Its March! But don’t feel bad, it means our newsletters this month are going to centre around Customer Experience. Over the next four weeks we will show you how to ‘wow’ your customers, we’ll give you another success story and let you in on some useful and easy ways to improve your customer experience to keep customers coming back for more.
First though, let’s establish some basics.
What exactly is the Customer Experience?
Every person who visits your website, interacts with your Facebook page or visits you at your pop-up shop has an experience with your business in some way, shape or form. Experiences are defined by what we feel when we do something.
Think about going to a mass retailer on payday weekend. The experience you have there might include feelings of anxiety, frustration or even helplessness. Compare that to the experience you would have at your favourite restaurant for instance, where you would feel welcomed, relaxed and satisfied. These are two incredibly different sets of emotions that get stirred up.
Customer experience extends to everything from the way you answer your telephone to the way your customer receives their products. It’s more than just trying to improve your order emails or making your website look pretty, it’s about how you make your customers feel when they transact with you.
Why is Customer Experience so important?
Customer experience isn’t just important, its everything. Simply put, we stay away from things we don’t enjoy when we have a choice. Remember what it felt like when you touched a hot stove? It hurt, so you learned to not do it again. Why do people go to mass retailers on payday weekend? Perhaps they need to make their money stretch as far as possible but realise there are experiential sacrifices to make in order to do that.
When choice avails however, it becomes a case of where you want to have the best experience. ‘Where do I feel the best when shopping?’ becomes the most pertinent question in a world of infinitely broadening choices.
Amazon.com realised this when they came up with the company vision which read, “At Amazon, we are a customer service company that happens to sell books.” Local businesses, such as Yuppiechef.com and others, have also sought to bring this vision to life. They are probably not the cheapest, or have the widest range but people love shopping with them because of the way that these companies make them FEEL.
How can I improve my Customer’s Experience?
We will be taking a closer look at some aspects of customer experience, otherwise known as UX, in the coming weeks and showing you how to make it easier to interact with your customers and improve your customer’s experience. The first vital step though is for your business (and you) to understand that your customer is at the heart of your business and that every decision you make within the business should be to better serve your customer.
As we go through ‘Customer Experience month’ you will see that as your customer experience grows, so too will the trust in your business. That brings with it increased sales, a more solid foundation and longevity for your business.
Happy selling!
