Many consumers feel that customer experience is one of the main factors
driving their motivation and selection of service providers. Just in case if
you are wondering just how much is “many” exactly, it’s 83%. More than 8 out
of 10 of your customers will be deciding whether to do business with you based
on the customer experience your company provides for them. Let that sink in.
It’s not the quality of your products or services or even the price, it is how
they feel you are treating them. We have reached a point where those things are
expected. The quality of the service isn’t an exceptional trait anymore, as it
rises across the field and prices go down everywhere. All over the globe, the
companies are looking for a new edge over their competitors and in the 21st
century, it is customer experience, at least for that 83 % of the people. Those
are some staggering numbers, especially if “customer experience” sounds like a
foreign language to you. Having a strategy to deal with it is imperative and
here are some of the trends that will dictate how to create one.
Know Your
Target Demographics
We cannot stress this enough. These people are your bread and butter.
Spare no time or expense to get to know them better. What is motivating them,
what are their aims, what are their values, these are essential questions you
must know the answers to. Once you do, everything will be easier. You can
tailor your marketing approach so that each of them feels as if you are talking
to them personally. Make your products answers to their wishes, not yours. That
is half of your sales strategies taken care of. If your customers feel that
your company understands them, their satisfaction will soar.
Website
Design and Quality
Your website is usually the first thing potential clients see. Make no
mistakes, you will be judged on the design and quality of it. Many people make
a mistake and cut corners on web design, having a neighbor’s kid do it for a
pack of gum or something similar. By the time they realize just how badly they
goofed up, it is usually too late to correct the mistake. A clean, well-designed
site, created with functionality in mind, yet visually appealing, it is a
worthy online representation of one of the industry leaders in their field.
This is one area where you don’t want to cut costs. Hire a professional if you
are not familiar with the latest trends in web design. It will be worth every
penny.
Make
Communication Convenient
Convenience is what drives the latest generation of consumers. 68% of
them say that they feel more loyal to companies that make communicating with
them convenient. This means that you have to be where your customers are and
that is social media platforms. Almost every company today has accounts on
Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but they mostly
use it as a notification board, without engaging their followers. This is a
massive mistake and correcting it should be among your top priorities. Get hold
of your social media manager and drill into them the importance of two-way
communication. Make sure that your customers know that if they approach you
there, they will be heard and answered. The best way to lose them forever is to
make them call customer support and leave them waiting for a free operator.
Personalized
Experiences
More and more customers are demanding a highly-personalized experience
when engaging with a company or brand. According to some studies, 69% of all
customers want personalized experience from retailers. They are more willing to
engage in a transaction with an organization that knows their details, like
name and purchase history. They also like to see recommendations for new items
based on their purchase history, so that is also something to keep in mind.
Getting personalized emails and birthday cards has become a norm for them and
they are used to companies contacting them that way. Yet, less than 40% of
businesses will offer personalized communication. Don’t be among them.
Transparency
Will Be More Important Than Ever
Sprout Social has recently conducted research that says 86% of customers
want brands and companies to be honest. The governments across the globe are
already responding to their populations’ wishes, passing legislation to
accommodate them. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR) is among the first ones to come into effect in 2019. Yet, even now, more
than a year later, there are still companies out there that haven’t complied
with its requirements, effectively cutting themselves off the EU market.
Valuing your customers’ data and being upfront about what you are doing with it
will be a crucial trend in the upcoming years.
The age of customer experience is upon us and those who don’t abide by
its laws will soon be out of the business. The faster you get ready to embrace
it, the better your brand will fare in the upcoming years.
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