Talk about customer experience long enough and, eventually, the conversation turns to company culture.
You can’t deliver truly exceptional customer experience that builds trust, satisfaction, and loyalty if your own culture isn’t actually built around those concepts, right?
Right!
But check out Gene Hammett’s fascinating take on what it takes to truly align your culture with that of your top customers. I love his point of view on what it really takes to understand a customer’s mindset. Hint: it takes a lot more than assembling lists of needs, expectations, impressions, and experiences.
Check it out below.
If you’re eager to take your customer service levels to new heights in 2020, please reach out to us. We would love to talk about your business, your customers, and how we can help you achieve your goals.
6 Ways to Upgrade Your Customer Experience in 2020
If your goal for 2020 is rapid growth, your customer experience has to outpace your competition’s.
-By Gene Hammett
You’ve got great products. You’ve got competitive prices. You’ve got lovable ads. But unless your customer experience is exceptional, you aren’t going to get ahead in 2020.
Remember, research giant Walker predicted seven years ago that CX would overtake price and product as the primary brand differentiator by 2020. With 2020 here, it’s time to plan a final CX push. If fast growth is your goal, CX is your route to getting there.
What does that mean? Something different for every brand. Some companies win with frictionless sales or stellar customer service. Others are “all in” on social responsibility. One brand I worked with decided to define itself by its ease of use; the leaders focused on developing an intuitive interface and showcasing the brand’s 24/7 customer service accessibility.
If you’re not sure how to elevate your own CX in 2020, try:
1. Becoming a customer culture buff.
Every company needs to know its target audience. But no matter how well you understand yours, there’s always more you could know: What’s the best show on television? Is Facebook still cool? How many is too many episodes of Netflix to binge-watch? Put together a customer panel to find out.
The answers to those questions might not help you sell more products directly, but that isn’t the point. Cultural alignment creates a sticky experience that can’t be measured in short-term sales lift. It also makes you a part of customer’s daily life — if you’re part of the fun they look forward to online or a brand who takes their words seriously, you’ll gain more traction.
2. Revamping your rewards program.
If they ever did, punch cards don’t impress customers any longer. Auto-generated birthday emails aren’t exciting. Get creative to remind customers just how much you value their business.
There are dozens of ways to do it. AMEX Platinum cardholders get access to swanky airport lounges. REI members get an annual dividend, special pricing on outdoors classes and invites to members-only events. What perks can you afford that would make your customers feel special?
3. Supercharging your sustainability efforts.
There aren’t many things that get young consumers to spend more, given the economic environment they grew up in. Sustainability, however, is one of them. Nearly three-quarters of Millennials favor sustainable companies with their wallets.
Buying from a sustainable company is a customer experience in and of itself. Nobody feels good supporting a company that uses questionable labor practices or trashes the oceans. Do more than donate to environmental causes: Let employees take time off to volunteer, source components locally and minimize production waste.
Read the entire article here >
-Bobby Matthews
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Skybridge Americas
bmatthews@skybridgeamericas.com
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