This is a guest post by Angela White on behalf of ProProfs.

Many companies see customer experience as a necessity when it comes to keeping their consumers happy. In doing so, not only are their customers happier, but the business itself flourishes too.

A PWC worldwide study from 2018 stated that 73% of consumers believe that customer experience is an integral part of their purchasing decisions, while 43% of customers would pay more for a greater experience.

Despite the obvious advantages of a happy customer, companies are failing to satisfy their consumers’ needs. In 2018, the Temkin group’s annual Customer Experience Ratings report showed that the number of companies in the U.S. that earned a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ rating had declined from 45% in 2017 to 38% in 2018.

Bad customer experiences not only drive potential consumers away, but disgruntled customers are also likely to spread poor reviews of the company to their friends and family. This can cost the company dearly – with studies showing that 89% of U.S. adults will switch to a competitor due to bad customer experience.

Speed, helpful staff, and convenience are the first steps towards a good customer experience strategy, but to truly make a mark, you have to go beyond the basics.

Learning from the best

Pleasing all your customers is a near-impossible endeavor, but delivering great customer experience to a majority of them is all about doing the simple things in the best possible way, as these real-life examples will show-

• Personalized Interactions

Personalized interactions can boost a brand’s image and consumer base, as in the case of Glossier. The beauty brand’s customer service team, called ‘gTeam,’ is a good example of valuable customer interaction. This team consists of around 30 “editors” who provide friendly and insightful conversations to their customers. Each team member is responsible for engaging and following up with customers on a dedicated social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.), over the phone or through email and their voice and personality are allowed to shine through. This has done wonders for the brand’s image with its customers being extremely pleased with their experiences.

The benefits of personalized customer experience were highlighted in MarTech’s report, which stated that 81% of consumers want to feel that their brand understands them and their needs.

Takeaway: Consumers want to do business with a brand they can trust, so offering basic replies and automated messages will not cut it anymore.

• Listen to Your Customers
  

In 2012, Sainsbury’s renamed their tiger bread to giraffe bread after a letter, questioning the name, was sent in by a little girl named Lily Robinson. Not only did they send her a reply, but they also held a fun campaign which led to the official name change. Lego is another company that has responded to customers’ requests, no matter the age of the sender.
Use a survey maker to create and send Customer surveys to make your customers feel like they are heard.

Takeaway: Your customers want their feedback and opinions to matter. Rather than asking for generic feedback, add catchy questions about your products and services. Listen to their feedback and implement changes.

• Make the Most of Technology
  

Amazon became one of the biggest companies in the world by focusing on excellent customer experience. They realised the importance of customer experience and worked towards improving it through every avenue possible. While they do a lot of things right, their use of technology to experiment with different ways to boost customer experience is a great example to learn from.

One of the things that elevated Amazon from other online shopping websites was their “Customers who bought this also bought” feature. So if a customer bought a certain book, they could easily explore related books without leaving the site.

Amazon has continuously used technological advancements to their and their customers’ benefit, and any company looking to improve its service needs to learn from the giant.

Takeaway: Advancements in technology are not only for the customer. As a business, leverage technology to improve your CX and build a loyal customer base.

• Invest in Social Causes
  

In 2018, Lyft announced that they would voluntarily purchase carbon offsets so all rides would now be carbon neutral. Fighting climate change is a global concern, so Lyft’s announcement made headlines the world over and earned them goodwill among their customers.

Acts and initiatives such as this show the consumer that the company cares and makes them more likely proud to support said business.

Consumers often have an ideal image of the brands they support. Investing in social causes proves that the company cares about the issues affecting everyday citizens and not just their money. To add to this, it also humanizes the brand while garnering free word-of-mouth advertising through good deeds.

Takeaway: Care for what your customers care for.

• Going the Extra Mile
  

Ritz-Carlton, the 5-star hotel chain, has repeatedly earned glowing customer reviews down the years by taking care of their guests even after they have left the hotel.

Source: Ritz Carlton Facebook post.

In 2012, a family staying at one of the luxury hotel’s branches in Florida, left their son’s stuffed toy, Joshie, behind. The parents told their distraught son that Joshie had stayed back at the hotel for a few extra days. They then called the Ritz asking them to take a photo of Joshie for their son and the staff exceeded expectations by posting multiple photos on their Facebook page, showing Joshie relaxing by the pool, getting a massage, and much more.

Small acts like this really help in making a lasting impression on the customer, and as a consequence, their friends and family. It is also endearing for other customers, who might have been following the incident on social media.

Takeaway: Good customer experience goes beyond just adequate customer service. Making sure that your consumers have the best overall experience can lead to a lifetime of loyalty from the said consumer.

Customers are the backbone of any business, so investing in customer experience is a must. To build a good strategy, you need to understand your customers, their perspectives, and their needs – surveys are a great way to do this. Regardless of the methods used, it is important to grasp the true meaning of customer experience and work on providing the best.

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This is a guest post by Angela White on behalf of ProProfs.

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Author Bio

Angela White is an ed-tech enthusiast with a passion for writing for the consumer market in the areas of product research and marketing using eLearning softwares. Having a knack for writing and an editorial mindset, she has been writing for ProProfs: a brand that’s known for creating delightfully smart tools such as ProProfs Survey Maker.