The definition of a great customer experience varies from person to person. Some consider it the option to pay using their preferred method, while others value a website's design and user interface. Nevertheless, it's important to remember that a customer's experience can make or break their relationship with your business.
In fact, McKinsey & Company's research indicates that customer experience improvement has become increasingly important, with a 19 percentage point increase in priority from 2019 to 2023. This is also why demand for conversion rate optimization services has skyrocketed. As a result, more and more businesses are taking an accelerated approach towards making their brand customer friendly in every aspect.
Despite this growing recognition, many businesses struggle to identify and improve the various elements that contribute to a positive customer experience. To help address this challenge, the following blog provides a comprehensive overview of customer experience and practical tips and strategies for enhancing it.
What is Customer Experience (CX)?
A customer's overall experience with your brand encompasses every interaction they have with your company, starting from the initial discovery phase to post-sales support. A satisfying customer experience cultivates brand loyalty, augments the value of a customer's lifetime association with your brand, and propels word-of-mouth marketing efforts.
Why is Customer Experience Important?
A good customer experience strategy has many benefits for your business. A few of them have been discussed below:
Enhancing customer loyalty and advocacy hinges on their experience. Customer experience significantly affects customer retention and their willingness to remain loyal to your brand. According to a study conducted in May 2022, 94% of customers claimed that a positive customer experience would increase the likelihood of them making a repeat purchase.
According to eMarketer's research, 84% of customers are likely to spread the word about a company after a positive experience. This highlights the potential for businesses to increase their brand awareness through the power of word-of-mouth recommendations.
Enhancing the employee experience leads to happier employees, according to 45% of organizations who recognize it as a significant outcome of providing an excellent customer experience.
Every instance where your customers interact with your brand presents an opportunity to establish a favorable or disadvantageous customer experience.
Difference Between Customer Experience & Customer Service
While "customer experience" and "customer service" are frequently utilized interchangeably, they actually pertain to different efforts.
The customer experience covers the complete voyage a customer embarks on with a brand, starting from the first encounter and recognition to the follow-up engagements after purchase. This incorporates all the points of contact and avenues, whether digital or physical.
Customer service is a crucial aspect of the overall customer experience. It pertains to the aid and backing furnished by a business to its clients, typically in reply to queries, predicaments, or apprehensions.
What is Good Customer Experience?
Every business has its own definition of a good customer experience. It primarily relies on the unique value proposition of the business and the practicality of the services it offers. Nonetheless, some fundamental principles are universally acknowledged as the defining elements of a good customer experience.
Every single interaction is a source of delight, no matter how small it may be. This includes everything from a response to a support ticket to a shipping confirmation email.
Providing smooth and uninterrupted customer experiences is paramount, regardless of whether the customer engages with the business in person, on the Internet, or via customer service platforms.
Tailoring communication to match individual needs, preferences, and behaviors is highly valued by customers for creating personalized and relevant experiences.
Causes of Bad Customer Experience
The negative impact on your reputation and customer loyalty can result from a subpar customer experience. To enhance customer experience, it is crucial to identify the common factors contributing to poor experiences. Here are some common causes of bad customer experience.
The channels have inconsistencies in their delivery.
Customer service is either unresponsive or unhelpful.
Processes for purchasing, returns, or account management are unclear.
The quality of the product or service is subpar.
Technical issues are prevalent, such as website downtime or payment processing errors.
How To Measure Customer Experience?
Believing that your business provides an exceptional customer experience is not the same as being certain of it. To determine the effectiveness of your efforts, measurement is key. This segment will outline some of the simplest and most trustworthy methods for gauging your customers' experiences.
Customer effort score (CES)
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
Time to resolution (TTR)
Example Of Customer Experience
Scenario: Online product return
John made a purchase of shoes from an ecommerce site. Upon receiving the shoes, he discovered that they were not the correct size. In order to exchange them for the right size, John had to go through the online return procedure provided by the company.
Upon finishing the return process, John was sent a CES survey via email. The survey prompted him to evaluate the ease of the return process by rating it on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being very easy and 7 being very difficult. Based on his experience, John found the return process to be relatively uncomplicated. In addition, the company's website had a designated section for returns that included explicit instructions and a prepaid shipping label.
However, John did note that he had to print the shipping label himself, which he deemed inconvenient. Consequently, he rated the ease of the return process as a 2 on a scale of 7.
According to the CES data, the organization can enhance the return process by providing a more user-friendly approach to printing shipping labels. One feasible solution is to send pre-printed labels to customers via mail or offer digital labels that can be scanned at the carrier's location. Utilizing CES, the enterprise can gauge and enhance the customer journey, which can lead to greater customer contentment and a higher probability of repeat transactions.
Conclusion
At the core of every thriving ecommerce business lies a solid customer experience strategy. This strategy not only enhances customer engagement but also minimizes customer churn rate. By following the advice and utilizing the resources detailed in this guide, you'll be on the path toward creating a customer experience that you can take pride in. And if you are unsure about how to achieve your goals, seeking assistance from a conversion rate service expert can be an excellent solution.
We at MakkPress Technologies provide exceptional Conversion rate optimization service that can help you achieve top-notch customer satisfaction and reduces churn rate too. Check out our ecommerce marketing services today!
