Vending

Convenience services leaders: Use the downtime to boost customer communication

The COVID-19 outbreak has provided companies an opportunity to enhance communication outreach and establish stronger customer relationships. This marks an important opportunity, according to industry leaders who spoke during a recent NAMA webinar.

Image courtesy of iStock

May 11, 2020 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced convenience services operators to reassess their operations in numerous ways on account of location closures, employee safety concerns and consumers' retreat from away-from-home dining.

It has also given service providers an opportunity to enhance communication outreach and establish stronger customer relationships. This marks an important opportunity, according to industry leaders who spoke during a "Listening & Leading" webinar Thursday sponsored by the National Automatic Merchandising Association.

During the webinar, listeners had a chance to learn how three companies — Crane Merchandising Systems, 365 Retail Markets and Wandering Bear Coffee — are utilizing their new downtime to focus on customer relations.

Roni Moore, NAMA vice president of public relations, introduced the webinar by noting that the COVID-19 crisis has made communication more important than ever. 

Since the onset of COVID-19, news consumption has spiked, with people getting more of their news online, Moore said, while readership of newspapers has also grown exponentially from January to March. Social media readership has also jumped.

"Communicate often; let your customers know you care," she said.

Which is not to say making the adjustments is easy.

A big adjustment

Kim Reis said Crane has expanded its communication activity.

Learning to operate in the unknown has been a big adjustment for Crane Merchandising Systems, a vending equipment manufacturer, said Kirn Reis, the company's vice president and general manager for the Americas. 

Reis said Crane has increased its phone, email and website communication.

"Being direct and honest can go a long way in terms of building trust and confidence," Reis said. "Just communicating some 'feel good' and positivity to our associates regarding what we're doing to protect them, what we're doing to contribute (to) and protect the community, everything from N95 masks to soup kitchen participation is something that  helps associates and customers feel good that we're doing everything we can to feel a part of the solution."

Crane has positioned the challenge as "growing through it" versus "going through it," she said, and the company has encouraged associates to reach out to help customers by offering increased training and identifying opportunities to make strategic investments.

Get personal

365 Retail Markets, a micro market system provider, has held weekly company updates and check-ins with customers, said Linde Hutson, the company's director of global marketing, communications and training. This includes asking them about their annoyances throughout the day, which creates a spirit of teamwork. The company has also shared tips with clients on using social media.

One goal for 365 Retail Markets' clients to be able to make their own customers more comfortable with their products when they return to work, she said.

"We're offering them tips and ways to make their end user customers more comfortable," Huston said. "People are going to be afraid to come back to work. What can we do to help them? What their biggest interests are are our top priority?" 

The company will soon be launching its "365OrderAhead," she said.

Customers are listening

Matt Bachmann of Wandering Bear Coffee said consumers are now more in a mood to listen.

Matt Bachmann, CEO and co-founder of Wandering Bear Coffee, a provider of cold brew coffee, reinforced the importance of communicating with customers. 

"There is an instinct in these times of crisis to hunker down, to go into survival mode. We're hearing stories of marketing and advertising budgets being slashed," Bachmann said. "But there really is an opportunity right now we believe to build meaningful connection and awareness for consumers."

Consumer willingness to listen to an empathetic voice at this time is higher than ever, he said.

"We're seeing higher ROI than ever in some of our digital performance marketing activities," he said. "The game changing idea is really more of seeing opportunities within this crisis to lean in and go deeper with your consumers."

Up until about eight weeks ago, over half of Wandering Bear's sales were in the office coffee and foodservice sectors, Bachmann said. The company has been shifting from serving customers at their office to their home, a change that has necessitated changes in the company's supply chain.

"People are actually drinking more coffee now than they were pre-COVID," he said. "Where they need them delivered has been fundamentally changed for the time being, and potentially changed for some time to come."

The company has focused on developing products for e-commerce. "In order to do that we've had to retrain members of the team, and really remain very nimble and flexible as an organization."

This has involved listening to customers' personal concerns, he said, echoing Reis.

"We've had to transition our marketing focus from in-person to digital," said. "People are actually drinking more coffee now than they were pre-COVID. Where they need them delivered has been fundamentally changed for the time being, and potentially changed for some time to come."

"I think leaning in instead of sitting back is the way that winners will make it through the challenging times," he said.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting convenience services, click here.

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.