10 years ago, what’s now referred to as “the buyer’s journey” was completely different. Salespeople had to find you and then convince you to buy their products. In today’s world, buyers can and (and do) simply hop online and self-serve all the information they could possibly want before even thinking about a purchase.
The Internet is now the first impression for almost all buyers looking for a supplier. This truth impacts their entire experience, including their perception of your marketing, branding, sales, and innovation. Despite changes in the buyer’s journey, there’s still one thing to focus on that will make sure you stand head and shoulders above the rest, no matter the size of your company: Customer experience; not just customer service, but the entire experience, from building awareness to retention.
How do you start to improve customer experience? Try these tips:
1. Listen to your customers
Current customers are extremely helpful when it comes to positioning your company on the web. You can easily ask them to share their buying habits, how happy they are with you (and why) and what convinced them to choose your business in the first place. A simple phone call, a feedback form or email survey is not only an excuse to engage with them, it also goes a long way to helping you improve the customer experience for everyone.
2. Help your customers help themselves
According to Forrester, most customers self-serve content to find answers before ever contacting a company. If you want to improve customer experience, start online and make it easy for them to find answers. Include testimonials from happy customers and position the FAQs and corresponding answers where they’re easy to find.
3. Make sure your info is up to date
Is the content on your website relevant? In today’s world, it’s more critical than ever to remain current with all aspects of your content including written, images, videos, and the overall ‘look and feel’ of the website. Never underestimate the role of design in a company’s public position. For example, it’s been a couple years since Google made mobile websites mandatory for being found in search – but how many times do you come across a website that looks awful on your mobile device? What do you think when you see one? Right – it’s inconvenient and hard to navigate, and unless you actually have to be there, you’re not staying.
4. Stay positive
One of the most important factors in customer perception is maintaining a positive public attitude. Being positive is critical when face-to-face with someone or on the phone but it also has a big impact on social media. And what about the rest of your online content? Do you usually appear knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to help? Or does your content feel scripted and outdated? These are the components that create the overall first impression buyers see and it’s a reflection of what they can expect from your business and your services. Take a critical look at your online presence. Make sure you appear positive across the board if you want to improve customer experience.
At the end of the day, your business is driven by your customers. That’s why taking steps to improve customer experience is so critical to your growth. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience, pretend you’ve never heard of your company and use that perspective to create a first impression. It makes a difference.
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