Customer experience is defined by the interactions and experiences your customer has with your business throughout the entire customer journey, from the first contact to becoming a happy and loyal customer.
This is an integral part of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and the reason why it’s important is that a customer who has a positive experience with a business is more likely to become a repeat and loyal customer. Customer experience impacts the willingness of a customer to be a loyal advocate. If you want your customers to stay loyal, you have to invest in their experience!
It is quite logical.
The happier you are with a brand, the longer you stay with them. So, if you treat your customers poorly or ignore their customer service emails, then they are more likely to stop doing business with you. This is why companies that are more intentional with their customer experience delivery outperform their competitors – and this means they’ll be spending more with your business (and less in theirs!).
How do I Do It?
Exceptional Customer Experience means building quality relationships with your customers. And this process is even more intentional than most of your business structure. If you hope to build superb customer experience, here are a few insights.
Leave Customers with the “WOW” effect
The “Wow” factor is a commonly used slang term in business that most often depicts what a company does to go above and beyond customer expectations in delivering a great product and service experience. Most often, it relates to exceptional customer service in which an employee gives the customer more than he expected or something he did not expect at all. The “Wow” factor offers small business and other companies with certain marketplace disadvantages the opportunity to differentiate themselves from the competition for customers looking for more than just a good price.
It is that wow experience that makes people talk about your business. People will always talk about how you served them, bear in mind that people never forget how you make them feel.
Be reliable
Being reliable is one of the most valued traits in a person. Put simply, being reliable means that if you say you will do something, you will do it. People who can be trusted to follow through in the little things are the people we trust with the bigger things.
When you show your customers you understand and you can share their feelings, you go an extra mile in winning their hearts. A few methods of showing reliability to your customers are enlisted below:
- Manage Commitments. Always deliver on agreements made with your customers.
- Communication and engaging with people effectively allows you to be seen as reliable and will help you build trust in you and what you offer.
- Start things and Complete them. There are many times in business where we start things but never complete them. Starting and finishing things are the bookends of reliability. The best way to build reliability with your customers is to not only start strong but to finish strong as well, rather than fading away with a whimper. People buy from finishers.
Be personal with your customers
Your customers drive your business, which is why it’s so important to note how they interact with your brand. Don’t just reach out to them when you want their business; find ways to continuously show them you care. Slow down while interacting with them. Always make an effort to know what you can do to improve their situation. Here are some extra guidelines you can follow:
- Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. You want your customers to feel special. You can achieve this by approaching each one as an individual rather than just another customer. Grouping all your consumers together will only express inauthenticity.
- Respond to concerns. Don’t just be available when business is doing well or customers are satisfied. If you want your customers to trust and respect you, you need to earn it by proving your dedication to making them happy.
- Focus on face-to-face interactions. It’s common to experience miscommunications when using technology as a main source of contact. While emails and telephone calls are convenient, nothing beats face-to-face contact.
Finally, emotions have a way of bypassing logic, if you want to build a loyal customer base, find a way to consistently sell to their emotional bias.