How to build a great customer experience?

One of the things that might help with enhancing positive customer experience is to build a Loyalty program. According to studies, loyal customers are more likely to purchase from the same company again and tend to share their experience with friends. A great way to do that is to ask people to take part in loyalty programs that reward the customer. Consider that as an opportunity to find more customer that will become your friends.  Your customers today not as they were a few years ago. Everything has changed – first of all, the density of information and the number of brands. People now expect more from the brands they choose to follow. If your business is flexible enough to satisfy the high expectations of the customers, you have good chances to thrive and cut out the competitors in your field.

It may sound too strong, but the ability of the brand meet expectations of its customers probably the most important thing now. Otherwise, they will choose another brand, more suitable for them.

What exactly are we trying to say here?

As a marketer, you know that the customer experience is a path that unlikely to find its finish with a sale. It is something that a brand owner and his team should always look to improve. There is always a way to make it better – the perfection knows no limit.

• Treat your customers as you would treat friends.

How do you usually address to your beloved friends? Well, in many ways customers are your friends. Your business is not a thing that makes money for you – it’s a complex organism that brings benefits for both sides. So, you not just selling things, you are creating a relationship with your audience. Make sure that every one of your customer communication shows how important these people for you.

The best way to be nice it’s not taking things for granted. Maybe your followers are there for a good reason but thank them for that, show respect and how much you value their presence.

Positive interactions with your team create what one would call “customer memory” is making your customers feel precious and valuable.

• Try to solve a customer’s problem at any cost.

Not every problem that your customer is facing could be in the imaginary textbook where all the answers present. Sometimes you just don’t have the right answer. So what you should do in that case?

If you can’t solve a customer’s problem in the first conversation, give them an exact period of time during which you’ll be able to find a solution. What you have to provide them with is a clear feeling that their problem won’t be ignored.

Such a case when you don’t know something to solve a customer’s problem immediately might be a very good sign for you. You probably encounter the whole area where exists a little gap. To cover it and to prevent a line of the same situations with the next customers, you might want to discover what wasn’t working here and why.

• Be honest and admit mistakes.

Yes, times when you had to fool your clients that you are never making mistakes because it would wreck you brand-image are definitely behind us. People value these companies that can be honest about something that didn’t work, and can easily admit their mistakes. It also leads to the next point – when you can explain how you are going to fix that and move further.

• Ask customers to reflect on your services.

Looking for feedback is the most important thing. It is the chain that will make your connection with customer stronger because in that way you will know where and why you’re doing great and where you are going to need some improvement.

Also, asking customers for feedback from time to time better than once in a while. It is an effective way to identify potential problems before they become regular. Feedback is the right way to give your customers a voice to share their thoughts. Sometimes what your audience suggesting might improve your company in a very unexpected way.

• Hang around where your customers are.

Every time you overhear people talking about you somewhere on the internet – step up. There is might be complaints and stuff, but if you’ll be able to say something in your defence or at least explain why things happened as they happened it will improve your relationship with them.

It’s completely up to you to make it as easy as possible for your customers to get the answers they need when they have a problem. Yes, as simple as that. To wait around on your platform is not enough. You should claim your presence on the other platforms so your customers would know – you care about them and hear about their troubles.

Always respond to customer issues on the same place you hear them. Keep communication on the several platforms at once.

• Be yourself.

Don’t try to talk to your customers in this famous marketing impersonal voice. Avoid everything that acts detached with your audience. In other words, you should act more like human rather than brand.

Formal language isn’t supposed to be robotic, on the contrary. Feel free to keep language professional, but not overuse it.

Today the way people interact on the internet is associated with fun more than ever before. Don’t be afraid to use a bit of humour in your answers.

• Surprise customers.

The element of surprise is vital to a good brand. It could be a classic gesture – like a giveaway, discount or simple “bring your friend and two of you will get gifts”. Make sure that your brand is not predictable and boring. Sometimes you might send a limerick, a wish for a good day or something that would friend do (remember the first point of this list). Customers will notice your intentions and your connection with becoming stronger. That is for sure.

Customer experience is quite hard to measure – it is too abstract to put in some sort of words or statics. However, it is exactly what we need to understand whether the brand is doing good or not.

Summary

Understanding customers by brands is one of the things that people expect from you (the topic we kind of began in the first sentences of this article). It is a common challenge for many companies and it was always like that. It is what unlikely to change. A study suggests that customers expect brands to show an understanding of their needs.

Improving customer experience means gambling on the possibility that they will get back. The better premises for that, the more chances to gain loyalty. When a focus on building a positive customer experience is coming on top, it’s important that you maintain only professionals in your support team. There are also ethics that is mandatory to keep as high as possible.

Another point that stands behind perfect customer experience is what people are ready to do and how they behave when they feel valued. In that case, people are willing to pay more for a brand. It is a natural consequence of trust.

Furthermore, as many marketing studies suggest, customers are ready to pay more for an experience that they convince was good once and will be in future interactions with the brand.