Each time a customer interacts with a point of contact, your brand’s relationship is either strengthened or damaged. A point of contact plays an important role in establishing a connection with customers.
Point of contact meaning
A point of contact or a single point of contact is a person or department that handles customer communication. In terms of an activity or project, they act as an organization’s representatives and serve as information coordinators.
They help companies maintain good relations with their customers by serving as their representatives. At the same time, POCs increase brand recognition and visibility in the market.
Point of contact examples
- The company provides excellent customer care to address problems and questions immediately and effectively. Through various communication channels such as the company website, email, and phone, the customer service team handles all complaints and inquiries.
- The sales team is one of the first points of contact for every new lead. They have three main roles: to answer inquiries, to resolve complaints, and to provide information about products or services.
- This type of POC is commonly seen in IT related companies that offer service desks to handle any service support requests.
- The project management team, who is in charge of the project and may represent a POC and respond to any questions about the project.
Why is a point of contact important?
A point of contact is important because it sets the tone and mood for an interaction with a person or product. It will leave an impact on how they feel about what they are doing, so it should be something that leaves them feeling good.
It gets rid of the risks of miscommunication
When there is one coordinating entity, customers can be certain that their questions will be answered efficiently. Having a POC prevents questions from being repeated or handled in a single place, thus guaranteeing that no issues are lost or miscommunicated.
Being prompt and delivering solutions in a timely manner
A study found that 67% of customer churn is preventable if businesses address issues the first time they arise. An organization should not waste customers’ time by having them wait for different phone representatives to address their problems. They have a person or board with access to all customer information and company resources, resulting in faster resolution of problems.
Point of contact helps build trust
A business’s product or service may become more trustworthy and long-lasting if customers know they can rely on a real person. One way to create that feeling is to give customers the opportunity to contact a human being with any questions, concerns, or feedback they may have.
One of the reasons why many people like to shop at small businesses is because it feels like they are dealing with real people who care about their needs. This can set a business apart from larger competitors and make it more likely for them to be successful in the long run.
POC makes people think better of the brand
POCs are a great way to improve a brand’s reputation. It is not just the POC that is the one that needs to maintain polite and professional behavior, it is also the person who they are communicating with. The person on the other side of the conversation can make a huge difference in how their customer feels about them and their company.
The company needs to create an environment where POCs can be themselves, feel comfortable, and have free reign over their career progression. It is important for POCs to have opportunities for growth within their own companies so they don’t feel like they are being held back by anything.
It makes customers happier
It is a fact that 56% of people worldwide have stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service experience. A POC’s greatest value is in creating a positive customer experience. As long as the client feels safe and has no doubts that their issue will be addressed professionally by a company representative and a solution will be provided quickly, the brand has a good chance of boosting customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
Point of contact tips to follow
Having adequate technical abilities in POC is important, but establishing rapport with consumers is equally as critical. Here are some pointers that will help you gain customer confidence and enhance their experience:
Apply the appropriate tools
The point of contact is the person who will be in charge of solving the customer’s request. They need to have a good understanding of what the customer needs and have all the necessary information to solve it.
The point of contact should be able to communicate with customers in a way that is convenient for them – via phone, email, or chat.
Automation tools can help point of contact manage incoming requests by enabling them to organize their workload. They can also track customer requests and their progress.
Keep communication personalized
The customer experience is all about the connection between the company and the customer. It is important to have a personal approach and avoid too formal a tone and a robotlike communication style. Personalized communication can be done in different ways, such as by using a person’s name, making sure that you are talking to them in their language, or being polite.
It is important for companies to be aware of the fact that people are more likely to buy from those who they know and like. This means that companies should make sure that they are not just offering good products but also a good customer service experience.
Use positive language to give the best impression
A positive tone of communication encourages a better customer experience. By using it, you’ll demonstrate that you are confident in your product or service and that you care about the customer.
A positive language is a powerful tool for building rapport with customers. It can also help to build trust and authority. For example, saying “I am happy to hear from you” instead of “I am pleased to hear from you” can make a big difference in how your customers perceive your business.
Stay clear with the customer
It is important to stay clear of any jargon that may confuse the customer. Focus on what you are saying and make sure that it is easy for them to understand.
A great marketer will know how to speak with their customers in a way that they can understand. They will use words and phrases that are familiar to their customers, so they don’t have to spend time explaining what they mean.
Know how to end a conversation
It is important to know how to end a conversation with a client in a polite and professional manner. It may be necessary for you to end the conversation if you are busy or you need to focus on other tasks. You should also know when the conversation needs to be ended because it is no longer relevant.
Define the issue, promise to assist by reporting it to the right people, and ask your client directly if they would like more help.
Bring the team together
It’s important for all members of the team to follow the same culture if a POC is represented by the department. Provide a handbook on how to communicate with customers, listing positive language examples to use and negative language patterns to avoid. If a POC is represented by the department, it’s crucial that all team members follow the same culture: use the same rules, notions, and words.
Conclusion
A POC is someone on the business team that plays an important role in establishing new client connections or advancing existing customer relationships. Because their performance is associated with the success of the entire company, they must be well-versed in company branding.
Customer satisfaction is at stake, so the POC must follow a set of guidelines when communicating with them. This implies establishing a unified procedure for the whole team that employs positive language and keeps communication simple for clients.
