In today’s competitive retail market, customer experience (CX) extends far beyond just the physical/ecommerce shopping experience and applies to every customer touch point from the initial need-recognition to the post-purchase evaluation. Prioritising customer experience as part of your inbound marketing strategy can help you and your businesses to attract and retain loyal customers as well as increase referrals and your overall competitive advantage.
Here are some ways you can optimise your customer experience:
Align and Conquer
As we know, the first step of any inbound strategy is ensuring that your actions align with the needs and wants of your desired target audience. Research your audience, find out their likes and dislikes, discover common behaviour patterns and adapt your service accordingly.
The Omnichannel is the only Channel
The omnichannel approach is when businesses make their products, offers and customer support available across multiple channels. Providing that a consistent quality of customer services can be maintained, the omnichannel approach can optimise your brand reach, boost brand image and increase your ROI.
The Magpie Mindset
It is in our nature to be attracted to shiny, beautiful things which is why ensuring that your store front, home page or display window is as eye-catching as possible is just a no-brainer. If you offer both an online and offline service, consider making them visually consistent with each other as this will boost your overall brand image.
Be a Chatty Kathy
Effective communication takes many forms and is something that should be tailored to your desired target audience. Keep your consumers up to date and informed about your activity, how it helps them and what they can do to get the most out of your service. Being proactive in your communication will also ensure that your customers have the best experience with your brand. Preempt potential issues, answer questions before they get asked and make all necessary information easily accessible so customers can resolve their own issues before they feel like they have to contact you directly.
Honesty is the Best Policy
What better way to get a sense of your progress than to ask your customers what they think. Encouraging customer reviews throughout the buying process will help you to establish what’s working and what isn't. Remember encouraging feedback shouldnt stop once a purchase has been made. As part of your post-purchase care strategy, you should be asking your customers, from their experience, how you can better your services for next time.
Training as an Investment
Equip your employees with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver the very best customer services. Investing in training will not only benefit your business in the long run in terms of competitive advantage and ROI but will help your employees to grow and thrive on a human level too.
In Summary
Prioritising customer experience is a full proof way to secure your businesses future, defining you as the go to for your product or service. Executing high quality customer service at every touch point will help you and your business to retain loyal customers and improve your overall bottom line.
If you would like to level up your customer service, get in touch with us today!
