FOUR SUREFIRE WAYS TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

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Every business wants to create an exceptional customer experience. After all, it’s those unforgettable experiences that turn ordinary customers into exuberant, loyal fans.Those fans turn into brand ambassadors when they can’t stop talking about your company on their various social media platforms, which in turn, can bring in hordes of new prospects.

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But, what if your customer experience is just mediocre? Customers have ordinary and mundane experiences with brands all the time, and while the traditional loyalty methods don’t necessarily send customers packing, it does leave them open to being snatched up by a savvy competitor. According to McKinsey, “Delighting customers by mastering the concept and execution of an exceptionally good customer experience is a challenge. But, it is an essential requirement for leading in an environment where customers wield growing power.”

You need to become fully customer-centric to pave the way to success for lifelong customer loyalty. Here, we breakdown the must-haves for your brand in order to improve the customer experience:

• Provide Top-Notch Customer Support• Create Personalized Experiences• Leverage Big Data to Know Your

Customers on an Individual-Level• Reward Customer Loyalty to Foster

Let’s examine ways you can leverage these strategies to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

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1. PROVIDE TOP-NOTCH CUSTOMER SUPPORTThe customer experience doesn’t end with a purchase, and dropping the ball after a customer has given you their business is the surest way to lose them. That means customer support plays a crucial role in satisfaction and the overall customer experience, essentially serving as an extension of marketing that comes after a sale. Software Advice outlines the essential tools for providing great customer support, including:

• Mobile customer support• Live chat• Self-service management• Social media support• Omni-channel support

Today’s consumers demand instant gratification, because — let’s face it — they’ve been spoiled by the opportunities created by technology advancements. So, now it’s up to brands to leverage that same technology to provide always-on, prompt customer support options through a variety of channels.

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2. CREATE PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCESNot only do consumers expect instant gratification, but they also expect companies to treat them like individuals rather than just one more digit in an audience segment.

“Personalization” that consists of lumping email subscribers into different lists, based on a few of their interests, is long gone. Everyone wants to feel special and valued; your prospects and customers are no different. It’s more than just altering their name in an email greeting – it’s about catering messages, offers and communication to their individual needs, likes and desires. It’s well worth the effort.

According to a survey from The E-Tailing Group and MyBuys, “…More than half of retail consumers (53%) are more likely to purchase from retailers that suggest products based on their past browsing behavior or purchases. And, nearly as many (52%) retail consumers say they’re likely to engage with and purchase from a new brand when they’re exposed to relevant online advertising messages based on their current and past behavior.”

How do you gain the insights needed to personalize these experiences for your audience? Data, insights and actions, of course.

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There’s a plethora of data about individual consumers who engage with brands, but brands have to know where to find it, how to gather it, and translate all of the available data on an individual consumer into actionable insights. This in-depth, individual view of each customer should encompass several types of information, including:

• Behavioral• Contextual• Rapidly-changing usage• Service interaction• Social• Consumption

The available pool of data is vast, yet it’s crucial to consider not only these various categories of information, but also how they interact and even influence data and outcomes in other categories. For example, a frequent consumer of pricey lattes may be likely to stop at every Starbucks along a certain route — but not during rush-hour traffic conditions. In this case, the context is influencing behavior.

That’s why it’s imperative for brands to leverage big data and customer analytics tools which eliminate silos that consolidate data into a single, comprehensive view of every individual consumer.

Gartner’s Melissa Davis explains: “Customer analytics is the No. 1 planned technology investment to transform the customer experience. Data and analytics leaders must understand how real-time responses, customer journey analytics and leveraging AI are trending and will shape the future of customer experience in digital business.”

3. LEVERAGE BIG DATA TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS ON AN INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL

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4. REWARD CUSTOMER LOYALTY TO FOSTER BRAND AMBASSADORSHIP

Offering loyalty programs matters, but equally important to the overall customer experience is the loyalty program experience itself. As Eric Duncan, VP of Digital Media & Data at marketing agency, LaneTerralever, describes: “Loyalty is no longer a function of rewards programs and incentives; it is a function of great customer experience.”

Provide consumers with tools and apps to monitor their rewards, make it easy for them to earn and redeem rewards, and, of course, personalize it. In short, loyalty programs done right can be incredibly effective, and there’s much room for

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Map your customer marketing, sales and support tactics to these over-arching strategies to create a customer experience that stands out from the ordinary and makes a lasting impression on your customers. Do it well, and your customers might just become those exuberant, loyal fans who can’t stop talking about your brand.

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NGDATA helps brands in data-driven industries, such as financial services, telecom, utilities and hospitality, to drive connected experiences. Our Next Generation Customer Data Platform, Lily™, puts people at the center of every business via Lily’s Customer DNA, which continuously learns from behavior to deliver compelling experiences for companies.

Visit www.NGDATA.com for more information.