Customer Experience is a very wide term that consists of all the emotions, experiences, and impressions of the customer that he gains by buying products or using the services of a given brand. Customer Experience, also known as CX, is the result of all user and customer interactions.
It begins with seeing the first ad, and continues with navigating through the website and the purchasing process, but doesn’t end here. It lasts for the life of a given product or a service. All the movements a brand makes should be well thought out as they influence the perception of customers and their buying decisions.
In this guide, I will present ten principles that you can apply in your company to build positive customer experiences.
Customer Persona – who is your client?
One of the most common strategic mistakes of a company is the lack of defined customer characteristics. Fortunately, many stores are already aware that their products are not for everyone – but still, it’s not enough.
Brands stop at identifying very wide groups of recipients (e.g. men or women) without an in-depth analysis of the Persona. Frankly, it could significantly increase the profits of the company.
Each store or service provider must know what features its customer has. By directing the ad to a broad audience, we can reach people who will not be interested in a given product in the near future. Thus, it is easy to cause bad experiences that will affect their opinions about the brand.
When creating Personas, you need to answer the following questions:
- Who is the client?
- What concerns does he/she have?
- What are the challenges facing him/her?
- What does he/she want to gain?
Knowing the answers to these questions, you have the opportunity to create content that will build positive customer experiences. Good CX will allow you to win new orders or sell more products.
Create a qualified team for customer service
The human element is crucial in an effective Customer Experience strategy. How many times have you stopped going to a given store because of unpleasant staff? I am convinced that the answer is: many. Despite acting in the vast online world, users still want to be able to talk to humans, hence opting for virtual assistant services. An expert response helps them make a decision.
Your team that will build Customer Experience should focus on customer satisfaction. So look for people who relate easily with others and like teamwork. Human interaction is too overwhelming for many people. If such people serve your client, they may not fulfill their role.
Additionally, consider integrating innovative technologies into your customer service strategy. For example, implementing an automated receptionist can provide efficient and personalized assistance to customers, enhancing their overall experience. This automated solution can handle basic inquiries, freeing up your team’s time to focus on more complex issues and ensuring consistent and prompt customer support.
The ability to cope with highly stressful situations is another essential feature. An upset customer, dissatisfied with the product or service requires a special approach. You should calmly discuss the matter and look for the best solution so that the customer experience changes from negative to neutral, or even positive.
We discuss that kind of approach in another article about how to get more positive reviews on Google. We invite you to read it.
It is also important to monitor employee engagement. Every best player has a weaker moment. If you notice that the involvement of your team decreases – react. Satisfied Employee = Happy Customer.
Adequate content – consistent communication
Once you have your Personas defined – learn to speak their language. The brand message should be consistent and clear throughout the entire purchasing path. This coherent material slowly builds trust among customers and thus evokes a positive customer experience.
Loose, articulate, or sophisticated? The language you will use in your communication with the customer must be present on each channel. A disagreement between communities can undermine your credibility.
So if your client is below 20 years old and you decide to communicate more loosely, be consistent. Do not create eloquent texts on your company blog combined with short posts on social media. This contradiction will not bring any good. A person who browses the company’s social media by entering another channel may feel completely alien.
Content written in the client’s language is the first step to building positive, long-term relationships – the most important, non-material value.
Build a relationship with your client – the pillar of Customer Experience CX
Not so long ago, brands were competing with each other in terms of product availability, prices, and range of services. Today, technology has developed so much that most stores can offer us the same goods at a similar price. What keeps the client with us for longer is the relationship. Relationship with the company, relationship with the supervisor, identification with the company.
Take, for example, mobile networks. They all offer low subscriptions, unlimited calls, and unlimited internet. So how can they encourage a new client to join them if they have the same to offer? – Relationship. It is customer service that keeps regular and attracts new users. They can guarantee a quick resolution of the case. They can provide a 24-hour hotline and assistance, even during weekends, to persuade the client to use their services.
Build your communication so that every customer feels appreciated. Regardless of whether it’s a new customer or a loyal one. A personal e-mail message and a personalized discount code for the customer’s birthday will evoke positive emotions.
Do not be afraid that the client will find this a surveillance of his privacy. Date of birth, name, and surname is data that most brands collect when subscribing to the newsletter. The user provides them consciously and voluntarily.
However, if your customer won’t want you to store his data anymore, quickly send him a confirmation of their deletion. This message will certainly be valuable in his eyes. Never burn your bridges.
Effective website and analysis tools
Invest in an intuitive website and analysis tools. A clear interface, intuitive layout, and page navigation also contribute to a positive customer experience. If your client wonders where he will find the information he needs, he will quickly get impatient, close this page, and switch to another page.
When deciding on an online store, you should apply to the website as much as you would choose a stationary store and invest in the renovation of the premises. Before placing an order with a developer, browse the competitors’ websites, check out the websites of stores you use yourself, and design the website focusing on positive conclusions.
Tools for analyzing traffic and behavior on the website will allow you to quickly find the mistakes made in the design. If a significant number of people abandon the cart at a given step, you will just know what stage you should improve. Catching errors without analytical tools is more difficult and time-consuming.
One of the basic tools for analytics is Google Analytics – a free tool provided by Google, which gives us a lot of information about our client’s traffic and user behavior on the website. Another tool that will make it easier for us is Hotjar. This tool allows you to record user sessions on the website and generate heat maps where the user clicks.
Quickly answer questions – perfect customer service
Most customers require answers to their questions here and now. Of course, not all companies can afford it. Such activities require the appointment of a person who will often be available. Who also will have extensive knowledge about the products. We know how hard it is because UltaHost is known for its excellent customer service.
If you can’t guarantee such a solution, create automatic replies. Facebook offers company profiles a large selection of automatic responses. The user, by sending us a message, at the same time receives a text message, which we will prepare and save in advance. The automatic reply, in addition to the finished text, may contain the user’s personal data, e.g. first name.
By introducing this solution, you don’t leave the customer ignorant. The message when they can expect feedback minimizes their frustrations and gives us a chance for another positive customer experience.
Measure NPS and CSAT indicators
NPS – Net Promoter Score – is an indicator for measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction.
CSAT – Customer Satisfaction Score – is an indicator that measures customer satisfaction with the purchased product or the service.
Measuring these two indicators let you know if your team is doing the job well.
Thanks to NPS, you will learn how many customers can recommend your product to your friends. But not only this. You can also find out how many will come back for it again and how many will be willing to buy another product from the offer.
The CSAT will show you what influences that decision. It will show you what areas of customer service work well and what should be improved to improve the quality of customer experience in the company.
You should include many question patterns in this survey. All of them should be adapted to your business. Remember to write the questionnaire in the client’s language, so that the brand does not lose its identity in his eyes. This survey should be carried out frequently enough not to tire the client, e.g. once a quarter.
Create a loyalty system
Humans are a gregarious species and love to be part of a community. By creating a loyalty system, you give a feeling of belonging to a group. In addition to material values, the client receives clear information that he is important to us – which has a positive effect on his customer experience.
Many brands use the loyalty system to collect points for orders, which the customer can later use in subsequent purchases. I propose you extend this scheme, e.g. let customers decide what products will appear on the promotion. Create a survey, then publish the results and put the selected product on the promotion.
Such a solution will build a great sense of belonging to a group and significantly increase the chances of gaining loyal customers.
Post opinions – Customer Experience of other users
Most people don’t like buying a pig in a poke. Before buying, we often check and read reviews to find the best solution for ourselves. In other words, we check the customer experience of other users. I also encourage you to collect and publish opinions about your company. Find a visible place for them on the website and thanks to them you can convince new customers.
By collecting such data, we have another value for the brand and another argument that confirms our truthfulness. We can collect opinions on Facebook, on a Google business card, or opinion-forming websites.
Respond to negative reviews in positive manner
Respond and react! Don’t hide them, much less remove them. A bad customer experience contributed to this opinion. It guarantees that if the client finds out that his opinion has been deleted or hidden, things will be even worse. And we don’t want this!
Negative feedback is the perfect tool for growing your business! Thanks to them, we know what needs to be improved, which may have discouraged previous potential buyers from using our offer earlier. By improving these areas, we not only eliminate errors but also maximize profits.
Conclusion
So, what is Customer Experience? In short, these are the experiences of the company’s customers that must be constantly researched and made changes based on the results. All interactions between your clients and your brand influence the customer experience.
The best solution for the company is to create a dedicated position: Customer Experience Manager. This person will focus only on this area and will effectively influence the positive customer experience.
If you introduce the principles mentioned above into your organization, the customer experience will certainly increase significantly, and consequently, the sales and profits of the company will increase.
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