Are you wondering how to improve customer experience (CX) in your business?
Good! It’s one of the most effective ways to facilitate the longstanding growth and prosperity of the operation. Keep in mind that around two-thirds of new businesses fail within 10 years.
Hone your CX and that’s far less likely to happen.
An amazing CX leads to newfound acquisitions (all those happy customers can’t help but send word of mouth referrals your way). It also increases conversions, builds trust, and fosters new levels of brand loyalty and customer retention.
As you can see, improving CX can deliver an almighty ROI if you do it right.
The tricky bit is knowing how to get started. Want some help in that regard? Keep reading to discover 7 guaranteed ways to improve your customer experience.
1. Understand Your Customer (And Their Needs)
Knowing your customer is the real key to success here. Why? Because if you don’t know who they are, then you can never appreciate what they need from your business.
Think of it in the same way as buying a birthday present for someone.
The process is ten times easier when you’ve known them for years, right? You understand their interests, desires, and backstory. That allows you to choose a thoughtful, relevant gift you know they’ll appreciate.
The same goes for the CX!
Dive into the data, audit your operations, issue surveys, and seek feedback at every opportunity. By enhancing your knowledge about who they are and what they want, you can take appropriate action to improve their experience.
2. Create a Plan (Spread the Message)
Having a solid understanding of your customer is a great place to start. However, you also need to audit the current customer experience.
From there, you can establish a plan to improve it.
For instance, you might notice flaws in your marketing approach, sales tactics, or customer service (more on this next). Maybe your ads aren’t relevant enough, the sales team’s too aggressive, or your customer service team’s too inexperienced. Having this insight enables you to establish a strategy to alter course, rectify the issues, and better the CX as a result.
Don’t stop here though. Employee buy-in will be crucial if you’re going to succeed.
That’s why your next step should be to share what you’ve learned with your entire team. Letting everybody know about the current CX flaws and your plan to solve them should get them on board.
3. Improve Customer Service
Customer service departments can make or break the CX. If you can solve consumers’ problems in a fast and friendly manner, then you’re onto a winner.
Customers will feel heard, understood, and be happy to have had their issues sorted out with minimal fuss. That single call (or message exchange) can change their entire perception of the business.
That’s why it’s so important to train up your customer service team. Provide them with the skills and resources they need to handle peoples’ concerns and everybody wins. They’ll be empowered, your customers will be kept happier, and your brand benefits in the process.
4. Go Above and Beyond
Improving the CX is often about going the extra mile.
For instance, a healthcare provider could do follow up phone calls to check their clients are okay after treatment. They could offer a free follow-up appointment to discuss progress. They could purchase items (such as telemedicine iPad stands) that make waiting for appointments less mundane. And so on.
You get the picture!
In simple terms, enhancing CX comes down to a) doing the right thing, and b) going above and beyond to ensure they’re satisfied. Think of ways you can deliver value and put a smile on your customers’ faces. The return on investment will blow your mind.
5. Don’t Forget Your Employees
Want to know the real secret to winning with CX?
Begin by helping your employees.
After all, these are the people who operate key client-facing roles. If they’re happy, then they’re more likely to deliver an experience that satisfies the customer as well. Never focus too much direct attention on the CX without addressing this fact as well.
Work hard to empower your employees at every turn.
Deliver ongoing training and development to improve their skillsets. Offer words of encouragement, one on one meetings, opportunities to advance, and so on. The more you do to facilitate a positive working environment, the bigger the impact you’ll have on the CX.
6. Ask Your Employees
This point leads on from the last. Basically, if you’re stuck for CX ideas, then see what your employees have to say.
Remember, they interact with customers every single day, hearing their feedback, and listening to their complaints. The result?
They can be a treasure trove of ideas on how to improve the CX. Even better, they’ll appreciate the fact that you’re asking their opinions. Your employees will feel valued, respected, and empowered all at once (which, as we’ve just discussed, should help on the CX front too).
7. Be a Role Model
It’s important to demonstrate your commitment to CX and champion the approach you want to imbue into the organization.
Don’t, and why should anybody else in the team do the same? They’ll look up, see your example, and approach their work accordingly. Set a positive example and you can expect good results and vice versa.
Time to Improve Customer Experience
Do you want to succeed in business? Well, honing the CX will be all-important. After all, everything from acquisition to retention gets easier when the customer’s happy!
The hard part is knowing what steps to take to get started. With any luck, though, the tips in this post will in this regard. Keep them in mind and you should be on your way to improve customer experience in your business in no time.
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