Customer Communication: Do You Speak Their Language?

You would think that talking to your customers shouldn’t be that hard. You know what they’re looking for and you should know who they are, so it follows that you would know how they want you to speak to them. That includes not just how you talk to them in person or over the phone, but how you communicate with them through written language too. Getting it right can be much harder than you imagine, though. You might think you know how your customers want to be spoken to and how much of your technical jargon they understand, but you can easily get it wrong. If you want to get it right, follow these rules.

Cover Credit: Pxhere

Know Who You’re Talking To

Firstly, you need to make sure you know who you’re talking to. Some people think they know their market, but it turns out that a lot of people looking for their products aren’t who they think they are. If you’re not certain, conducting some research to discover who your customers are, from their ages and locations to their job titles, is very helpful. You might think you’re talking to experienced and knowledgeable enthusiasts who don’t need much hand-holding. But it could turn out a lot of your customers are more unfamiliar with your products than you imagined.

Keep a Good Balance Between Informative and TMI

Providing plenty of information for your customers is always a good idea, but you should also avoid going overboard. Overwhelming them with information isn’t exactly helpful, so you need to strike a good balance. They need enough info to make an informed decision but not so much that they can’t understand what you’re talking about. One idea is to separate your highly technical information into supplementary resources. Take a look at this page on electric hoists to see how the most important information is presented first. Further tabs for specifications and brochure download allow people to read more if they need to.

Source: Max Pixel

Understand When Jargon Is Appropriate

Knowing when and how to use technical jargon can be difficult. If you’re a B2B company selling to other experienced people in your industry, you can probably comfortably use technical language and feel sure that your customers will understand. However, there are many times when you might have people who are not so familiar and need some help. One way to cater to both of these people is to have extra resources for further explanation. This could be in the form of a glossary or perhaps blog posts that explore different aspects of your products.

Listen to the Language Your Customers Use

If you want to speak your customers’ language, you should spend time listening to them. There are a few ways you can find out about the type of language they use. You can network with them in person or on social media, or check out their own business blogs and communication. Don’t assume you know what sort of language they use without checking.

Using the right words and tone with your customers can make a huge difference to how they perceive you. Make sure you do your research to find out what they’re looking for.