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Why customer experience matters in today’s digitally-empowered society

Written by Mayzin Han | Jul 27, 2021

A great customer experience can encourage loyalty and turn customers into brand advocates. Bad experiences encourage the opposite. That’s why customer experience matters. In today’s digitally-empowered society (armed with smartphones, search engines at their fingertips and the like), it’s all about a great digital customer experience.

Let’s talk about its importance in more depth:

Customers are in control

Once, salespeople were in control. Now, it’s customers who have all the power. Thanks to the world wide web, customers can easily educate themselves on products/services and companies before they buy.

Provide a great customer experience that customers remember and are inclined to spread the word about. For example, an e-commerce website with an intuitive chatbot that answers all common queries so customers don’t need to reach out to your customer service agents. You’ll end up attracting even more customers who want to see what the fuss is about.

Customers who receive great experiences are more likely to become loyal…

A superior experience can convince customers to return time and time again. After all, people prefer to spend money on things that they trust are worth the investment.

The way you respond to customer queries and complaints really matters. Few things impact brand reputation more than the way you handle negative feedback. If customers complain, ensure you respond efficiently and effectively.

The flip side of this? Your customers may just look elsewhere - in fact, they’re four times more likely to stop buying from a brand after just one bad experience.

So, always make your customers feel heard, valued and looked after. That way, you can boost their trust and loyalty.

…and spread the good word about your brand

Customers trust sellers even less than before. But they do trust what other people say - which is why great customer experiences matter. A great experience can lead to a great review which attracts more customers and the cycle goes on.

Customer experience can help you build a community of brand advocates which is exactly what you want.

Satisfied customers are likely to spend more

42% of customers would pay more for a great experience and 72% would choose one brand over another if they receive special treatment. The adage, ‘You get what you pay for’, comes to mind here - people really would pay more if they know they’ll be satisfied with the experience.

You’ll build a lasting relationship with your customers

The world is only becoming more competitive and saturated. We’re surrounded by loud adverts, bold messaging and eye-catching imagery. And we see through it all.

The only way you can get customers to trust you is if you build a relationship with them. Give them exactly what they’re looking for - a personalised experience that makes them feel special and important to your business - and you have more chance of building trust.

Think along the lines of:

  • Personalised greetings when customers return to your website
  • A customer service team who can solve issues with minimal input from the customer (they have all the customer case details they need already)
  • Tailored offers and promotions based on the customer’s previous interactions with your brand…
  • …or based on the activities of similar customer profiles

Great experiences can help you stand out from the competition

Customers no longer just compare products and prices. They also look at the quality of your customer service and experience. Again, it boils down to their need to feel confident about a company and its products/services before they purchase.

So, provide great experiences and turn today’s customers into tomorrow’s advocates. Plus, if you can build trust and loyalty, it’s much easier to convince customers to return.

 

Your journey to excellent experience starts with knowing your customer needs…

To provide a great customer experience, you need to know what your customers actually want. We created a visual graphic that encompasses some of the most common customer demands, pulled from recent surveys.

Check out the latest statistics, our key takeaways and tips on how you can always meet those changing demands in the graphic below.