Fully Engaged B2B telecommunications clients spend 50% more of their business’s budget with their preferred provider compared to those who are On-the-Fence or Actively Disengaged. This is what we found in our 2013 MECx study. Even those who are simply Engaged still spend 38% more of their budget with their preferred provider than their less engaged counterparts. Clearly there is value in migrating customers up the customer engagement ladder. The question is, how?
The full findings of the study can be found in the report, The Unclaimed Treasure: How Trust Leads to Greater Share of Wallet in B2B Telecommunications, here we’ll just cover the quick version. What we found is that B2B telecommunications clients want: an enjoyable experience, a provider that meets their needs, and a trusting relationship.
An Enjoyable Customer Experience
Creating an enjoyable customer experience starts with people. One customer in the study who was unhappy with their provider in this area described it as being:
“Just an overall bland experience. Not personal, not caring too much. Have been very ineffective for us. Like pulling teeth once original sell was made.”
This industry has a tendency to hire and promote technically or operationally competent individuals to manage the client relationships. While this makes functional sense, it fails to consider how this focus makes customers feel. Telecommunications providers have an opportunity to create an enjoyable experience by hiring relationship builders able to meet both the functional and emotional needs of their customers.
A Provider That Meets Their Needs
Downed phones or internet is no small matter for any business. So, not surprisingly, good products and solutions, good customer service, and leading-edge technology are important to B2B telecommunications customers. One customer in our study captured it well:
“[Company] has always provided me with exceptional customer service. Any time a problem arises, all I have to do is call and I immediately get answers to questions and solutions to my problems.”
Telecommunications customers don’t expect a 100% problem-free existence, but getting answers when they need them is critically important. To meet customers’ needs then, a provider doesn’t just need great technology, they also need employees equipped with processes, authority, and the insight needed to advise clients on the best solution for them.
A Trusting Relationship
Trust is the third element of an client experience management in B2B telecommunications. Trust is the belief that a company is making decisions with the customer’s best interests in mind and is demonstrated by being professional, reliable, and ethical. A customer in our study put it simply:
“They always do what is right for me and my people.”
In addition, customers in our study frequently mentioned a willingness to “go above and beyond” as an indication that a company could be trusted. Again, this is an action that can only be delivered by a human, making the people that serve your customers essential in the delivery of a consistently engaging telecommunication’s client experience.
~Janessa Lantz
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