Picture this: you buy a product from a company you’ve heard great things about, only to realize that you hate it. What do you do? Do you buy another product from them? If you’re like 90% of customers, then no, you don’t. You move on to find a better company that offers a better product.
Situations like these show the importance of good customer experience. But what is customer experience, and why do so many companies pay so much attention to it? Keep reading to learn all about the importance of customer experience.
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What Is Customer Experience?
Customer experience, or CX, refers to the interactions and experiences that people have from the moment they start doing business with you. After they first contact you, customer experience stretches to include the time until they stop.
CX is a crucial part of CRM, or customer relationship management. This is because happy customers that enjoy the time they spend working with a business are much more likely to return to do business again.
Although customer experience may sound the same as customer service, the scope is different. Customer service refers to the service you provide someone with, while this is only a part of CX. Provide great customer service, but make sure the rest of the customer journey is great, as well.
Why Is It Important?
As mentioned, every business needs to pay attention to customer experience. Here are five reasons why it’s so important.
1. Customer Satisfaction Is More Important Than Ever
Everyone knows that to make customers happy, you need to not only meet, but exceed their expectations. However, few companies figure out a way to do that. Across the globe, companies have an average satisfaction rating of 86%.
When you create a fantastic customer experience that wows your customers, they’re much more likely to return to do business with you. This means that you need to look for different ways to optimize their experience.
Pay attention to the entire customer journey, as opposed to specific parts. Look for areas that need improvement, and strive to create a positive experience for them throughout the whole process.
2. New Shoppers Can Become Loyal Customers
Business 101 teaches students that it’s much more cost-efficient to retain an existing customer than it is to find or attract a new one. The right customer experience can help you create customers that return to do business with you again and again.
Do everything in your power to make your customers as happy as you can, as few things can damage the reputation of a business more than bad reviews and complaints. Make sure that you provide excellent customer service, and always try to find areas where you can go above and beyond.
If you do stumble upon some unhappy customers, it can be tempting to get defensive. The key is to listen to what they’re saying, and then respond politely. Many customers will give a company another chance if someone helps resolve their issue.
3. Happy Consumers Become Brand Advocates
With many markets more saturated than ever, customers now trust advertisements less than ever. One thing that people will always trust, however, is recommendations from advocates who are real people.
When you provide customers with an incredible customer experience, you’re planting the seeds to turn each one of them into brand advocates. These people will then go and tell the people they know about their fantastic experiences.
You can also look into promoting user-generated content. For example, Lululemon asks customers to share photos of themselves in their clothing. This helps spread the reach of the brand, while also showing that real people enjoy Lululemon clothes.
4. Customer Experience Helps You Stand Out
As mentioned, entering any market these days means having to deal with hundreds, if not thousands of other companies that all offer a similar product or service. Yet by creating a positive customer experience, you can help your business stand out.
When you create a great experience for your customers, they’ll no longer only compare products and services between different businesses. They’ll also compare the user experience and service.
Happy (or angry) customers are more likely to leave reviews than those who have an average or lackluster experience. As most people look at what other customers have said before buying a product, good reviews stemming from good customer experiences can give you a competitive edge.
5. Customers Value Personal Touches More Than Ever
As hundreds of advertisements reach people each day, it’s easy for many people to feel a sense of disconnect between themselves and companies. By creating a personal touch through customer experience, you’ll help bridge that gap.
Make sure that you always search for opportunities to provide customers with a personal touch. You want them to feel unique and valued, as opposed to another person spending their money on something you’re selling. Personalized communications solutions are one way to do this.
When your customers trust you, you create space for the development of a successful and long-lasting relationship.
Understand the Importance of Customer Experience for Business Success
Customer experience can be the difference between someone returning to do business with you and moving on to find another company. As this guide explains, you can’t overstate the importance of customer experience in today’s business world. Provide a quality experience, and nobody will be able to pass your product or service up.
Do you now have a better understanding of the importance of customer experience management? If you do, make sure to take a look at some of our other blog posts for more guides and tips.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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