Sales and marketing in B2B eCommerce, coupled with the quality of the product or service itself, have proved their value in acquiring customers. However, to foster lasting customer relationships, B2B enterprises must also concentrate on customer success. Recent research from Gainsight reveals that 92% of businesses continue to invest in B2B customer success even during economic recessions, underscoring its impact across industries and business models.
To ensure an effective investment in customer success, entrepreneurs need to develop a robust strategy that not only meets but exceeds clients’ expectations. In this article, we’ll delve into practical strategies with case study analysis to assist companies in achieving B2B customer success, ultimately driving long-term success for both businesses and their customers.
What is B2B customer success?
Customer success is the practice of establishing, nurturing and managing relationships with existing and newly adopted customers, ensuring they obtain their desired outcomes while using the business’s products or services. In the B2B model, customer success is more complex due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders within a single company and complex decision-making processes.
Business-to-business customer success is to create seamless customer experiences for cohorts of different expertise and preferences throughout the sales funnel. The process starts from the stage of transitioning customers to online platforms and onboarding them, continuing through the retention and advocacy phase. Eventually, the highest goal of customer success for B2B enterprises is to speed up decision-making, satisfy the customers, lower churn rates and enhance their loyalty to the brand.
Customer success vs. customer service
Whilst “customer service” and “customer success” are often interchangeable in some contexts, they serve distinct purposes, involve different responsibilities, and employ varied methods. In general, customer service consists of reactive activities, mostly addressing customer needs after customers reach out to the company for support. Customer success, on the other hand, proactively maintains interaction with customers throughout their journey to help them derive maximum value from your product or service.
In detail, customer service centres resolve customer issues, provide them with any information they’re seeking, and help address challenges they’re encountering. Obstacles can be various, ranging from difficulty registering or logging into the platform, navigating the website, to errors occurring in the checkout process. Channels to deliver customer services in B2B include help desks, emails, live chat, phone calls, social media, and even in-person.
B2B customer success encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, including digital client onboarding, ongoing engagement, or cross-selling and upselling, all aimed at partnering with clients to achieve their long-term objectives. Instead of relying solely on a customer support team, customer success is often managed by account managers or sales representatives who engage with clients from the outset. Key strategies to promote customer success include creating a seamless and refined online experience, actively collecting feedback, and implementing improvements based on customer insights.
Benefits of achieving customer success in B2B eCommerce
Achieving customer success is essential for companies looking to improve their operations and cultivate lasting relationships with clients. B2B customer success’s benefits include:
- Increased customer retention: Satisfied customers are the backbone of any successful business. When B2B companies focus on customer success, they create positive experiences that encourage loyalty. Retained customers are more likely to continue purchasing and engage in long-term partnerships.
- Enhanced brand reputation: An exceptional customer success strategy plays a crucial role in boosting B2B customer satisfaction. When customers are happy with their experience, they may share their positive feedback through word-of-mouth referrals. This not only attracts new customers but also improves your brand's perception and credibility in the marketplace.
- Higher revenue growth: Once customers are satisfied with their experiences and have developed trust in your brand, they are more likely to engage in upselling and cross-selling opportunities. These interactions directly contribute to increased order values and volumes, leading to a remarkable rise in sales, especially when the business is able to tailor their offerings to meet the specific needs of their clients.
- Competitive advantage: In a crowded B2B marketplace, providing unmatched customer success can differentiate a business from competitors. It also enables companies to adapt quickly to changing market dynamics and client expectations. This agility positions them as industry leaders, while also allowing them to seize emerging market trends.
Winning strategies that drive B2B customer success
In order to reap the benefits of customer success in B2B, enterprises must implement targeted strategies that advance the overall customer experience and address the complexities of B2B relationships. Let’s explore the most practical tactics especially tailored for the B2B model and reap inspiration from Dermalogica, a leading skincare brand that has excelled in B2B customer success.
1. Deeply understand B2B buyers' needs
Before implementing any initiatives to achieve customer success, you need comprehensive insights about your customers to develop a strategy that resonates with your audience. Understanding your B2B clients' preferences and demands, as well as the industry challenges and decision-making processes, is essential for data-driven actions and strategic optimisation.
To refine your approach, conduct thorough research, engage in in-person conversations, and analyse customer data. By identifying your customers’ concerns, such as comprehensive product information, a smooth order purchasing process, negotiable pricing, and 24/7 B2B helpdesk availability, you can adjust your offerings and operations accordingly. Remember to deliver solutions that not only fulfil their requirements but also align with their business objectives to drive mutual success.
Take Dermalogica as an example. The company has a profound understanding of its customers’ needs, thus developing a skin analysis app called FaceMapping. This innovative tool is designed for B2B clients, allowing them to provide tailored treatment consultations and customised product recommendations to their end consumers at ease, saving time and resources by sending analysis results via direct emails.
2. Define clear goals with your clients
It’s better to be a friend than a seller to your customers, especially when it comes to loyal customers. Working together with your clients to establish specific objectives can create a shared vision that aligns your offerings with your clients' business aspirations.
You should also discuss with your clients what "success" looks like, as they vary significantly between businesses. For one client, success may be increasing operational efficiency, while for another, it could be maximising return on investment (ROI). Having a clear understanding of these objectives means that everyone is on the same page and working towards common outcomes. When your clients achieve their goals, celebrate their successes as if they were your own.
Dermalogica excels at being a true partner to its customers by actively showcasing their achievements through testimonials, detailed case studies, and engaging social media posts. By sharing these customer stories, Dermalogica reinforces their value in customers’ eyes and establishes themselves as a trusted partner committed to business clients’ growth.
3. Cater a smooth onboarding experience
A streamlined onboarding experience is crucial for any B2B buyer, whether they’re familiar with traditional over-the-phone sales methods or getting used to purchasing through an eCommerce platform. Customer onboarding begins in the initial phases after businesses successfully transition their clients to online stores. As a consequence, if you fail to deliver an exceptional onboarding experience, there’s a high risk of customer dissatisfaction or a detrimental effect on the bonds with your clients.
To deliver a superior onboarding experience, businesses should provide training sessions or guided walkthroughs that help clients navigate their online spaces with confidence. In addition, consider developing knowledge hubs like webinars, tutorials, and user guides. These resources empower clients to maximise the value of their purchases while reinforcing their trust in your brand.
As highlighted in the Shopify case study, Dermalogica’s portal for business customers mirrors the user-friendly experience of its B2C platform, eliminating the need for extensive onboarding. However, to further enhance the experience, a business consultant is assigned to walk customers through the process or provide support and assistance whenever needed. This combination of familiarity and personalised guidance enhances customer satisfaction and streamlines Dermalogica’s B2B purchasing journey.
4. Provide comprehensive information
The decision-making process in B2B is often complicated, involving multiple stakeholders, who possess varying priorities and concerns. To facilitate this process, enterprises should provide comprehensive resources that enable clients to make informed decisions. Detailed documents play a pivotal role in this regard, as they simplify the evaluation process for clients. Resources should be produced in various formats like FAQs, how-to guides, and industry-specific case studies and blog posts to give stakeholders access to all necessary information at their fingertips.
What’s more, creating extensive descriptions, specifications, pricing options, and ratings or relevant testimonials on the product pages can highlight your product or service functionalities and advantages. This level of transparency helps clients understand the value of your offerings and reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings arising from vague or incomplete information. By providing clients with the information they seek in advance, businesses can foster greater satisfaction and reduce support inquiries.
Let’s have a closer look at Dermalogica’s product page. Each product page is designed to provide transparent information, including ingredient lists, benefits, usage instructions, and suitable skin types. Additionally, ratings, feedback, and Q&A sections from actual users help build credibility and encourage customers to proceed faster.
Apart from detailed product information, Dermalogica creates extensive learning resources for both industry professionals and undergraduates. These courses help their potential and existing customers strengthen their skills and expertise, while also learning to effectively apply Dermalogica products in practical scenarios. Through their comprehensive educational programs, Dermalogica equips individuals and businesses with the knowledge necessary to excel in the skincare field, assisting them in meeting the needs of their clients and maximising Dermalogica’s product benefits.
5. Deliver efficient and timely assistance
A robust customer service can contribute considerably to customer success in B2B. Businesses may leverage different channels for B2B customer support, such as live chat, email, meeting or phone support, and a robust knowledge base, and make sure that clients can easily access assistance when needed.
To empower qualified 24/7 support, you need to equip customer support staff with knowledge related to your products, their functionalities and usages, and even industry-related information. When support representatives understand the unique challenges faced by different sectors, they can offer more relevant solutions and build stronger rapport with clients.
You may consider utilising technology, such as chatbots and CRM systems, to streamline communication and enable timely assistance. By embedding a commerce-enabled chatbot on your website, you can provide immediate assistance to customers at any time of day. These chatbots can be extensively trained on your products, policies, and processes, enabling them to deliver accurate information and support tailored to each client's needs.
Dermalogica also employs an AI chatbot on their website to provide quick answers to customer inquiries. For B2B clients, dedicated business consultants are also available to guide customers through both the purchasing and post-purchase stages, ensuring a smooth and supportive journey from start to finish. This combination of AI technology and personalised care exemplifies Dermalogica's commitment to exceptional customer success strategies for B2B businesses.
6. Cater flawless and personalised shopping experiences
As orders from business clients are often high in volume, they expect a safe and intuitive buying experience in which they can complete transactions without hassle. Therefore, providers should also implement order confirmation emails, detailed invoices, and double-checking details before finalising purchases to prevent order errors.
To further improve customer experience on your website, provide personalisation that resonates with each client’s unique needs and preferences. By leveraging data from previous purchases and browsing behaviour, businesses can curate personalised product catalogues and recommend relevant items or preferred promotions to each customer.
Dermalogica leverages the Shopify eCommerce platform to create a loyalty-based pricing model that offers customised quotations for each order based on customer retention and loyalty. This tailored approach can improve B2B customers’ overall experience on eCommerce sites and foster stronger partnerships between the brand and their clients.
7. Keep communicating with your customers
Proactive communication with your customers is key to fostering stronger relationships. Instead of waiting for clients to raise issues, you can engage with them by offering assistance or sharing helpful resources before they encounter problems. Use regular check-ins through emails or account management calls to gather feedback, and share updates about new products or features.
Additionally, let your customers voice their opinions so that they may feel valued and supported throughout their journey with your brand. Consider implementing customer review mechanisms to improve your support services continually. Surveys or feedback forms can provide valuable insights into client satisfaction and areas for improvement. Actively seeking input from your clients can show them that you are dedicated to enhancing their experience and are willing to adapt to their needs.
Dermalogica has a unique tactic of keeping in touch with their customers after sales. The brand maintains ongoing communication through personal business consultants. These consultants not only reach out to clients regularly but also send thoughtful gifts during events and celebrations, showcasing Dermalogica as a partner beyond the initial sale.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, implementing dedicated strategies tailored for B2B enables businesses to create an environment where clients feel supported, valued, and empowered to achieve their objectives, ultimately driving sustainable growth. By nurturing relationships with existing clients, businesses establish a cycle of success that benefits both parties, leading to a prosperous future in the dynamic world of eCommerce.
To optimise your customer success strategy, consider partnering with On Tap eCommerce consultancy, a member of the global B2B eCommerce Association. Our team of seasoned experts is ready to provide tailored recommendations on B2B customer success tactics and solutions that meet your specific needs. Together, we can navigate the complexities of eCommerce and unlock your business's full potential.
