Compared to companies in the BtoC sector, BtoB companies are significantly behind in terms of customer relations. The fact is that most of them experience great difficulty in adopting a coherent and relevant strategy to face the challenges involved in exchanges in the field of Business to Business.
Of course, as in BtoC, the central idea of being able to build strong links with customers in BtoB also consists of pampering them.
However, while the principle is practically the same, the methods differ. customer relations do indeed have certain particularities . BtoB differs from BtoC in several aspects : the objective of purchases , the timing of the customer journey , the number of people involved in the decision-making process , the duration of the decision-making process, the prices of products and/or services, etc. In order to establish solid relationships with their customers, companies in the sector must therefore implement a certain number of good practices.
1 – High quality products and/or services
BUT BUSTS IN BTOB can be based on an offer of service , product , service , solution or simply on a commercial exchange . In all cases, whatever the nature of the activities and the form they can take, the links which unite the structures can only be strengthened and be sustainable if the providing company is able to guarantee the client brand of quality products and/or services which correspond in any respect to the expectations of this. Otherwise (if the offer does not comply with the request or the order placed), customer relations can only suffer.
To ensure they offer impeccable service and/or products in the B2B sector, companies must regularly review their commercial offerings and their alignment with the market . Furthermore, they must also ensure that these offerings remain relevant to the needs of their clients and prospects . If changes are necessary to their offerings, companies should be able to demonstrate the value of their new product , service, or solution, particularly its ROI (return on investment) .
2 – In-depth knowledge of customer needs
As in BtoC, a good knowledge of customer needs is also essential in BTOB if you want to succeed in building a solid and confidence relationship with them, from the conquest phase . In order to achieve this, companies must continuously listen to the desires and requirements of their customers, but also be on the lookout for the need for it. In addition, they must also communicate regularly to clearly identify the decision -making factors of each of the actors involved. It is only thanks to these approaches that they can offer a complete and personalized to everyone's needs.
In short, good practice to know the needs of its customers in BtoB well and, thus, to treat the quality of relationships with them consists in implementing a “Customer Centric” strategy . The principle of this technique is to adopt a customer -centered management methodology in order to better understand its expectations, its issues and its feedback . It will then suffice to analyze and use the information ( customer data ) obtained to improve offers and customer experience.
In addition to helping maintain customer satisfaction , the “customer centric” approach also helps build customer loyalty . For better results, the method can be associated with certain classic practices (giving customers a voice, using satisfaction questionnaires and others) whose effectiveness no longer needs to be demonstrated.
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3 – Effective customer support and support
The secret of a good customer relationship in BtoB is also based on the ability of companies to provide their customers with quality support and customer support. The structures must be able to guarantee all their partners their presence by their side at the slightest request , but also to offer them all the help and all the support they need . The use of a technology such as the CRM ( Customer Relationship Management System) can be of great help if you want to manage to set up effective customer support.
4 – A tailored, consistent and fluid customer experience
In order to guarantee the consistency, efficiency and fluidity of the customer experience in BtoB, companies must consider the journey of their customers as a whole , for each collaboration. The objective is then to offer personalized experience at all levels . Concretely, good practice here is to set up one or more dedicated and tailor -made solutions (an advisor or a dedicated tool for example ) at different stages of the customer journey.
5 – Better internal organization
We often forget it, but the internal functioning of a BtoB company can also greatly impact its relationships with its customers. Indeed, if it turns out that this is not well established , this can be the cause of serious problems and inconveniences (delays, gaps in the production process, non-compliance with deadlines and agreements , quality problems and others) which can degrade relationships with partners .
Companies can adopt different solutions and best practices to improve their internal organization . We can cite among others:
- Better arrangement of the various functions within the structure (marketing, production, sales, customer service and others).
- The use of technologies to manage certain tasks or activities.
- Adopting a more proactive method of communication .
