Are customers at the heart of your business? I’m sure most of you will be inclined to say yes, but what about if I were to ask if your customers feel that they’re at the heart of your business? Would you still be so certain?
Nowadays, customer experience is one of the most important things on the agenda – no matter what you’re offering. It’s the difference between a content customer and an excited customer; a satisfactory experience or an incredible experience. According to research, 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. Failing to deliver excellent experiences can clearly impact the bottom line with 91% of unhappy customers unwilling to interact with a company again after a negative experience. On the other hand, positive experiences pay dividends through higher revenue, customer lifetime value, referrals and enhanced reputation.
Constructing, embedding, and delivering an epic customer journey is what keeps customers happy, engaged and enthused from the moment they come to you. Now, more than ever, customers know what they want, how they want it and when they want it. This ‘want’ or ‘need’ is the driving factor behind them seeking out the right solution or product and they go looking for it independently.
So, how do you deliver an epic customer experience? Well, let me break it down to you the Innov8 way…
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Firstly, you need to fully understand the customer journey, from their ‘need’ right the way through to the delivery or fulfilment of that need. Understanding that the customers excitement will nearly always be at an all time high at that initial point of contact when you’re winning that customer over. To identify pain points and moments of truth when the customer experience is most impacted, undertaking a full customer journey mapping exercise is mission-critical. This means tracking key customer interactions, emotions, questions and perceptions at all touchpoints. Companies can then address friction areas and gaps through process improvements, policy changes and customer service training.
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The journey begins and you’ve set the tone – they’ve bought into you to provide them with the goods (happy days), but now there is a timeline of milestones to get through before they get the end result. How you manage this timeline is crucial to determining their satisfaction levels. Things like frequent updates / regular communication / rapport building / empathy expressed from your side can sway a customer’s thoughts from “have I made the right decision? Did I really need this after all? What is going on?” to “This is great! I’ve got peace of mind, we’re in good hands”. And yes, hiccups do arise on occasion, but getting ahead of those hiccups and being transparent proactively keeps customers from heading on a steep dip of satisfaction doom.
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Empathy is invaluable when it comes to elevating a customer’s experience. It needs to be present from the get-go and consistently demonstrated at every point of contact throughout their journey. Showing genuine understanding, care and consideration goes a long way to building trust and keeping faith intact; without it, customers can gradually slip from the gates of excitement on to that slippery slope of discontent. Empower your employees - sales, service and support teams - hold significant influence over the customer experience, so you need to ensure these teams are fully empowered, equipped and motivated to foster positive relationships, provide timely and accurate assistance, and resolve issues effectively.
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Sustainable success comes to those who sing off the same hymn sheet. Companies that excel in customer experience tend to have higher revenue growth rates. Positive experiences lead to higher customer retention rates while negative ones increase churn. Retaining customers is much more cost effective than continually acquiring new ones.
The ROI of Customer Advocacy
Customers who receive stellar experiences tend to become a brand’s strongest advocates. A report by Nielsen found that 92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family over all forms of advertising. Similarly, 72% say online customer reviews are their second most trusted source for making buying decisions. When customers advocate for brands via referrals, reviews and word-of-mouth, it can significantly reduce acquisition costs while having more influence thanks to earned trust and goodwill.
How do Innov8 fare?
When selecting an IT services provider to help upgrade systems, integrate new software, or manage infrastructure, the breadth and depth of experience on its team makes all the difference. At Innov8, our consultants offer the perfect blend of technical knowledge, business acumen and customer-focused values gained from years in the industry. Knowing our stuff gets us 90% of the way there, but how we deliver what we do counts for 10%, driving that customer experience from ‘good’ to ‘Amazing!’