Daily, many of us interact not only with friends and acquaintances but also with our favorite brands through the world’s most popular digital channels. Regardless of this scenario, digital platforms are responsible for enabling said interaction between companies and their customers – current or potential – to happen smoothly and without friction, thanks to the proper use of said digital or communication channels. The result? More and better connections, a fact that shows that digital platforms can increase customer engagement.
Unfortunately, many brands err when it comes to putting the platforms they have at their disposal to good use. For this reason, as a brand, it is necessary first to have a well-established business strategy and then to define which platform, tool, or solution will best meet the needs of your business. Only in this way will you be able to see your projects grow to scale by making good use of digital channels.
What is a digital platform?
Digital platforms are businesses that bring individuals and organizations closer together so they can interact – and even innovate – together. As they are connections generated from technology, having digital platforms to encourage greater engagement or interaction with the client is considered a practical, measurable, and scalable strategy or approach.
It should be noted that companies, such as: can use numerous digital platforms.
- Communication channel management platforms (e.g., email, social networks, SMS, etc.).
- Marketing automation platforms.
- CRM.
- Project and team management platforms.
- Support and customer service management platforms.
- Data management platforms.
- Service platform (e.g., Uber, Airbnb, etc.).
- E-commerce platforms and more.
You may have already realized that digital platforms currently surround and accompany almost all areas of our lives, right? The above seems to make sense if you take into account the great benefits that this type of platform brings with it, such as:
- Intuitive and easy-to-understand usability.
- Immediate access after making your purchase.
- Easy connectivity with other platforms or systems through APIs.
- Ability to scale on demand.
- More excellent communication between providers and users translates into more effective personalization.
How can digital platforms help foster customer engagement?
Digital platforms can (and the mission) orchestrate personalised interactions in the channels that best suit users. In other words, digital media ensures that the correct message is sent at the right time and through the appropriate channel for each type of communication.
It is also essential that a communication platform can manage and facilitate the growth in the volume of interactions through a scalable approach. Therefore, it can be said that the proper use of a communication platform revolves around the mission of greater engagement -safely and efficiently- at all stages of the user’s life cycle.
In the end, this dynamic proposes a domino effect where the more interactions a platform can manage, the more engaged and satisfied customers you will get. In contrast, the more the platform itself will grow, being able to collect more data more effectively for you and others—your business.
Three steps to generate greater customer engagement through digital platforms
There are countless ways to engage your customers through precise and personalized communications. However, there are three specific steps to take into account:
- Create and configure your platform’s communication strategy so that you can manage each customer interaction at scale.
- Support your customers at every touch point of their life cycle.
- Reduce the complexity of your engagement strategy.
Why is a cloud communications provider so crucial to business success?
It’s not just about delivering information to customers! This is critical, of course, but tracking customer satisfaction rates and different interaction styles and preferences are too.
And in this context, a cloud communications provider can facilitate the capture and management of this data and help develop a comprehensive communication strategy that fits the needs of the platform and the consumers who use it.
What potential challenges must a digital platform always take into account?
From the perspective of digital platforms, the higher the volume of interactions generated, the more challenges there will be. In this order of ideas, several failures could occur due to a false step, such as:
- Fallen platforms.
- Missed messages.
- Ruined campaigns.
- Low conversion rates.
Therefore, carefully evaluating which platform you will use and how reliable it is will be essential for the success of your business and your communications.
How many communication channels should a digital platform use?
CX leaders use a broad mix of channels in their strategies. However, using all these channels boils down to the same need: to be present, 24/7, where your customers need you and where they expect you to be. This is why it is essential to build a communication strategy based on your users’ preferred channels and successful use cases.
Thus, the main communication channels used by users can be divided into two large groups:
- Traditional: such as SMS, MMS, voice, and email.
- Chat applications: WhatsApp, Apple Message for Business, Google’s Business Messages, Viber, RCS, Messenger, etc. It should be noted that this communication channel will depend a lot on the geographical location of your business and, of course, on your consumers. Additionally, your users’ age and demographic profile will be vital in deciding on one or more of these channels.
It is worth remembering that when it comes to communication channels, success does not lie only in the number of channels available but in their proper use and correct choice. The key to a successful implementation lies behind the ability to orchestrate these channels so that communication can be truly integrated and omnichannel.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is common to recommend that organizations opt for a single platform -capable of carrying out this integration in a unified way- to communicate with customers. In this way, the insights or findings are centralized, scalability is facilitated, integration is more fluid -both when integrating new channels and when incorporating new functionalities to previously integrated media- and you have a single point of contact for support and service. All this is a consequence of the digital transformation in the customer experience.
Also Read : Email Marketing And Customer Journey
