Why is Everyone Talking About Managing Customer Experience?
As a marketer, it can be hard to keep track of all the big topics in the industry, especially as things move so quickly, but there’s one key issue that isn’t going away – customer experience.
Back when business interaction with your customers was limited to the times when they visited you in a shop, every customer received a face-to-face, truly personalised service, and if they liked the service they received they would remain loyal.
Now, with customers taking increasingly complex journeys to purchase with your business, many companies find it difficult to keep track of who everyone is and treat them like individuals. A series of anonymous, faceless interactions might get the job done, but it’s not going to help you build loyalty or trust, and you’ll be losing a lot of potential business on the way.
Even worse, if a customer doesn’t like your service, they are now so many more ways for them to voice their displeasure. Rather than just complaining to their friends when they meet them for a drink, they can post an angry rant on twitter, leave a negative review on TripAdvisor, or a scathing video on YouTube – all of which have the potential to reach millions.
This is why experience management is such a hot topic. Experience management is about providing a truly personal experience, based on your in-depth knowledge of your customers. Not only will such an experience boost loyalty, but it can;
- Increase repeat purchases
- Turn customers into evangelists, increasing referrals and new business
- Reduce customer churn, lowering your customer acquisition costs
Imagine if every time you interacted with a company, whether it be over the phone, on an app, visiting their website, or receiving an email, they treated you like a person, rather than customer number 325.
They knew what your last purchase was, and asked whether you enjoyed it.
They knew the sort of things you liked, so they could always make the best recommendation.
They knew you were always too busy during the day to talk to them, so they waited until a more convenient time to get in touch.
How happy would you be with that service, with how easy it made your life, and how much more inclined would you be to recommend that company to a friend?