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Customer experience is a make or break equation, with 47% of customers saying they’ll abandon a brand as the result of bad CX. So, are there any B2B customer experience examples that can help B2B businesses transform?
There sure are.
Exemplary customer experience is always good for business
Taking cues from Nordstrom is something Bill Grimwood, Chief Information Officer at Hillyard, shared as a tool for strengthening his B2B tactics. Hillyard is a manufacturer and distributor of cleaning products.
Founded in 1907, Hillyard is invested in the concept of digital transformation as a resource for improving customer experience. Why Nordstrom?
“Nordstrom Department stores are legendary for customer experience. They are the definition of above and beyond. And a positive customer experience has a direct impact on increasing revenue,” explained Grimwood.
How does Nordstrom continually raise the B2C customer service bar?
The ethos of Nordstrom was rooted in customer satisfaction. Nordstrom founder, John W. Nordstrom, believed that success would come from offering customers the very best:
- Customer service
- Selection
- Quality
- Value
What does it look like to continually improve service, selection, quality, and value?
It may very well involve expanding products and services, creating greater access, and improving communication. Nordstrom has dedicated its entire existence to pressing ahead.
Putting the customer in focus illuminates the best path for business
Nordstrom started as a shoe store business in 1901 (then known as Wallin & Nordstrom). During the 1960s, the store expended its products to include women’s fashion, followed a few years later by men’s and children’s clothing.
The 60 years since have seen the brand evolve from a West Coast specialty store to a leading fashion retailer with a global reach and reputation for customer service.
B2B and B2C companies alike can learn from Nordstrom.
The experimentation with mail order subscriptions like Trunk Club, custom alteration services, online personal shopping, rewards programs, and specialty sections demonstrate the value in following – and even anticipating – customers’ needs as a means of delivering superior customer experience.
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High impact improvements for customer experience through digital transformation
As consumer preferences change, both B2b and B2C are both pushed to innovate.
The top digital opportunities for improving CX include:
- Make web pages load faster
- Create rich content
- Offer expanded descriptions
- Provide more picture angles
- Produce product videos
- Integrate education with how-to opt
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Examples of B2B customer experience: Inspired by B2C, and staying a step ahead with cloud commerce
Traditionally, the user journey for a B2B buyer may have looked very different than that of a B2C buyer, but today, both expect a seamless CX and great service.
Hillyard employed many B2C tactics to elevate their customers’ experience.
A few of the things they did to enhance CX, personalization, and convenience:- Single Sign On (SSO): This allows customers to seamlessly register, log on, and streamline the check out process from any device and on multiple sites.
- Extensive reporting accessibility: Customers can access real-time information about past orders, related documents, pricing, and more with a few keystrokes.
- Bespoke familiarity with rules: An ability to adhere to unique regulatory, transportation rules, and tax calculations based on city or county.
- Elevating the voice of the customer: Using tools available through cloud commerce allows surveys, social media marketing, and customer journey analytics to inform the process, making the experience for customers intuitive—less pain points, more options.
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Customers and businesses benefit from digital transformation
Discovering new ways to build trust, enhance customer service, and establish reliable, scalable processes for improving the customer journey and CX is essential to future-proofing.
Complacency and comfort with the way it’s always been done is death by a thousand digital cuts.
Companies like Hillyard and Nordstrom understand that combining solutions in technology with the hallmarks of service will result in customer experience, customer trust, and profitability soaring.
