You appreciate every customer you have the honor of serving. But engaged customers that actively engage with your business? They bring a whole other level of value.

Keeping your customers happy and engaged is easier said than done. It takes time and effort to stay on top of emails, feedback, and marketing—time you might not have.

The good news? There is a solution: customer engagement software.

In this article, we’ll give you the low-down on customer engagement software. What is it, and how does it work? We’ll share the benefits and explain how it can strengthen your customer relationships.

We’ll also list key features and give you some guidance on choosing the best-fit software for your business.

We’ll wrap up with some quick, actionable tips you can use right now to kickstart your customer engagement journey.

Ready to level up how you interact and serve your customers? Let’s go.

What Is Customer Engagement Software?

Before we go any further, let’s pull it back to basics.

Customer engagement software is a tool that helps businesses like yours connect with their customers. It offers various features that streamline communication, collect data, and inform your operations.

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Relationships are built on communication. Customer engagement software allows you to interact with customers from many different channels.

Think email, text, and social media. It gives you a unified way to cater to diverse customer preferences, which helps you keep everyone happy.

Feedback is integral to any kind of business improvement, whether that’s setting the right price or enhancing customer service. Customer engagement software collects feedback and stores it in a way that’s actually useful.

You can draw on the insights gathered to make positive, lasting changes that position your business as a top industry competitor.

Customer engagement software enables you to track customer interactions. You can identify common issues and look at past communications to personalize your service approach.

Speaking of personalization, this is where customer engagement software truly shines. Customers don’t just prefer personalized interactions—they expect them. And if you can deliver, the results are significant.

Take this stat, for example: companies with fast growth rates get 40% more of their revenue from personalization compared to slow-growing competitors.

Customer engagement software gives you the tools and knowledge to send tailored offers, leverage background information to deliver superior services and make customers feel valued.

This sounds good—in theory. But if you’re thinking, “Where am I going to get the time to do all that?”—don’t fret. Automation is the answer.

You can set up automatic communications like follow-up emails and even add chatbots to your site to answer commonly asked questions.

The Power of Customer Engagement Software

The benefits of customer engagement software come down to building strong relationships with your customers. It’s about loyalty. 

Engaged customers may be more likely to choose you again. They’re more likely to make repeat purchases, which is great for your home services business’s bottom line.

What’s more, they may even share their positive experience with friends and family. And that means extra referrals with no added cost or effort required.

FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS: The Importance of Customer Service in Home Services: Enhancing the Journey to Customer Satisfaction

How to Choose the Right Customer Engagement Software

Customer engagement software can potentially change how you do business for the better. But how do you choose the right one?

Key Features to Look For

First, know what features you need. Here are some to look for:

• Automation capabilities: Look for software that automates tasks like sending reminders and follow-up emails. This includes email marketing software, chatbots for handling simple customer requests, and even A/B testing.
• Personalized communication tools: Choose software that allows you to personalize messages and communicate in various ways. This includes tools for emails, texts, social media, in-app messaging, and web messaging platforms.
• Integrations and data access: The software should integrate with your existing tools, such as scheduling and invoicing systems. It should also provide easy access to customer data.
• Customer support tools: Your software should include help desks, shared inboxes, and live chat products. These tools help manage and track customer requests and enable real-time communication.
• Feedback management: Look for features that allow you to collect and analyze customer feedback. This includes feedback and survey apps.
• Reporting and analytics: Good software offers robust reporting features. It should provide detailed reports on things like customer engagement levels and feedback scores.
• Customer loyalty programs: Consider software that enables you to create and manage loyalty programs. You can increase customer retention by offering rewards and incentives. This is a huge plus, considering that customer acquisition costs are rising.

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Advice on Choosing the Right Software

You’ve got your list of must-have features. Now, it’s time to choose the right software for your business. Here’s some advice to help you make the best choice:

• Think about your needs. Do you want to improve communication? Better leverage feedback? Or send automated emails? Getting clarity on your needs helps you prioritize the right features.
• Determine your budget. Any money spent on improving your business should deliver a great return on investment (ROI). So, calculate how much you can afford to spend on the software.
• Try a demo. Many software providers offer free demos. Take advantage of them. That way, you can see how easy it is to use and whether the features meet your needs.
• Check the customer support options. Excellent customer support can get you out of a pickle. Find out what support is available through the software provider.
• Consider scalability. Have you got plans to grow your business? Opt for a software solution that can scale alongside your customer base.

FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS: How to Make Customer Service a Competitive Advantage

How You Can Start Choosing a Customer Engagement Software Right Now

Ready to get started right now? Give these tips a go:

• Write down your top three goals. Consider what you want to achieve with customer engagement software and write down three goals.
• Research your options. Start reading up on software providers. Don’t forget to check out reviews.
• Sign up for a few demos. A software provider might promise the world, but seeing the tool in action is much more powerful. Request a couple of free demonstrations.
• Chat with your team. Your staff will use the software, too. Get their feedback on what they’d like to see.