Effective Ways to Improve Customer Experience
Let’s be honest, without customers, your business wouldn’t exist. Customers are everything!
That’s why providing your customers with an exceptional experience is so important. At our core, people long to feel seen, valued, and appreciated, and the individuals who buy your products, or pay for your services are no different.
Customers want to feel appreciated, they want to be a priority. Not only that, they want quick service, and they want things to be easy and hassle-free!
These days, customers are presented with nearly an unlimited amount of options, and t’s your job to convert a first-time buyer into a loyal lifelong customer. So, how does a company create a loyal, happy customer? By providing excellent customer service and experiences!
Before you can provide your customers with an exceptional experience, you first have to know your target customer!
Identify Your Customers.
How can you guarantee a great experience for your customers if you don’t know who your core customers are? Being aware of characteristics like age, geographic location, income, profession, hobbies, and interests will make winning over your customers much easier.
Ask your customers questions, do a poll on your Instagram story, send them an email survey. Ask questions about how they heard about your brand, how easy and accessible your website is, how often they buy your products and where they buy them. Ask them to rate your products. When is their birthday? When did they first become a customer?
Knowledge is power and there is a lot of power in being able to give your customers exactly what they want when they want it, and how they want it.
The next step in creating stellar experiences for your customers is ensuring that you have happy employees who feel valued and appreciated and who are dedicated to creating and keeping loyal customers.
Hire and Empower the Right People for the Job.
Creating an exceptional customer experience starts with an exceptional customer service team, and creating that team starts with hiring the right people.
Let’s face it, not everyone is cut out for the world of customer service. A great customer service team is made up of patient, empathetic people who are happy, upbeat, and dependable.
Customer service team members need to be trained on how to develop rapport with customers, how to solve customer problems quickly and efficiently, and how going above and beyond is the rule, not the exception.
Happy Employees Create Happy, Loyal Customers.
Think about it, do you want a resentful employee who doesn’t truly care about the outcome on the phone with an unhappy customer? Or do you want a happy, positive, loyal employee who is genuinely invested in creating positive customer experiences on the phone? It’s a no-brainer.
Your customer service team is on the frontline, they’re down in the trenches! They see it all and hear it all. If there is a problem with a product or your website, your customer service team is going to be the first to hear about it.
Empower your team by listening to them. What are their pain points? What suggestions do they have? How can you make their lives easier? Figuring out what is stopping your employees from creating exceptional customer experiences will help your business immensely. Remember to take action on the feedback you receive. This will prove to your team that they are valued and appreciated.
Once you’ve created an excellent customer service team and nailed down your target audience it’s time to implement strategies to ensure your customers are having the best experience with your brand possible. One negative experience with your brand can have lasting negative effects. Consider these three strategies when prioritizing which ways your business can provide a stellar customer experience!
Get Personal!
Customers want to feel like they’re not just another ticket number. Make your customers feel important by sending birthday and anniversary greetings, updates on upcoming events, and promotions. Remember their preference so you can make purchase suggestions when they visit your website or store. Take the time to write personalized thank you cards to new customers or longtime customers.
You gain valuable insight when customers are willing to give you their feedback. Implement a system to help you collect feedback, analyze it, and act on it regularly.
Keep it Simple.
How can you make life easier for your customers? Start at the beginning and look at each step of your customer experience, then work to remove any friction, simplify processes, or create an added benefit that your customers will notice and appreciate.
Is your website easy to navigate? Is signing up for a service quick and easy or does it feel like jumping through hoops? Is the content you provide educational, helpful, and consistent? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and use your products and services and figure out what works and what doesn’t.
When customers know they can depend on you for a smooth, easy experience, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Create a Loyal Community.
Everyone wants to feel like they belong to something, and your customers are no different. Using your social media platforms to create a community of like-minded people is a great way to engage with your customers. Create a hashtag and ask your Instagram followers to post pictures of themselves using your products so they can be featured on your page.
Use your social media accounts to give customers a platform to share their experiences with your company. Social media is a great way to show your customers the people behind the company, creating an overall more personal experience.
Be sure to engage with your customers in real-time, create live streams, and answer questions. Your customers will appreciate seeing the human side of your business and feel more connected and loyal to your brand.
Now that You Know the Importance of an Exceptional Customer Service Experience, What Will You Do Next?
Delivering consistently exceptional customer experiences creates happy, loyal customers. The higher the customer loyalty, the more successful your business will be. Excellent customer experiences become a valued and unique asset for any type of business and sets you apart from your competitors.
What are some things your company does to go above and beyond for clients? We’d love to hear from you!