Have you seen an online discussion group where people narrate their opinions, have discussions, and provide feedback? If you have, then you already know what a forum is. Otherwise, let me explain what forums are.
An online website that initiates a discussion around a central theme among the masses is a forum. People sharing a common interest are usually its members. Moreover, people share opinions, feedback, comments, and related content. Also, they engage in asking questions and companies answer them.
So, why need a forum when we have Facebook and X? To answer this question, I’ve written a detailed article depicting how vital forums are. Despite being overshadowed by social media sites, having an active forum can be beneficial. So, let’s dive in:
#1. Self-Help for Customers:
Is there anything better for companies that customers help each other to get issues resolved? Having an active forum can ensure to resolve your customer’s issues without your help.As mentioned earlier, forums generally consist of loyal customers.
They tend to support new customers facing any problem. Without asking, they become an effective mouthpiece for your company.From a business perspective, it becomes easier to cater to customers.
Having a loyal customer workforce that’s not even on your payroll, and assisting your other customers can be a boon for companies. In addition, forums can help companies to reduce costs related to customer service.
Also, with fewer customers to deal with, support agent’s productivity may improve. So, with an active forum, you can empower customers to help themselves when needed.
#2. Customer Service Becomes Effective:
There’s a possibility that customers may not be able to answer every query. That’s when customer service comes into action.In today’s world, seamless customer service is essential. Customer satisfaction largely depends on it. So, customer support solely focused on forums can enhance customer’s experience.
With time, businesses grow. With this growth, comes customers from different backgrounds. It may be possible that some customers don’t understand the common tongue. So, a company with a customer-centric approach cannot afford to lose even a single customer due to the communication gap.
An active forum allows companies to take care of customers from all backgrounds. It becomes easy for them to engage with them in a multilingual way.Let me explain it with an example. Spectrum provides top-notch internet, TV, and telephone services around the country.
As their operations expanded, people from different races, ethnicities, and speaking different languages joined them. So, instead of catering to them in English, they opted to provide services in their mother tongue.
If you visit Spectrum español, you’ll hear a melodious voice speaking Spanish. So, if you’re looking for any of these services, or want to know how exceptional customer service works, do visit.
#3. Productive Feedback:
Is there any better way for companies to improve other than feedback? No matter what kind of feedback a company gets, there’s always a silver lining in it.Constructive feedback can act like a reality check for companies.
Knowing what they lack and hearing it firsthand from customers is the key to improvement.Forums allow customers and companies to connect like no other medium. Customers posting their feedback on forums is visible to brands.
To maintain their loyalty, it becomes necessary for companies to act on their feedback.However, not acting on the feedback may flood the forum with negative reviews. It’ll also develop a trust gap between the customers and the business. So, companies are always on their toes when it comes to feedback.
#4. A Platform for Idea Generation:
Sometimes, experienced customers come up with brilliant ideas that don’t cross executive’s minds. So, having an active forum can help in this regard as well.An active forum allows people to engage in productive discussions.
By coming forth with innovative ideas, customers can give valuable suggestions. Consequently, companies can further explore the ideas given by customers. Not only this, companies can also initiate a poll, survey, or discussion about upcoming projects and plans.
Based on the results, brands can act accordingly. Furthermore, it’s a great way to achieve customer engagement and satisfaction as they feel valued when brands ask for their suggestions.
#5. Enhances Marketing Strategies:
Forums give a greater reach to companies in terms of marketing. With a large loyal customer base, brands can share promotional materials in forums, with the aim of people sharing them.
In addition, businesses can keep a check on the performance of their marketing strategies.
People pouring their hearts out in forums, companies can evaluate how effective their strategies are.Moreover, if you have a newsletter, a forum is the best way to attract new subscribers. Not only this, companies can share blogs, videos, and tutorials in forums to catch customer’s attention.
#6. Increased Loyalty:
An active forum can be a source of increase in customer loyalty. Usually, devoted customers become a part of the community. Whereas, some customers, only for the sake of remaining up-to-date join it.
Companies have the golden opportunity to target new customers with updates, promotions, and exclusive deals to grab their attention. Once it is done, the next step is to ensure that you don’t let them go anywhere else.
Winding Up:
When compared to social media sites, people usually don’t consider forums. However, companies don’t have the leverage of getting involved with customers except on forums. Moreover, to stay in constant touch with customers, there’s no better choice than forums.
