Customer experience refers to the complete experience a customer has when communicating with and using your business.
If a consumer has a great experience when interacting with your business, they are more likely to convert, become a loyal customer and an advocate of your business
Although customer service is a key part of the customer experience, they differ because service refers to the direct interaction a customer has with the business or an employee – whether by phone, face-to-face or email. However, customer experience considers the multitude of touchpoints, or ways a consumer can interact with your business – including your website, online chat tools and social media.
How to deliver great customer experience:
Understand your customers
As a starting point, it’s important that your know and understand who your customers are. A deep understanding of your customers will help you to design your activities, touchpoints and customer service in a way that will best suit their needs. You can also ensure you’re delivering your product or service in the most appropriate way for your customers.
Consider the customer journey
From your online offering and the behaviour of your team, to the quality of your products and all of your communication activities, customer experience considers every aspect of your business. It’s important that you map out all the touch points a consumer will have with your business and how well they feed in to each other. A Customer Relationship Management system can help you to manage the customer journey effectively.
Engage with your customers at all points
A touchpoint is an opportunity to engage! Whether in-store, online or via phone call, any opportunity a customer has to communicate with your business is a chance for you to develop a relationship with them. A customer who engages in an emotional relationship with your business is more likely to become a fan of your brand. Make it is easy for customers to engage in two-way communications with you so they feel that they are being heard and cared for.
Collect customer feedback – and act on it
When you start engaging with your customers, make sure you are collecting feedback on their customer journey and experience of your business. Feedback could be collected through a simple pop-up or email questionnaire that encourages customers to participate by offering discounts. By understanding how well your business is behaving across all touchpoints from the customer’s point of view, you will be able to shape the customer experience moving forward.
Make sure your team are on board
It’s imperative that your entire team are on board with your customer experience strategy. If you have developed a specific tone when speaking to customers or a personality for the brand, it’s important that your team are aware of it and upholding consistent communications. One bad experience with one member of the team, no matter how many good experiences they’ve had, could result in a disengaged or lost customer.