By Swatil Binte Mahmud, Lava Protocols
Another year with Covid-19 though economically, Malaysia is almost entirely back in business. I know we have gone through many changes, and so did our businesses. As the new year comes, will you be a new you? I know changes are complex, but transformation can be magical. So, here we are with some tips and tricks for your business.
If you have a small business, then you must keep reading. I want everyone to enter the New Year with hope and excitement. So, please check out these 5 tips, and you will know how to transform your business right after the New Year celebration.
Therefore, the new and clear path to success and profits requires businesses to adopt a business model which is customer-centric. Having a customer-centric model means companies will stop at nothing and give their 100% to understand what their customers want and needs. Having personalized, seamless, and omnichannel customer service is not the future but the present.
1. Balance is the Key
Small businesses are more likely to have limited resources, time, and funding. Hence, digital transformation can almost seem impossible or daunting to some. Also, with so many technology options and solutions to choose from, it can get very confusing. This is why you will need to prioritize carefully and make decisions best suited for your business. Customers have evolved immensely since the pandemic, and they expect online solutions now more than ever. A Salesforce report called “The State of the Connected Customer” released that 58% of customers are more likely to shop online after the pandemic, 68% are more online than before, and 88% expect businesses to level up their digital initiatives.
It is all about baby steps and climbing up the ladder when it comes to digital solutions, even if it seems scary at first. So, you will need to develop a game plan to balance your time, resources, and money effectively.
2. Prep your Marketing and Sales Teams
Your Marketing and Sales teams are always thinking of new and innovative ways to bring more customers. But you need to provide them with the right tools to do so. When these teams are running marketing campaigns, they need a steady flow of high-quality leads to make them successful. This is where you can use software like Pardot by Salesforce. Pardot makes it possible to do activity tracking and give real-time sales alerts to your team so they can follow up with customers and prospective customers at the right moment. Also, once you know everything there is to know about customers, you will generate targeted and personalized messaging.
Having a 360-degree insight into your customers will help create the bridge between your marketing and sales teams. Hence, there is no way that these teams will not have sufficient and organized data to make your marketing plans a success.
3. Prioritize Personalize Marketing
According to the Salesforce Marketing Intelligence report, 78% of marketers develop plans and campaigns for customer engagement based on data. A data-driven marketing plan is key to engaging and retaining customers. Gone are the days of manually typing down data into excel sheets. Automation can not only ensure accurate data, but it will also save you time. Marketing Cloud by Salesforce will automate your data collection process for every customer. Also, these data are real-time and will be updated across every team in your business. Hence, you will have consistent data across your teams. This way, you will provide a consistent and personalized experience to your customers.
4. Aim for Accurate Forecasting
I know none of us forecasted the impact of Covid-19 on our lives and businesses. But with digital solutions, you have accurate and specific forecasts that will let you control what happens to your business. This is why you can opt for AI-powered tools for accurate data and reliable forecasting. Have you heard about Sales Cloud by Salesforce? Sales Cloud will manage all your company’s data in a single digital space and give you fast and accurate information.
Plan for a Sales Cloud, which will give you quick access to accurate and latest data. This will allow you to handle a crisis as it happens and prepare you for sudden shifts and changes.
5. Do Not Ignore Customer Service
Your top priority for customer service should be to provide better customer experiences and resolve their problems faster. But remember, customer service is an ever-evolving matter, and you cannot be stubborn about your ways. Customers will change, want different things, and what they think about you is very important. If you do not have customers, your business will crash and burn.
I didn’t mean to scare you there, but it is true. If you do not have satisfied customers, they will move on to your competitor. So, you need fast, personalized, and effective responses to their issues. Opting for digital solutions like the ones Salesforce offers can transform the customer experience, trigger more sales, and make more profit.
I will stop here and let you think. As I mentioned initially, I will give you tips and tricks. These are just that. You do not have to follow everything right away or have anxiety about not knowing what to do. Hey, small steps and small wins are significant for digital transformation. Sit down with your teams, talk to us about Salesforce today, and get advice on what suits best for your business. Your business will not flourish, glow and grow if you bite more than you can chew. So, prioritize what you need the most and start transformation there!
Lava Protocols is an authorized Salesforce Partner. Want to transform your Business? Drop us an email to: hello@lavaprotocols.com.