If you neglect pre or post sales support because you think it costs more money than it makes, your company is missing a huge opportunity. Pre-sales support grows your business by providing prospective customers with fast answers that positively influence their buying decisions, and post-sales support increases customer retention.
Below we’ll look at some strategies and tangible actions you can take to ensure your DTC brand makes the most of these key times in a customer journey.
So what’s the difference between pre-sales and post-sales support?
Pre-sales and post-sales are equally important for guiding a customer from being a prospect to being a satisfied shopper. Pre-sales support mostly covers answering the questions customers ask before making a purchase. It also includes leading customers through the sales process and closing deals.
What happens if your pre-sales team can’t provide satisfying or convincing answers or takes too long to respond? It affects engagement and leads to a low conversion rate, as prospects lose interest in your business.
Remember that prospective customers probably have browser tabs open for other companies selling the same products you offer. You can use a live chat to provide fast answers to customer queries and stop shoppers from leaving your page to research products on other sites.
Your post-sales team handles customer care after a sale. By creating a good impression through quality post-sales, customers are more likely to become return shoppers. In fact, loyal customers are 9x more likely to convert compared to a first-time shopper.
How to boost revenue with pre-sales support
The key to driving revenue with pre-sales support is being proactive. Ensure that no matter which channel your customer is using to engage with your brand, you’re there to answer any questions they may have. Here are 5 tips to do it effectively:
- Create an in-person shopping experience online
Shopping your online store should feel the same as when you walk into a mall and a sales representative welcomes you to the store, introduces themself, and lets you know they’re there if you have any questions.
You can do that by setting up a chat prompt for visitors who have been on the site for a period of time:
- Optimize your sales process
Your pre-sales support team must use its thorough understanding of your product and customer needs to keep clients engaged and well-informed throughout the purchase process. Using an omnichannel helpdesk to have support at every step, across every channel, will reduce customer uncertainty and abandoned carts.
- Gain useful insights
Interactions between your pre-sales support team and prospects provide valuable insights into customer preferences. Use that information to improve your website’s content and user experience to boost conversions and sales. You can also use that information to automate your responses.
- Convert prospects
If a customer has second thoughts about making a purchase, the pre-sales support team must quickly provide valuable information that rekindles the customer’s interest. Pre-sales support can also engage with prospects checking your ads and social media posts. Doing this drives more traffic to your website and ensures the success of your ad campaigns.
- Ensure unwavering customer satisfaction
If a customer enjoys the entire process of shopping on your website, they will most likely return for a repeat performance. It’s up to your pre-sales support team and your helpdesk to ensure customers are satisfied at every stage of the sales process.
While your customer support team members aren’t sales reps, you can encourage them to think like a salesperson in their interactions, because no one knows your brand better!
How to boost revenue with post-sales support
One-time customers are not enough to grow a business. You need repeat customers that make you the first stop for their needs and gladly recommend you to friends and strangers. Post-sales support is an effective tool for ensuring that happens.
After a customer places an order, keep them at ease but eager to keep shopping by sending:
- A thank you message
Appreciating a customer goes a long way in showing that you value them. Use this message as an opportunity to reassure your customer that they just made a great choice. You can do that by reinforcing your brand's values, including a quote from a happy customer, or by simply letting them know that they’re now part of your brand community. Bonus points if you reference a conversation you had with them during the checkout process!
- A request for a review
Asking your customers for reviews shows them that you care and value their feedback. Ask them how their shopping experience could have been better, or if they have any follow-up questions. Make sure you take this feedback seriously and listen to your customers recommendations, as they likely aren’t the only ones thinking what they’re thinking.
- Product suggestions
Product suggestions are a great way to keep customers engaged while waiting for their orders. You can even send them product suggestions that match their searches on your site, which increases the chances of them making another purchase.
4. Ongoing updates
One of the most common customer support questions is “where is my order?”. Get ahead of that by sending your customers shipment updates until their order arrives. The updates can contain personalized alerts about ongoing discount offers, upcoming promotions, and more.
Where to start?
Now that you have an idea of how to provide exceptional pre and post sales customer support, where do you start? We recommend first making sure your technology stack has all the tools you need to create consistent customer experiences.
