Semalt Expert: Customer Experience
Customer Experience is all the emotions, experiences and impressions that a customer gains by buying products or using the services of a given brand. Customer Experience, also called CX, is the result of all user/customer interactions - from seeing the first ad, through navigating the site and the purchasing process, to the sale. All movements made by the brand should be well thought out because they affect the perception of customers and their decisions to buy again.
In this guide, I will present 10 key principles that you can apply in your company to build positive customer experiences.
Customer Persona - who is your customer
One of the most common strategic mistakes of companies is the lack of defined customers. Fortunately, many stores are already aware that their products are not for everyone - but it's still not enough. Brands stop defining the target groups (e.g. men or women) without analyzing the persona further, which can significantly increase the company's profits.
Every shop or service provider needs to know what characteristics its customer has. By directing the advertisement to a wide group of recipients, we can reach people who will not be interested in a given product shortly. Thus, it is easy to induce bad experiences in them that will affect their opinions about the brand.
When creating personas, you need to answer the following questions:
- Who is the client?
- What are his/her concerns?
- What challenges does he/she face?
- 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, and they will allow you to gain new orders or sell more products.
Create a qualified customer service team
In an effective Customer Experience strategy, the human element is very important. How many times have you given up going to a given store because of unpleasant staff? I'm sure many times. Despite the vast online world, users still want to be able to talk to a human. The answer from an expert effectively helps them make a decision.
Your team, building Customer Experience, should be focused on customer satisfaction. So, look for people who are easy to relate to and enjoy working in a team. Human interactions are too overwhelming for many people. If such people serve your clients, they may not fulfil their role.
The ability to deal with high-voltage situations is another important feature. An upset customer, dissatisfied with a product or service requires a special approach. You should calmly discuss this matter and look for the best solution to change the customer experience from negative to neutral, and in the best case to positive.
Monitor employee engagement. Every top player has weak moments. If you notice that your team's engagement is decreasing - react. Satisfied employee = Satisfied customer.
Appropriate content - consistent communication
Once you have defined your personas - learn to speak their language. The brand message should be consistent and clear throughout the entire shopping path. This coherent material slowly builds trust among customers, thus creating a positive customer experience.
Casual, articulate or sophisticated? The language that you will use in your communication with the client must be present on every channel. The discrepancy between communities can lead to your credibility being compromised. So, if you decide to use a looser message because your clients are people up to 20 years old - do not create eloquent texts on the company blog, which will be accompanied by short posts on social media. This contradiction will not bring anything good, and a person who browses the company's social media may feel quite a stranger when entering a different channel.
Content written in the customer's language is the first step to building positive, long-term relationships - the most important, intangible value.
Build a relationship with the customer - the pillar of Customer Experience CX
Not so long ago, brands competed with each other with the availability of products, prices, and the range of services. Today, technology has developed so much that most stores can offer 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 mentor, identification with the company.
Take, for example, mobile networks. They all offer a low plan, unlimited calls and unlimited internet. So how can they encourage a new customer to come to them if they offer the same thing? - Relationships. It is customer service that keeps regulars and attracts new users. The guarantee of a quick resolution of the case, a hotline available 24 hours a day and assistance even during weekends convince the client to use their services.
Build your communication so that every customer, whether they are new or regular, will feel appreciated and valued. A personal e-mail message, a special discount code for the customer's birthday, or free delivery on the occasion of name day will evoke positive emotions. Don't be afraid that the client will consider it an invasion of his/her privacy. Date of birth, name, and surname are data that most brands collect when subscribing to their newsletter, and the user, providing them, does so consciously and voluntarily. However, if you receive an e-mail that a given client no longer wishes to store his/her data by your company - quickly send him/her a confirmation of their deletion - This message will certainly be valuable in his/her eyes.
Effective website and analysis tools
Invest in an intuitive website and analytics tools. A clear interface and intuitive layout of tabs on the website also contribute to a positive customer experience. If your customer is wondering where to find the information he/she needs, he/she will quickly get impatient, close the page and go to another. When deciding on an online store, you should apply yourself to the website as much as you would decide on a stationary store and invest in the renovation of the premises. Before placing an order with a developer, browse the websites of competitors, check the websites of stores that you use yourself and design the website, focusing on positive conclusions.
Tools for analyzing traffic and behaviour on the website will quickly allow you to catch errors that have been made in the design process. If a significant number of people abandon the cart at a given shopping step, it will be a signal to you that this stage needs to be worked on. Catching errors without analytical tools is definitely more difficult and time-consuming.
One of the basic tools for analysis is Google Analytics - it is a free tool provided by Google that gives a lot of information about the clients' traffic and user behaviour on the website. Another tool that will make the task much easier thanks to its accuracy and speed is the Dedicated SEO Dashboard. This tool allows you to know the state of your site in all its form. Moreover, it also allows you to know your competitors to have a clear and precise promotion strategy.
Measure NPS and CSAT metrics
- 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 provided.
Measuring these two metrics will let you know if your team is doing a good job - to put it infantilely.
Thanks to NPS you will find out, among others, how many customers can recommend your product to their friends, how many will come back for it again and how many will be willing to buy another product from the offer. CSAT, on the other hand, will show you what influences this decision. What areas of customer service work well and which need to be improved to better the quality of customer experience in the company?
Many question patterns should be included in this survey, but all of them should be adapted to your company. Remember that the survey that will be sent to the client should also be written in his/her language so that the brand does not lose its identity in his/her eyes. This survey should be carried out often enough not to tire the client, e.g. once a quarter.
Create a loyalty system
Humans are a herd species and love to be part of a community. By creating a loyalty system, you give a sense of belonging to a group. In addition to material values, the client receives clear information that he/she is important to us - which positively affects his/her customer experience.
Many brands use the loyalty system to collect points for orders, which can later be used by the customer in subsequent purchases. I suggest 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. This solution will build a great sense of belonging to the group and significantly increase the chances of gaining loyal customers.
Publish reviews - Customer Experience of other users
Most people don't like to buy a pig in a poke. Before buying, we often check opinions and read reviews to find the best solution for ourselves, i.e. 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 use them to 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 both on Facebook, on Google's business card or on opinion-forming websites like Opineo, Ceneo, etc... There are many free plug-ins that will allow you to transport them to the website in a place of your choice.
Respond to negative feedback
React - that is, answer! Do not hide and above all do not delete. A bad customer experience contributed to this opinion, and I guarantee you that if customers find out that their statement has been deleted or hidden, it will be even worse. And we don't want that!
Negative feedback is the perfect tool to grow your business! I already explain to you why. Thanks to them, we know what needs to be improved, which may have previously discouraged previous potential buyers from taking advantage of our offer. By improving these areas, we not only eliminate errors but also maximize profits.
Summary of Customer Experience - 9 rules for an effective strategy
What is Customer Experience? In short, it's the company's customer experience that needs to be constantly researched and changed based on the results. The customer experience is influenced by all the interactions that occur between your customers and your brand. The best solution for the company is to create a position - Customer Experience Management - to appoint a person who will focus only on this area and will effectively influence the positive customer experience.
If you introduce into your organization the principles I mentioned above, the customer experience will certainly increase significantly, and thus the sales and profits of the company will also.