Black Friday sale, and you sell 5,000 leather couches in a single day. You can proactively reach out to Customers to let them know how to track their orders. Or maybe there are shipping carrier changes, you can let Customers know affected by this update.
Sample use cases
- The unimaginable happened, and a shipping container is lost at sea. You need to let Customers know who are waiting for goods in the container what happened and that their shipment will be delayed.
- A set of couches is set for delivery on a certain day and time frame, and you want to let those Customers know when they can expect their couches to arrive.
- Your primary courier is experiencing shipment delays, and you want to let Customers know who are affected, so they’re not left wondering where their order is.
Service reminders
For services, proactively communicate reminders to Customers about their subscriptions or service agreements that might expire or come up for auto-renewal.
General notification
Proactively communicate many types of information to Customers that you feel will benefit them.
Sample use cases
- A subset of Customers has an upcoming anniversary, and you want to message them to say “thank you” for being loyal Customers.
- You have a members-only webinar you want to promote to some Customers so they can join.
- There are Customers whose payment information is about to expire, so you want to contact them to prevent a lapse in services or goods delivery.
Benefits of using Proactive Conversations #
Proactive Conversation can offer you and your Customers many benefits.
Reduce inbound requests
When you proactively communicate with Customers about a particular topic, they are less likely to contact you about a particular topic.
Increase productivity
Contacting Customers one at a time to provide updates can be time-consuming. The ability to relay information to Customers (in bulk) will save precious time.
Instill value
By reaching out to your Customers before they reach out to you, you show that you value them and their loyalty to your brand.
Build trust
You can improve Customer engagement and satisfaction by sending personalized updates relevant to them and their recent purchases.
Which Proactive Conversation feature to use #
You have four Channels you can use to reach out to Customers proactively. Each Channel caters to where and how you want to reach out to Customers, and you can pick which Channel best solves your proactive communication needs.
- Voice – Call Customers to relay information and provide the option to speak to an Agent.
- Chat – Proactively offer help to Customers on your website. Maybe it’s to offer to answer questions on your services page or help on your payment page.
- Email – Communicate messages, notices, reminders, and more to Customers through email.
- SMS – Communicate messages, notices, reminders, and more to Customers through SMS.
Proactive Voice #
Proactive Voice utilizes the IVR to reach out to Customers to relay a message through your Voice Channel. Customers will hear a recorded message or text-to-speech message configured in the IVR.
- Note – You’ll need to build the IVR to use with a Proactive Voice Campaign.
Proactive Chat #
Proactive Chat utilizes Glad App and is embedded on specified web pages on your website. You can reach out to your website visitors by proactively offering assistance, answering product questions, promoting sale events, and more.
Proactive Email #
Proactive Email utilizes an existing email address already connected to Gladly. You can proactively reach out to Customer contacts via email and you’ll need to upload a CSV of email contacts you want to communicate to proactively.
Proactive SMS #
Proactive SMS utilizes an existing SMS number already connected to Gladly and allows you to proactively reach out to Customer contacts via SMS. You’ll need to upload a CSV of SMS contacts you want to communicate to proactively.