Customer Experience: The New Battlefield for Business

This is a contributed post to JMLalonde.com. For more information on contributing a post, please see our contributing policies.

In a world where customers can easily take their business elsewhere, it’s more important than ever to focus on providing excellent customer experiences. According to a study by Walker, “customers who have had a bad experience are 61% more likely to defect to a competitor.” That’s a huge number! It’s also important to note that poor customer service isn’t just limited to big companies. In fact, small businesses often have an advantage when it comes to customer service because they can provide a more personalized experience. Customer experience is the new battleground for business, and if you want to win, you need to focus on providing an excellent experience at every touchpoint.

This blog will discuss the importance of providing excellent customer experiences and offer some tips on how you can help your business achieve it. 

Woman smiling while holding her purse and shopping bags

Via Pexels

First, let’s define what we mean by customer experience. Customer experience is the totality of a customer’s interactions with a company. It includes everything from the first time a potential customer hears about your company to after they’ve made a purchase. In other words, it’s the sum of all customer touchpoints. 

Touchpoints are any interactions between a customer and a company. They can be physical (like walking into a store) or digital (like visiting a website). Each touchpoint is an opportunity to make a positive impression and build customer loyalty. 

Creating excellent customer experiences isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Customers who have positive experiences are more likely to become loyal brand advocates. In fact, according to a study by Bain & Company, ” Increasing customer retention rates by 5 percent increases profits by 25 to 95 percent.” So, not only will excellent customer experiences help you win new customers, but they will also help you keep the ones you already have. 

What is the Importance of Providing Excellent Customer Experiences? 

Helps you win new customers: 

In a world where there are countless options for every product and service, customers have the power. They can easily take their business elsewhere if they’re not happy with their current provider. That’s why it’s so important to focus on providing excellent customer experiences. If you can give customers what they want when they want it, you’ll be ahead of the competition.

Creates brand advocates: 

Customers who have positive experiences with your company are more likely to become brand advocates. Brand advocates are described as “passionate defenders of a brand.” They’re the customers who tell their friends and family about your company and sing your praises to anyone who will listen. Brand advocates are invaluable because they help you win new customers through word-of-mouth marketing.

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing because it comes from a trusted source. People are more likely to listen to someone they know and trust than they are to listen to a stranger. It is said that most consumers believe suggestions from friends and family over all forms of advertising.

Decreases customer churn: 

Customer churn is the percentage of customers who stop doing business with a company in a given time period. It’s important to track because it can have a major impact on your bottom line. If your customer churn rate is high, it means you’re losing customers at a faster rate than you’re gaining them. This can be disastrous for your business because it means you’re not only losing revenue from customers who leave, but you’re also spending money to acquire new customers to replace them.

Excellent customer experiences can help you decrease your customer churn rate by keeping customers happy and loyal. If customers are satisfied with their experiences, they’re less likely to look for a new provider. 

Improves employee retention: 

Employees who are satisfied with their work are more likely to stick around. And employees who stick around are better able to provide excellent customer service because they have more knowledge about the company and its products/services. In other words, happy employees lead to happy customers. 

Increases profits: 

Last but not least, providing excellent customer experiences can increase your profits. This is because happy customers are more likely to continue doing business with you and to spend more money when they do. 

How can you Improve your Customer Experiences? 

1) Get to know your customers: 

The first step to providing excellent customer experiences is understanding who your customers are and what they want. This can be accomplished through market research and data analysis. There are several ways to collect customer data, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and website/app analytics. Once you have this data, you can start to create buyer personas, which are fictional representations of your ideal customers.

2) Set achievable goals: 

It’s important to set realistic goals for your customer experience improvement efforts. Otherwise, you’ll likely be disappointed with the results. When setting goals, it’s helpful to use the SMART framework

  • Specific: The goal should be clear and well-defined.
  • Measurable: There should be a way to track progress and determine whether the goal has been achieved.
  • Achievable: The goal should be realistic and achievable, given the resources available.
  • Relevant: The goal should be relevant to the company’s mission and goals.
  • Time-bound: The goal should have a deadline for completion.

3) Train employees on the importance of customer service: 

Your employees are the face of your company, and they play a major role in creating customer experiences. That’s why it’s so important to train them on the importance of customer service and how to provide it. Employees should be taught the basics of good customer service, such as being polite, helpful, and responsive to customer needs. They should also be given specific examples of how to provide excellent customer service.

4) Set high standards for customer service: 

It’s important to set high standards for customer service and hold employees accountable for meeting those standards. If you expect your employees to provide excellent customer service, they need to know what that means. What are your expectations for them? Do you expect them to always be polite? Do you expect them to go above and beyond to help customers? Make sure your employees know what is expected of them so they can meet (and exceed) your expectations.

5) Use customer feedback to improve customer experiences: 

Customer feedback is a valuable tool that can be used to improve customer experiences. It can help you identify areas where customers are unsatisfied and make changes to improve those areas. It can also help you identify areas where employees are excelling so you can give them recognition and encourage them to continue providing excellent customer service.

6) Be proactive about solving customer problems: 

The best way to handle a customer complaint is to proactively solve the problem. Don’t wait for the customer to come to you with a problem; try to anticipate their needs and solve the problem before they even have a chance to complain. This shows that you’re committed to providing excellent customer service and that you’re always looking for ways to improve the customer experience.

7) Implement technology: 

Technology can be a valuable tool for providing excellent customer experiences. It can help you track customer interactions, collect customer feedback, and even automate some of the processes involved in providing customer service, such as chargeback processing. For example, if you implement chargeback management solutions, you can automate the process of issuing refunds to customers who have been charged for something they didn’t purchase. This not only saves you time but also shows the customer that you’re committed to providing them with a good experience.

8) Design a customer-friendly store layout: 

The layout of your store can have a major impact on the customer experience. If it’s difficult to find what you’re looking for, customers will get frustrated and may even leave without making a purchase. So make sure your store is designed in a way that is easy to navigate and that puts the customer’s needs first.

For example, if you’re a clothing store, you might want to place the changing rooms near the entrance so that customers don’t have to walk all the way to the back of the store to try on clothes. Or, if you’re a grocery store, you might want to place the most popular items near the front so that customers don’t have to search for them.

9) Keep the store clean and organized: 

A messy and cluttered store will make customers feel uncomfortable and are likely to turn them off from making a purchase. On the other hand, a clean and well-organized store will make customers feel welcome and more likely to shop there. Therefore, ensure your store is always clean and organized so that customers have a positive experience every time they visit.

9) Promote a positive company culture: 

Your company culture plays a major role in shaping the customer experience. Employees who feel like they are part of a positive, supportive company culture are more likely to provide excellent customer service. They’re also more likely to stay with the company longer, which reduces turnover and helps create organizational stability. 

If your business, small or big, wants to win the customer experience (CX) battle, you need to take it seriously and put in the work. It’ll be worth it because customers with positive experiences are more likely to continue doing business with you and even recommend your products or services to others. 

 

Follow Me