Customers are in charge of your business and with the situation being so uncertain because of the on-going pandemic, it has become even harder for companies to satisfy the needs of their target audience. From writing personalized emails, keeping customer data to improve their services, businesses are trying everything to stay in the game. Customer experience also known as CX is the result of all the communications a customer has with your business, your every move leaves an impact on your customer’s mind and it affects their buying decisions. Increased customer loyalty and better word of mouth can take your business to another level, hence customer experience is everything for a business. The Digital Marketing Trends Report asked companies to point out the most exciting opportunity for their organization in the forthcoming year - and guess which answer came on top? If you are thinking about customer experience, then you are right on point! Think about the last time you had a bad experience with a company. How did they make you feel when you complained about your experience? Did they convince you to stick with the brand and their excellent service? If they did, they won you as their loyal customer. Customer experience (CX) is all about your interactions with the company from beginning to end.

Customer Experience VS Customer Service

Customer service is the one-on-one interaction of the customers with your business while customer experience is the entire journey of your customers from the beginning to end. Customer service is reactive, most brands only identify their weak points when they receive complaints and take action according to the situation. Customer experience, on the other hand, is proactive, a company can work on their weak points after analyzing the situation so that their customers are satisfied. What makes for a great customer experience?

Customer Experience over Price

Customer experience is far more than the price. A  study found that customer experience will take over price and product as the main differentiator. According to another study, 86% of people will pay more for a better customer experience. If you want your customers to stay loyal to your company, then you have to make effort and invest time in your customer service so that they are well-pleased.

Know your Customers

To be able to cater the needs and wants of your customers, you should know your customers so that you are not only able to cater and solve their issues but also make strategies according to their likes and dislikes. Tracking customers’ real-time behaviour can really help a brand anticipate their needs and be able to serve them on all platforms. Leveraging on customer service can also be a less time-consuming way to know your customers better by asking them different questions.

Build an Emotional Bond

Building an emotional connection can influence the buying decision of the customers; it can help in turning potential customers to loyal customers. Brand intimacy model helps in strengthening the emotional bond between the person and the brand. A brand that can build great bonds with customers can also create a better and secure business return.

Customer Feedback

Customer feedbacks are mandatory to stay successful in the market. Its motive is to find the weak points in the product or services and maintain customer retention. Customer feedback forms or surveys should be sent to customers on a timely basis either on the email or on an app. Another point to add is that it should be simple and precise because customers are essentially already doing you a favour when they are taking the time out and filling up the forms. Collecting customer feedback shows that you value their opinion. It helps improve customer retention and gives you data that helps make business decisions. Customer feedback is everywhere, it measures customer satisfaction and it helps in improving product and service.

Technology

Technology is an easy and most effective way to reach out to your consumers. Many food delivery apps make sure to keep reminding their customers about their brand with the help of technology during the lockdown even though they were not operational. VR activities are highly used by the brands to engage with customer’s senses as there is no other technology quite like it. Artificial intelligence on the other hand has completely transformed the workplace, it is much convenient for marketers to keep track of their customers and provide them with the best customer service.  

Conclusion

Customers only ask for good experience nowadays. If their journey from beginning to end is perfect and according to what they need, they will stay loyal to your brand. Building a strong relationship and providing the best customer experience is your key to a successful business.