Nowadays shoppers expect high levels of customer satisfaction and demand seamless customer experiences whenever and wherever they interact with brands. According to Salesforce, 75% of consumers expect a consistent experience wherever they engage with a brand regardless of the channel (website, social media, mobile, in person). While these expectations keep rising, brands have long understood that they no longer compete on what products or services they deliver but on how they deliver; they compete on experiences.
So, it is crystal clear that brands need to find a new approach to their customer experience strategies and embrace innovative ways of getting closer to their customers.
Related: 10 mind-blowing Customer Experience statistics you can’t ignore
The following 8 steps will help you better understand that putting customers first is vital for your business success and get your strategy right from the start.
Elevate your strategy
To take your strategy to the next level it is essential that you put the customer at its core. This means that you need to have a 360-degree view of your customers. You need to identify their shopping patterns, dive into their demographics, understand their complex, multi-channel behavior and incorporate all this data into your strategy. You also need to make sure that you develop a unified and aligned across all channels strategy. Finally, your strategy shouldn’t be static. Constantly update your approach to ensure that it always serves the customer.
Related: Download our whitepaper “Loyalty transformation: Reinventing loyalty for clicks and mortar”
Listen to your customers
Customer’s feedback is precious. By listening to your customers, you can gain valuable insights for your audience; their thoughts, their specific questions about your products or services, their ideas, and suggestions. Especially today, it’s easier than ever to track what customers say about your brand. Social listening is an essential approach for marketers that enables them to connect with their customers beyond purchases, building loyalty.
Gift tip: Focus on tracking feedback from customers’ comments at both your posts and your competitors’ social media pages too.
Master customer records
Today’s empowered customers generate massive amounts of data whenever and wherever they interact with brands. Most brands are struggling to properly collect this data in a way that’s easy to understand and use. To effectively track all customer data from all touchpoints, you need to invest in an end-to-end technology solution that enables you to gather consumers’ data in one place and build unified customer profiles.
Related: Learn how to build unified customer profiles
Use unified data throughout the customer journey
After properly collecting customer data, you need to use them across all the stages of the customer journey. Using large and different forms of data can create new sources of customer value and increase simplify the complex customer journey. Analyze this unified data and use them to fuel your multi-channel marketing campaigns to successfully provide superior experiences based on customers’ needs and preferences.
Related: How to master customer insights in 4 steps [New eBook]
Deliver unforgettable in-store customer experiences
What most brands do is to focus more on the digital channels and less on delivering in-store capabilities. As a result, the physical store remains untouched. Not only they haven’t digitalized the in-store experience, but they do not have a plan for unifying the experience between the two channels.
By reaching your customer through their mobile with data-driven rewards and special offers during the store visit, will help you not only boost conversions, but also delight them as you offer convenience, personalization, and experience; exactly what they are seeking for.
Did you know? 65% of consumers are disappointed by the lack of in-store personalized discounts and promotions, Emarketer
Extra tip: Invest in marketing automation for extreme personalization and use proximity marketing to reach your customers at the right time and place delivering the right message.
Build an omnichannel loyalty program
Most of the time, unless a shopper completes a purchase with a loyalty card in a brick-and-mortar store, transactions remain anonymous. When data is siloed, brands cannot properly reach their customers and create relevant experiences. Omnichannel loyalty programs are a powerful tool for retailers that enable them to collect consumer’s data in-store, create differentiated experiences to customers and maximize repeat purchases.
Learn how to build a profitable loyalty program with our eBook. Download your free copy now!
Focus on customer operations
Provide your customers with the ultimate customer experience daily. This will help convert them into repeat and loyal customers and will increase your referrals. Customer support is key in building trust with your customers, so make sure you invest time to properly train your team.
Related: How to use customer service to drive brand loyalty
Test everything
To achieve the best outcome out of your customer experience strategy, you should develop a performance management system based on a set of proven KPIs. Start analyzing these metrics and work to continually improve customers’ experiences. To deliver unique customer experiences and build strong relationships with them, you need to frequently optimize your strategy and the metrics you are measuring. Invest in technology to effectively manage your customer base and avoid complex and time-consuming processes.
It’s all about customer experience and putting the customer first. Today, how you deliver is as important as what you deliver to your customers.
Remember that customer experience doesn’t have an end date! Every interaction matters and it is your call to choose whether these interactions add value to your customers and are a way to make a true, loyal connection with you or not.
Most brands are starting to think about their customer experience strategy for next year. What about you?
QIVOS helps brands build unique customer experience strategies and reach their customers in the most profitable way. Our clients trust us to create positive unified brand experiences in all touchpoints. View our work here.
