“The data could not be clearer: if your customers aren’t happy, you’re not growing,”
— Chip House, CMO- Insightly
Your business is more likely to thrive and grow with happy customers. A recent survey* shows: businesses that rank their customer experience among the best grew 2.5 faster than those with a less optimized experience. It is vital to understand consumers as individuals, and foster their journey from prospects to new customers to raving fans. Following are findings and tips from the study:
1) Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
Think about what it is like to be a potential customer looking for a product or solution:
- Put the focus on your customer rather than your business: customers don’t get “acquired” — they look for products/services that best meet their needs.
- Consumers do research, talk to peers and compare you on review sites — once they become customers, understanding their experience is even more important.
2) Excel at receiving and implementing feedback.
One-quarter of marketers cite that collecting data is a priority for improving customer service:
- Giving surveys, implementing a place on your website and/or a dedicated email address for feedback allows customers to share their experience.
- Social media and online review sites are places to mine for data — consumers may already be talking about you, and it’s essential that you are in the know.
3) Share the load with your team.
Customer service efforts should be shared by your entire business team — everyone should be able to answer, “What is your company’s definition of an ideal customer experience?”:
- Nearly 40% of marketers said that improving access to product/service knowledge are essential for success.
- Find the right tools that make it easy for your business associates to communicate with one another.
4) Remember that one service doesn’t fit all.
Respect your customers’ varying needs, based on factors such as where they are on the customer journey:
- Recognize if your customer made a quick decision with minimal hand-holding or prefers to go line-by-line to understand the details of your product/service.
- Different customers require different relationship management skills — make sure you empower your team to know the difference.
Building and optimizing customer relationships start with creating exceptional customer service experiences. Knowing the right steps to take toward improving your strategy will set you up for long and short term success.
Source: Entrepreneur.com, reported by Chip House; *The State of CRM Study by Insightly; vecteezy.com