Here are 5 Things You Probably Forgot
Advice on initiating, launching, and perfecting CX strategy is everywhere. Everywhere. Problem is, it’s not all good or useful advice. Bigger problem: even the best advice might not get you where you need to go. You can have access to all the tips, pointers, consultants – and robust strategic plans – in the world but, without a collaborative leadership team willing to embrace a CX mindset and some fundamental change… your CX dreams are unlikely to come true.
In reading a recent article by Chalmers Brown, CTO and co-founder of Due, I was reminded of how, at the end of the day, the strategic decisions we make in leading our organizations are, quite simply, shaped by our own, personal experiences. Or, as he puts it, CX is a universal experience:
“One of the most obvious yet overlooked CX insights is the fact that we are all consumers who appreciate a remarkable customer experience. Think about a product or service you purchased recently. What was your experience? … The customers who interact with our company want the same things we do. They are not exotic. They are us.”
How can any brand deliver the kind of excellent customer experience we all want? Chalmers suggests (and I strongly agree) that you can’t, unless you have a “customer-first focus” at every, single customer interaction point. In other words, your customer care team needs to embrace and deliver on your brand mission and your CX strategy every day, on every interaction, with every customer.
You can read the entire piece here. If you would like to know how Skybridge Americas can deliver on your CX strategy, please reach out. We would love to talk!
5 Factors of Customer Experience You’re Probably Not Thinking About
By Chalmers Brown
There was a time not long ago when providing exceptional in-person customer service was the key to keeping customers coming back. Potential buyers could talk to a real person on the phone or in the store to get the information they needed to make a purchase. After the sale, customers typically expected to receive quality support with follow-up phone calls or visits.
While providing high-quality in-person service is still a top priority, it is no longer enough. Nowadays, brands need a solid strategy for addressing the entire customer experience (CX). Concern for every touchpoint between customers and your product is the new key to business success.
Many aspects of the customer experience are obvious. Did an employee answer a customer’s question about a product? Did we ask the customer what they thought of our widget?
If total CX has the power to make or break your business — and it does — you won’t want to overlook any customer touchpoints. Here are five important ones you might not be thinking about.
1. Technology, Data, and Analysis
Admittedly, this CX factor lacks the warm, feel-good appeal of in-person customer interaction. Nonetheless, a customer-centric implementation of IT will be critical for providing the insights you need to design the optimal experience. Smart IT choices don’t cost, they pay — and are well worth the investment of company resources.
A small business using a network cobbled together out of switches and routers is going to hit a wall sooner or later. In today’s CX environment, they’d do well to convert that old network to a business intelligence platform using solutions such as Plume WorkPass. A well-designed platform will give the small business owner full control of the network and unfettered access to meaningful data from any location.
Your objective is to gather actionable data about customer preferences, the channels your employees use to engage consumers, and overall satisfaction on both ends. Set about deconstructing any silos that may have built up over time. You’ll want to house your data and business solutions in a single, secure structure and be able to access these resources in real time.
Technology has evolved to the point where nearly every point of contact with a potential customer generates usable information. A robust business intelligence platform allows you to collect, analyze, and leverage relevant information where it’s most needed for your business. Without solid data, you’re forcing your customers and your staff to make uninformed choices.
2. Interaction Strategy
Do you have a written strategy for how you interact with customers, or are you winging it? In an environment where businesses need to optimize every customer interaction, an ad hoc approach will no longer suffice.
Your interaction strategy will include selecting the best communication channels for delivering relevant messaging to the appropriate audience at the right time. Does your system address response time, convey congeniality, offer convenience, and set realistic customer expectations?
Once your marketing and sales teams design a data-driven interaction strategy, take a critical look at it through the eyes of your customers. Does the channel/messaging/audience alignment make sense from their perspective? If not, adjust.
There are countless communication channels you can use to engage and interact with your customers. Be judicious in your choices. You will want to make sure your strategy is designed with a customer-first focus across every single one of them…
Read the complete article here >
-Bobby Matthews
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Skybridge Americas
bmatthews@skybridgeamericas.com
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