As a business owner, you should understand the power of customer experience. Now, more than ever, you should focus on improving your customer experience as it can make or break your experience. Your customers have to come first above anything else.
The key benefits of improving your customer experience are increased sales conversion and customer loyalty. All these are important for business sustainability as you get to retain your customers.
Focusing on customer experience requires extra effort but it’s well worth it. Nowadays, customers want more than just a transactional experience with your business. They want a positive experience and you have to give the people what they want.
Customer experience starts from the first point of contact customers have with your business be it your website, an advertisement, or even a referral. So, you have to understand your customer online journey map. Below is a list of strategies you can implement to improve customer experience and grow your business.
1. Build an omnichannel strategy
A key strategy to improve customer experience is to build an omnichannel strategy. Customers expect every interaction with your business – whether it’s by telephone, mobile device, desktop – to be similar. They want a constant experience regardless of the channel they are using.
An omnichannel channel strategy allows your customers to interact with your business using their preferred channel. They also know they can expect the same experience should they choose to use another channel. And a CDP software is an essential tool in building an omnichannel strategy.
A CDP software will provide a unified database of your customers across multiple channels which is key to building an omnichannel strategy. You also get to develop more targeted and personalized strategies ensuring you are passing relevant information to your target customers.
2. Provide superb customer service
This one is a no-brainer. You need superior customer service for your business to succeed. Customer service should be about who it’s designed for. And that’s your customers. Research has shown that customers with good customer service are generally more successful than companies that do not prioritize customer service.
Good customer satisfaction equals happy customers. Happy customers continue doing business with you and refer you. You should strive to provide real-time support for your customers. A live chat is one of the best ways to do this. This way, you get to solve your customers’ complaints as quickly as possible while reducing the number of issues.
3. Empower your customer service team
Your customer service team is a key component of your customer service. They are the ones customers will interact with and their ability to solve problems has a significant impact on your brand. In fact, their performance can leave a lasting first impression of your business.
Regular and proper training is the foundation of empowering your customer service team. While it requires extra time and investment, it’s something you have to do. Your team must have an extensive understanding of the products or services you are offering. Also, they should be trained in etiquettes like patience and empathy to improve your customer experience. You should also come up with a defined standard for your customer service team.
4. Leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Another strategy to improve your customer experience involves leveraging the power of AI. And this can be done through chatbots. You see, chatbots can save you significant costs and time in customer support service. Bots can provide real-time support for customers, especially for those with simple queries. Those with more serious problems can be engaged by your customer service team leading to shorter queues and waiting times.
Chatbots can also collect customers’ information that can be further analyzed. Remember you can’t leave everything to bots. Use them to answer simple queries while your customer service team handles the more complex ones.
5. Provide self-service options for customers
Yes, it’s good to have quality customer service but you should also anticipate your customers’ needs and meet them through self-service options such as case studies, support content/blogs, walkthrough videos, and so on. It’s about being proactive to your customers’ needs instead of being reactive.
Providing your customer with important information makes them more knowledgeable about your business. It also improves your brand’s reputation as you are giving your clients the respect they deserve through positive interactions.
6. Request for and implement customer feedback
Ask for customer feedback after every interaction regardless of channel – live chat, chatbot, in-app, and so on. This allows you to understand how your customers perceive your business. Analyze the feedback you receive and make changes to improve customer experience.
