One of the popular strategies of inbound B2B lead generation is to convert out of your current customer service model. Simply put, whenever a client comes in with an inquiry or an update, you use that as an opportunity to retain them and nurture the interest well enough that they’ll be willing to do business with you again.
For ERP software, that type of strategy might play a key role in holding on to current clients. As more and more companies prefer to have their systems in the cloud, maintaining a solid connection based on good client relations could become the lifeline that keeps your company from sinking into the abyss.
Such is the situation currently discussed in this article from the Wall Street Journal:
“Many technology executives are finding cloud vendors no more attentive to their needs than traditional vendors, and fault cloud vendors for having poorly written contracts that fail to define terms like “availability,” and for lacking financial penalties when service is poor.”
In the article, Hugh Scott, CIO of Energy Plus, has expressed his grievances regarding the indifferent and unhelpful customer service of cloud vendors by saying that “many CIOs hesitate to adopt cloud services because they feel they’re not in control when something goes wrong, but are going to take the blame from their CEO and their C-suite peers if a system does go down.”
Given the above quotes, it’s clear that in order to have success with offering cloud computing SaaS, companies must maintain strong and transparent relationships with their clients. The development of cloud technologies has made business software technology far more available to any business and make business far more global for the vendors themselves. This in turn could lead to a promising surge of inquiries and potential ERP leads from virtually anywhere on the planet.
Alas, what good is that potential when you give them the same experience as Hugh Scott? Perhaps the one thing that makes inbound strategies more imperative for cloud computing is due to the sheer exposure you can generate. That exposure will attract so many viewers and therefore, many will approach and diminish the need to go outbound (not that a bit of outbound never helped).
Now first off, one thing the article strongly implies is that anything you do with your software will affect them directly. This includes updates, changes in the system, updates, and even other things like the financial status of the company as a whole. Naturally, this is what will drive the inquiries and give you chances to maintain connections.
A good way to engage those inquiries, whether they’re about certain technical difficulties or new announcements, is to give them more freedom of communication. Open yourself to all channels from phone to email. Don’t afraid to outsource if you can’t afford some of the necessary equipment and personnel. The only thing that should matter to you right now is to be of service to the people who you’ve made connections. Business today is becoming more about the strengthening of those bonds.
