Three Pertinent Customer Data Points to Keep Sales in the Loop

Data is in overdrive. In order to deliver the personalized experiences that customers have come to expect, organizations must be able to keep pace with the elevated quantity of customer data and analyze it in real time to govern their decisions.

Having these capabilities is critical for sales organizations which rely on data to engage with customers at the critical moments throughout their buying journeys. Connecting with prospects during these crucial moments requires sales to possess essential information to help convert these leads to sales.

In collaboration with Revana Digital, TTEC's digital acquisition marketing arm, we have created an effective way to analyze a customer’s online search journey and provide sales associates with real-time insights to help them engage in the right conversation. Here are three critical pieces of information that are essential for sales teams to have at the very beginning of every interaction with a customer:

1. Initial search term: Customers reveal a lot through the terminology they use in their search. For example, a customer who contacts a hair restoration company might have used the word “chemotherapy” in her search, putting her in a particular customer segment. With this information in hand, the company can start by routing the customer to an associate who is empathic from the beginning of the conversation and is able to address that person’s individual needs. Without this data, the associate might have to do some digging to uncover the customer’s exact situation, which could lead to an uncomfortable conversation for both parties.

2. Click stream: Non-verbal communication has always held important insights for sales teams, allowing them to better understand each customer they talk with. In a brick-and-mortar setting, sales associates can look at the path a customer takes around the store. For example, is a customer who entered a wine store focusing on a particular grape variety or browsing across a larger section? Similarly, a customer’s online journey can reveal minute but information-rich signals that will help understand that customer’s intent and focus. Providing this data to sales associates will help them steer the conversation directly to what that customer is interested in. Even the device used to carry out the search can give pertinent information about the customer—for example someone doing a search on a mobile phone might have a more urgent need for a specific product or service than another customer using a desktop device.

3. Downloaded content: This data provides deeper insight into customers’ interests and will also help sales teams understand what information the customer is already in possession of. This is extremely important since busy customers are looking for additional insights that complement what they already know and not a repetition of their knowledge. Having visibility into the whole customer journey will allow sales teams to better tailor the conversation to that customer and deliver complementary content rather than repeat information the customer is already privy to. Further, the type of content a customer has downloaded can help determine what stage he is within the buying cycle, and allow sales associates to communicate appropriately.

Once we have these three pieces of information in hand along with other data we gather, we create a predicted conversion rate for this customer and tie all data points into a digital persona, even if the individual customer’s identity isn’t known. Having the data upfront allows organizations to connect the customer with the right sales person, for example someone who specializes in a specific product in which the customer has expressed particular interest.

Additionally, organizations can also leverage insights from similar customers to further personalize the conversation. Through a thorough segmentation process that gives insight into propensity to purchase, lifetime value, and likelihood to churn, organizations can better tailor communications and close sales.

Leveraging digital marketing data can take your sales team’s performance to another level.