There’s never been a better time to be a consumer. In our digitally-connected world, it’s easy to compare products and services, and switching between brands is all too simple. As a result, customer expectations are higher than ever.
The former pillars of business success – product and price – are no longer king and businesses are now looking to customer experience (CX) as a crucial way to stand out from the crowd.
Most businesses aim to deliver a good customer experience, but that’s not quite good enough these days. So, how can you take your CX from good to great? We’re here to explain!
Is your business truly customer-centric? Request a demo with Customer Radar to find out.
1. Create clear customer experience visions and values
Having a deep understanding of how you want your customers to feel when they interact with your business is critical. A clear company vision and strong values can (and should!) act as guiding principles across all levels of your business – especially when they reflect and support your ideal customer experience. In getting clarity over these, your employee will know what’s expected of them and a consistent message will be portrayed business-wide.
Once in place, you’ll likely want to know that your vision and values are delivering a return on your investment. That’s where the Net Promoter Score (NPS) comes in. In asking your customers how likely they are to recommend your business and why you’ll be able to benchmark your customer experience – and know exactly how your vision and values are having an impact.
2. Build a meaningful relationship with your customer
Creating an emotional connection with customers can be an important differentiator between your product or services and your competitors’. Besides being on first name terms with your customers, how can you achieve this?
Establish values – customers are more likely to stay loyal to a company who shares the same values as them.
Build trust – let them know they’re in capable hands throughout their purchase journey.
Delight – over-deliver on expectations to create a memorable experience.
Be human – build a connection beyond your product or service and personalise interaction where possible. This is becoming increasingly important as levels of automation continue to rise.
Getting to know your customer and creating an emotional connection can be the difference between a one-off purchaser and a loyal lifelong customer who actively recommends your brand to their network.
3. Capture customer feedback
Don’t be flippant with an unhappy customer. Studies have shown that dissatisfied customers go on to share their experience with 9 to 15 others. With the growing use of social media, this number can quickly escalate... So if they have something to say, make sure you listen and respond in a timely manner.
Real-time customer feedback that can be tied back to a specific customer experience becomes invaluable as a means to shape and continually improve on customer experience. NPS is an efficient and effective metric which allows you to gain huge insights into how your customers feel about you with two easy questions: How likely they are to recommend you? And why?
The benefits of a customer feedback programme:
- Connect with customers on a platform that best serves their needs – email, text, online or even printed on receipts
- Gather live feedback from real customers
- Get the ability to reward promoters of your business and resolve any issues before they escalate
- Empower employees to make a real difference through delivering exceptional service
- Identify areas of improvement and act on these quickly.
Your customer experience is an area that needs constant nurturing and attention – but one that has a huge impact. By recognising this as the backbone to success in today's highly competitive and hyper-digital landscape, your business can create loyalty, gain a competitive advantage, and ultimately drive revenue.
Need a hand making your NPS meaningful to your business? Request a demo with Customer Radar to find out.
