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, if the principle is practically the same, the methods differ. Customer relations in Business to Business present, in fact, 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 strong relationships with their customers, companies in the sector must therefore implement a certain number of best practices.
1 – High quality products and/or services
BtoB business relationships can be based on an offer of service , product , service , solution or quite simply on a commercial exchange . In all cases, whatever the nature of the activities and the form they may take, the links which unite the structures can only be strengthened and long-lasting if the supplying company is able to guarantee the client brand quality products and/or services which correspond in every way to its expectations. Otherwise (if the offer does not comply with the request or the order placed), the customer relationship can only suffer.
In order to ensure that they offer an impeccable service and/or product in BtoB, companies must regularly take stock of their commercial offers and their alignment with the market . Furthermore, they must also ensure that they are always in line with the needs of their customers and prospects . In the event that changes need to be made to offerings, businesses should be able to demonstrate the value of their new product , service or solution, including 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 we want to succeed in building a solid and trusting relationship with them, starting from the conquest phase . To achieve this, companies must continually listen to the desires and requirements of their customers, but also be on the lookout for changes in their needs. In addition, they must also communicate regularly to clearly understand the decision-making factors of each of the actors involved. It is only thanks to these approaches that they will be able to offer a complete and personalized offer/solution to everyone's needs.
In short, the best practice for knowing the needs of your BtoB customers and, thus, maintaining the quality of relationships with them consists of implementing a “customer centric” strategy . The principle of this technique is to adopt a customer-centered management methodology in order to better understand their expectations, issues and feedback . It will then be enough to analyze and use the information (customer data) obtained to improve the offers and the 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 ofgood customer relations in BtoB also relies on the ability of companies to provide their customers with quality customer support and support. The structures must be able to guarantee all their partners their presence at their side at the slightest request, but also offer them all the help and support they need. The use of technology such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management System) can be of great help if we want to achieve effective customer support.
4 – A tailored, consistent and fluid customer experience
In order to guarantee the consistency, efficiency and fluidity of customer experience in BtoB, companies must consider their customer journey as a whole, and this, for each collaboration. The objective then being to propose an optimized and personalized experience at all levels. Concretely, good practice here consists of implement 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:
- A better arrangement of the different functions within the structure (marketing, production, sales, customer service and other functions).
- The use of technologies to manage certain tasks or activities.
- Adopting a more proactive method of communication .
