How business community forums shape exclusive customer relationships

Author: Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

We all know this feeling: Asking questions on online forums that no one replies to. Or not knowing which answers to trust. To many people, a community forum is not something that brings positive thoughts. Contrary to a common perception of being outdated and prone to trolling, online discussion forums have positive links to employee well-being and are even associated with increased customer engagement offline. So, for businesses, improving this service is therefore becoming increasingly crucial.

The digital era has created a unique demand for businesses to build valuable and long-lasting online relationships between customers and experts. It has become the way to gain customers’ loyalty and breed trust for the brand. Let’s delve in and understand how a well-managed forum, such as the Schneider Electric Community, becomes the channel for exclusive customer relationships.  

Responsiveness is key

The digital wave that came after the pandemic showed everyone that relations with customers can and will soon be handled mostly online. From big shopping centers to organized and clear e-stores, digital services have become the new reality.

According to Forbes, around 21% of retail purchases take place today and it is expected to rise to 24% by 2026. Gen Z, which represents more than 32% of the world’s population, makes up around 40% of global consumers and together, with another growing group of millennials, they share far different online expectations from the previous generations. They have equally high expectations about digital services and expect those processes to be smooth, seamless, and consistently reliable. According to experts, 67% of millennials prefer self-service and 72% of them believe that phone call is not the best way to resolve their service issue. Most of them usually hang up after one minute if they are on hold.  

Speed is another advantage appreciated by not only the new generation but by all customers. Internet, fast search engines, and social media have created a demand for getting answers within a few minutes. If the platform fails, it means it is not worth trusting it. This confirms another study which shows that 64% of consumers expect real-time responses at any time and 62% of them will consider switching to a competitor after 1-2 bad experiences.  

With all customers’ expectations changing fast, businesses should work on delivering information and knowledge to customers in an easy, online, and self-served way. Customers should feel they can count on the high-quality support from the business at any time they need it. 

Finding answers is easy with the community!

Creating a forum that addresses customer needs for information, support, and feedback, is a way for a business to increase loyalty and enhance a positive brand experience at the same time. What is more, later, it translates into monetary benefits such as enhanced efficiency, product adoption, and better business products. 

Schneider Electric Community is an example to follow. It offers a unique forum space that extends beyond just addressing customer queries for support. Through this online channel, experts provide fast and reliable answers to thousands of users per month. Each serviceable product and solution has their forum, which lowers the difficulty of navigating and enhances the positive user experience of the platform. Users may easily and quickly find the forum thread and ask questions. With our “customer first” mindset, Schneider Electric’s business experts inclusively monitor the forum and provide first answers within 24 hours ensuring users can always rely on the community and feel looked after. For the business, it translates into increased customer adoption, influence, and finally positive brand experience. 

Schneider Electric’s Community also creates synergy by leveraging the collective knowledge of its partners, users, and business experts. All users collaborate to solve their energy management and industrial automation problems.  

In 2023 Schneider Electric Community served more than two million users who spent close to eight million minutes interacting with the brand. 

The power of collective wisdom

Business community forums such as Schneider Electric Community are not just a customer support tool. They are an exclusive gateway that can revolutionize business-customer relationships. Community forums increase transparency, trust, and customers’ loyalty to the brand. Their open and direct nature fosters customer engagement by putting forth a space for helpful conversations, mutual problem-solving, and personal growth. 

But business community forums also unlock the power of collective wisdom. They engage all users in a collaborative knowledge-building process that may bring many valuable and sometimes even very unexpected solutions to the business. This rich ecosystem of subject expertise is not only a channel of connections but first and foremost a veritable treasure for a business. A treasure full of diverse perspectives and experiences that can bring us all closer to solving today’s real-world challenges. 

What are you waiting for to leverage the power of community forums for your business?

Collaborate, discover, and learn more! Check out Schneider Electric Community and find the answers you are looking for today! 

Tags: community, Customer, Customer Engagement, Digital transformation, InnovationAtEveryLevel