The thought of implementing a full Customer Experience (CX) strategy might seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Adopting a CX strategy simply means that you are prioritizing how a customer feels when they interact with your brand throughout every step of their journey. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together a list of five important things that can help improve your brand’s customer experience.
1. Do Customer Service Well
While customer service is only one part of your CX, it’s a really good barometer of how your company, as a whole, values your customers—or not. Make sure you are checking in with your staff regularly to see how everyone in your company interacts with your customers. It might also be time for a quick refresher for your team about how they can best represent your brand in every interaction.
2. Make It Easy
Customers appreciate the simplicity of a seamless shopping experience. What can you do to simplify each experience your customers have with you? How can you be more efficient? What can you do to make things move more quickly? Consider these questions to ensure you’re not overcomplicating the shopping experience.
3. Take a Look Online
What people are saying about you online is likely the first impression a potential new customer will have of your business. Are you monitoring and responding to online reviews? If you aren’t, you need to be. When you do read the reviews, ask yourself if there is a common thread that you need to consider. If you have a negative review, here are some tips for writing an effective response.
4. Change Your Perspective
Take a hard look at your systems through the eyes of your customers. You probably developed many of your systems with a focus on how they can help your business operate more efficiently. But ultimately, your systems should serve your customers. Put yourself in a customer’s shoes and walk through a typical interaction inside each of your systems to make sure that you haven’t created any unforeseen barriers to customer satisfaction in the process.
5. Say Thank You
Your customers chose you. Letting them know that you appreciate them goes a long way toward keeping them as your customer. Verbal thank yous are a good start, but how else can you say thank you after the sale? A personal note, a small gift, a follow-up phone call. Every business is different, but all businesses will benefit from taking the extra step to intentionally express their gratitude toward their customers.
Your business exists because of your customers. Making sure that they have a great experience at each step of their customer journey is crucial to creating a thriving business.
