5 Reasons Why Customer Experience Is Important
Table of Contents
Intro:
When shopping, you aren’t just paying for what you’re buying — you’re paying for the experience that comes with it. Customers’ experience with you and your business is one of the most crucial aspects of running a successful company.
Customer experience is how your customers feel about using your services and their perception of your business as a whole. From the moment they step into your store or look up your brand to the moment they walk out the door with a full shopping bag in hand. Each customer must have their own unique and positive interaction with your business.
To see your business succeed, customer experience is more important than you think. It can change the way people view your brand and alter their decision on whether they should use your services or not. Positive experiences are not just about how happy they will make your customers, but what they will do for your business.
1. Drives Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty is what keeps brands alive. Giving customers the respect and attention they deserve will make them trust you and want to keep coming back. 96% of customers say customer service is essential in their choice of loyalty to a brand.
By ensuring you give quality customer service, you are creating your brand’s image and bringing in customers who believe in your services. This will help you make an environment in your workplace that people enjoy and will want to come back to time and time again.
Each time a customer returns, make sure they feel just as appreciated as before, if not more. You want to keep showing them why they should return to your brand. It can be as simple as asking about a trip they mentioned the first time they visited your store or letting them know about your loyalty program that will save them money and give them discounts.
2. Increases Sales
If you have an online business, customer experience is vital. To boost your sales, ensure each customer feels appreciated and heard. The more time customers spend using your services, the more money they are willing to pay. While you may not see an instant increase in sales, you will eventually see revenue through patience and trust.
Increasing customer retention by 5% can lead to a 25-95% profit increase. If sales are something your business is struggling with, focusing on customer experience is a small and easy step towards increasing your profits while keeping your customers happy.
3. Engages Employees
Employees are what make your brand. They represent your business and carry you through difficult times. To make sure they connect with each customer, challenge them to small tasks or to hit a certain amount of sales. This keeps them engaged throughout their day and boosts their productivity.
Engagement helps your employees enjoy their work environment more and helps guarantee each customer is satisfied with their interactions and the time they spent using your company’s services.
As they hit each goal or milestone, it’s equally important to show them you appreciate their hard work. Utilizing small employee recognition awards or giving them a small bonus in their paycheck are both ways to show your employees you care for them. This also helps with employee turnover rates.
4. Offers Competitive Edge
While each brand tries to fight for customers, they aren’t focusing on the customers themselves. Brands try to change their services or hire new employees without realizing the piece they are missing doesn’t have to be something that changes their brand entirely. Creating positive customer experiences gives you and your brand a competitive edge.
A competitive edge shows customers you are willing to work hard to succeed. Even if a fantastic brand has everything a customer is looking for, all it takes is for a bad interaction with someone who represents your company to make them never want to use your services again.
Having that competitive edge means constantly changing your company’s approach depending on what helps the most people and their needs. At the same time, other companies are too self-absorbed and looking in the wrong direction, giving your business the upper hand.
5. Encourages Brand Advocacy
Making each moment with a customer feel special helps build your brand’s reputation. Every happy customer is another person willing to advocate for your brand. This creates a chain of customers that may not have tried your services beforehand. Through word of mouth, positive reviews circulate.
Brand advocacy can also be done through social media, which creates an even larger audience seeing your brand as a favorable business they can trust. Taking the extra time to ensure every customer is satisfied with their time using your services makes all the difference.
An easy way to start each customer interaction is to approach them with a non-sales conversation. Whether you ask them how their day is going or compliment their shirt, it breaks down the barrier between customers and sales representatives. Creating a safe, relaxing conversation first builds trust and shows you don’t only just care for their money.
Why It Matters
Customer experience is all about the customers. It’s about how they feel, what they see, and why they return. Taking a step back from stressing about what is wrong with your brand and listening to the customers, ensuring each interaction is genuine will help your company succeed.
The proof is right in front of you. Brands that provide a good customer experience generate 5.7x more revenue than competitors who fall short. You don’t have to change how your company runs to succeed.
If your company is struggling, there is no shame in asking for help. Learning and understanding different ways your business can thrive is all a part of the process. Not sure where to start? Check out the following services that will help you improve your customer experience fast.
3 Services to help improve your customer experience:
As customer experience becomes more prominent in your company’s culture, you can watch and see as your business grows and flourishes with just a few minor changes.