Last updated: 3 ways to revamp your customer experience

3 ways to revamp your customer experience

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The entire buying journey revolves around the customer. Retailers, whether you like it or not, you must revamp your customer experience and customer acquisition strategy to find and retain customers.

Retailers are no longer able to target an entire group of people in one promotion; each consumer is different.

3 strategies to revamp your customer experience

Personalize messaging

Everyone is different, and we know that, yet in the past retailers marketed to an audience of many, whether that be segmented by gender, age, or geography. Unlike the past, this type of marketing no longer works.

Consumers want to feel that the retailer and/or brand knows them on a personal level. This means everything from sending relevant, personalized emails, offering in store and online discounts, and offering VIP status. A once-loyal customer can quickly lose interest in your brand if they encounter even a single negative customer experience.

Consider this: A consumer walks into a store looking for a specific pair of jeans, purchases the jeans, and provides their email address to the cashier while checking out. They arrive home, check their email, and have an offer for the same pair of jeans.

If this were me, I’d be confused: Why did I get an offer for the same pair of jeans I just purchased versus something else, like a T shirt or jacket? The online experience is as important as the in-store experience, and retailers need to personalize messaging to retain lifelong customers.

Emotion is a key driver of customer loyalty

The customer experience has just as much to do with emotion as it does the physical buying experience. When I was in  maybe the 4th or 5th grade, my parents took me to Red Lobster for dinner. Right afterwards, I got food poisoning. Since that day many, many years ago, I’ve not stepped foot in a Red Lobster.

On the other hand, when shoppers have a great customer experience, they remember it long after the moment is over. This applies to multiple industries, not just retail. I have Crohn’s disease, so have seen my fair share of hospitals, doctors, and medical insurances.

This year I switched to Kaiser Permanente, which is slightly more expensive that my insurance last year, but well worth it. The nurses, doctors, and staff treat me like I’m their only patient. They check on my before I even contact them, whether by following up on my symptoms or giving me test results.

They have a great online messaging platform, so if I need anything, they respond within 24 hours. With Kaiser, everything is under one roof – meaning I can go to my gastroenterologist for my checkup, and they’ll remind me I need a vaccination. This is not only a great customer experience, but also brings in the aspect of emotion.

I feel confident that if I need anything from my doctors, I can easily access them and get my questions answered. I’m happy to have the best gastroenterologist in the area where I live. Because of these experiences and emotions, I’m recommending Kaiser to all my friends and family, and will definitely stay with them.

Exceptional customer service

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized with bad customer service. Although customer service is sometimes overlooked, it’s one of the most important aspects of a great customer experience.

According to Forbes, “Poor customer service is costing businesses more than $75 billion a year,” and according to American Express, shoppers are willing to spend 17% more with companies that deliver exceptional customer service.

These numbers are staggering.

In this age of technology, it’s not enough to just have a call center. Customer service needs to be delivered based on the customers convenience, meaning it needs to be available across all buying channels, and be completed in a timely manner.

We live in a fast-paced world where shoppers don’t have time to wait on hold all day to speak with a customer service representative. A poor customer journey can lead to not just one lost customer, but many. People share negative customer service stories on social media platforms consistently, and these customer reviews speak louder than products and services.

I’m sure we’ve all personally seen bad customer service reviews on social media for airlines, clothing stores, and online retailers. Customer service matters, and with the amount of choices in our buying landscape, consumers aren’t afraid to switch brand loyalty due to a poor experience.

The customer journey isn’t linear, and retailers need to evolve with the customer. Brands can evolve to revamp their customer experience and create lifelong customers.

Rethink customer engagement:
Seamless omnichannel experiences can save the day. Real-life direct-to-consumer results start HERE.

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