Over the last 18 months, poor customer experience stories have seemed to increasingly feature not only on social media platforms but also in the national press. The impact of Covid-19 lockdowns and the way companies have dealt with customer cancellations and Covid-safe staffing has ranged from outstanding to severely lacking. Consumer champion columns are bristling with stories of people awaiting refunds ten months after their flights were cancelled, wedding deposits that weren’t returned, and vulnerable, isolated people cut off from landlines and broadband, to name just a few. And, while initial panic and uncertainty was a feasible excuse for poor customer experiences between March and May 2020, it really shouldn’t be now.
A positive customer experience is integral to any business success (unless you’re Ed Debevic’s in Chicago, famous for actively employing rude staff, and even then, people go there to have waitresses swear at them). Customers need to be made to feel special, to feel that the business they are buying from has gone beyond expectations and that there is minimal friction or inconvenience. When things don’t go as planned, they want them rectified; otherwise, they’ll go elsewhere.
In an already challenging marketplace, businesses need to consider whether they could and should be doing more to improve their customers’ experience.
Be responsive
This actually falls into two different sections. Firstly, is your website responsive, and does it provide the user with a pleasant experience? For example, does it work across desktops and other devices? There’s nothing more off-putting than discovering a business you’re interested in, only to find their website unreadable on a phone. Mobile website traffic is growing. The latest figures for 2020 show that mobile website traffic accounted for 51% of traffic for that year. Additionally, with new algorithms due to be released by Google in May 2021, user experience will significantly impact on SEO /rankings.
The other section is how responsive you are to customers. Do you regularly check your social media for messages? How quickly do you reply to emails from customers? Do you try to resolve issues efficiently? Just because a customer hasn’t received a perfect product or initial experience from you doesn’t mean that they will be lost forever. A good customer experience can help retain them. Here is a perfect example; a member of the NAMA team treated themselves to a bouquet online as a Christmas gift to themselves. Unfortunately, the bouquet arrived without any flowers, so they sent a message with a photo via Facebook. Within thirty minutes, the problem had been resolved, she had been offered a replacement or a refund, and an apology had been made. Yes, she had a vase full of foliage for the festive season, but she gained a positive experience from the customer service process.
There’s no place for excuses.
Something that has definitely come out of the last year is that consumers are tired of excuses and businesses’ inability to use technology to overcome operational problems. NS&I has featured heavily in the news recently for failing to deal with customers on the phone and for a website that has glitches meaning their customers can’t withdraw money from their savings. Not the best image for a company that is entrusted to protect their customer’s money.
Following up on customer feedback, both positive and negative and spotting and solving recurring issues can go a long way to creating customer brand loyalty and brand advocacy. After all, there’s no greater marketing tool than word of mouth.
Check your digital footprint.
Your company’s digital footprint is the information that is available about it on the internet. This could range from websites and social media to review sites to directory listings. If the information available is inaccurate, such as out-of-date email addresses, old phone numbers, and different opening hours, a customer could end up with the wrong information resulting in dissatisfaction.
In general, the rule of thumb should be that if the information is about your business, you should ensure that it is up to date.
The NAMA team loves a satisfied client and loves to help clients ensure that their customers are happy. If you’d like to chat with us about how to improve your customers’ experiences, get in touch
