The shift to an online way of doing things has been happening for years, but now, thanks to a global pandemic, online sales have sky-rocketed leaving many businesses struggling to keep up.
In a world where customer experience is the main focus, out of stock messages and slow responses to communications could be disastrous, particularly with almost three-quarters of consumers saying they are doing more online shopping as opposed to in-store.
If you are a business that is yet to put the customer journey at the heart of everything you do, here’s why you might need to shift your focus.
Customer vs product
One of the best ways to improve customer experience is to inform the customer what they can expect from you, then stick to it.
So if your product falls short of that expectation, the customer will quite rightfully be unhappy. In that respect, of course, the product is important.
However, every other aspect of the customer’s journey is not about the product. It’s about the welcome, the support, and the effort it takes to find and purchase what they are looking for. After the sale, it’s about delivery, communication, personalization.
Never forget how easy it is for customers to search the market for other businesses who sell the same things or offer the same service as you. That means, if you mess up the customer experience, that sale is going to the business that got it right. People are no longer choosing a business because of the product; they are doing so because of the experience.
Get it right, and you’ve not only won a sale, but keep if you keep it up, that customer will remain loyal. When retaining customers is far cheaper than finding new ones, this really is worth your attention.
So, as long as you have the right product and you set the right level of expectation, the majority of your time, effort, and budget need to be focusing on the rest of the customer experience, from your voice on social media through to the thank you message inside deliveries.
How can you improve customer experience?
Deciding to set customer experience as your top priority is only the first step. Next is implementing that decision.
You will need a road map of what you want your customer’s journey to look like, starting with how they will find you in the first place, through to how user-friendly your website is, how you can personalize the sale and how you follow-up.
Here are a few suggestions on how to improve your business’ CX.
Brand identity
Make sure your brand’s identity is coherent across all platforms, including social media, email communications, and your website. This ensures the customer can connect with your business and will know what to expect.
Personalize communication as much as possible to help build a relationship between you and your customer.
Ease of service
Right now, this is largely going to focus on how user-friendly your website is, but if you take the principle into “real-life” situations too, it includes how easily your premises are to navigate and how easy it is to find help if it’s needed.
Customer service
How effectively your company deals with customer queries and complaints could be make or break for your business. If a customer needs information and doesn’t get a response, you’ve lost a sale. If a customer has a complaint to make, which is handled poorly, bad reviews may lose you even more potential customers.
If, like many businesses right now, you are struggling to keep up with the increase in the volume of communication you are receiving, it would be better to invest in software to streamline the processes, such as happitu who improve customer journeys over at www.happitu.com using customer experience software.
Some businesses have stolen the charge when it comes to outstanding customer experience, but it’s not too late to catch up. Make 2021 the year to focus on your customer experience too, and you might just give yourself the edge on the competition.
