According to Strativity Group Customer Experience Management, which provides customer experience services, a recent Sydney, Australia study found 48 percent of executives increasing their investments in customer experience over the past three years by at least ten percent. This acknowledges the benefits of building positive and meaningful experiences around the customer; in other words developing the customer-centric approach.
Improving the quality and consistency of the shopping experience, 73 percent of consumers stated they would spend at least ten percent more. That superior customer experience improves sales, boosts referral rates, and drives up profit margins.
So how do you do it? The first step is to analyze the problem. Sometimes customer dissatisfaction isn’t just the pink elephant in the room. Sometimes it isn’t clearly defined, but everyone realizes there is something just not dynamic about the customer experience. Then comes the hard part, but surely not impossible to figure out and solve the problem. Organizations should start with employee communication and brainstorm practical solutions to bring in more enthusiasm and help to deliver the right services to the right customers. Management training commences because great leaders inspire more great leaders. Use customer surveys, analysis studies, and reviews to bring about suggestions and improvements. Encourage employees to participate. Have quarterly analysis reviews, and be able to prioritize issues that matter to customers. Everyone in the entire organization needs to focus on improvement because everyone is immeasurably tied to each other.
As the company comes together with the executives now taking an active part in the customer experience improvement, every part of the business begins to work together more efficiently. For instance, in a retail furniture company, the supplier makes sure the orders are filled on time, and in turn the store makes sure the supplier is paid on time. The delivery men are ready to pick up the order for the customer, and the delivery is on time. If the customer finds a scratch or a tear in her new sofa, the repair team is immediately dispatched to remedy the situation. The office staff follows up on customer service. A short survey is sent to the customer with a discount certificate for their next purchase as a thank you for being a great customer. While it may not be the circle of life as in the Lion King, the circle of executive, managerial, and employee engagement immeasurably increases sales with key customers through exceptional customer experiences.
photo credit: Holidayextras
