One of the best things you can do in 2020 is to improve the customer experience. Nearly a third (32%) of customers say they will stop doing business with a brand after just one bad experience. On the flip side, when they have a great experience, they tend to spend more money and return more often.
How bad is the problem? 54% of consumers say that the customer experience at most companies needs to be improved.
You may not be able to fix everything all at once, but you must pay attention to the things that matter most to customers.
Improving Your Customer Experience
It’s not about whether you should improve your CX, but how you improve it. Here are 7 ways to provide a better customer experience.
Understand Your Target Customers Better
Focus your efforts on your best customers and do a deep dive into what motivates them. Develop different marketing persona based on these customers while identifying the unique characteristics that drive them. Then, build a marketing experience and a product that is built around this persona. This should include everything from functionality to copy. It’s crucial you can consistently provide the kind of experience that delights these customers.
Communicate The Way Customer Wants
We live in an omnichannel world. 73% of shoppers use multiple channels during their shopping journey. You must be able to communicate with them the way they want. Whether it’s through email, phone, text, chat, social media or in-person, you need to provide a consistent – and seamless – experience across platforms.
One of the best ways to do this is to leverage automation software that connects your marketing efforts to your CRM. Solutions like Mixmax, allow you to track emails that go out, and how the customer engages with the emails. You can even create automated follow ups depending on the customer’s behavior that save you time and also keep the customer engaged. For example, if a customer opens your email more than 2 times then you can automatically send a follow up email with additional information, automatically send a Linkedin connection request, and automatically create a task in your CRM to call the customer.
Always On
Not only do you need to connect with customers the way they want, but you also must be available when they want to connect. This means 24/7. Your website is open 24/7, but you can enhance it by creating content that serves customers when you’re not around. This includes how-to guides, FAQs, and knowledge bases that can answer questions. Additionally, chatbots can be an effective to provide quick answers and resolutions.
Build Relationships
There’s a lot of clutter in the advertising and marketing arena. It’s easy for customers to forget about you or be swayed by another brand. Make sure your messaging is consistently reaching customers to build relationships. This includes outreach efforts such as advertising, email marketing, email newsletters, SMS offers, and social media.
Connecting with customers with educational content, updated on products and brands, and offering information in addition to advertising helps build that relationship.
Reward Loyalty
When you identify customers that are engaged and loyal, it’s important to reward them for their behavior. Customers that say they are emotionally-connected to a brand will spend an average of 2.5X versus customers that say they are merely satisfied.
Reward them with exclusive offers, discounts, or private events. Additionally, reward long-term customers with exclusive access to new features, or include them in brainstorms for new features. They may appreciate having a say in how your business grows.
Pay Attention to Social Channels
Customers aren’t shy about complaining when they have a problem or an experience that’s less than optimal. Make sure you are monitoring social channels for signs of concern. Deal with them immediately and publicly to demonstrate others you have a commitment to customer experience.
Survey Customers
Regularly surveying your customers about their experiences is an important tool. You’ll uncover problems you didn’t know you had and have a way to measure improvements. You’ll want to track your NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), and CES (Customer Effort Score).
Companies will be increasingly competing on experience alone in 2020 and beyond. Ensure your customer experience is built around your target customer while still allowing for personalization. Provide 24/7 support by leveraging technology and chat-bots. Finally, find smart integrations that help you realize all the various customer touchpoints and create a unified, omnichannel experience that delights and helps your customers.
