So far we have discussed customer loyalty and engagement strategies when it comes to building a great customer experience. In this post we will cover the need for customer convenience as an important element in the customer experience that you deliver as a brand. But why something so seemingly simple like convenience is a critical benchmark for a great customer experience? There are a few good reasons!
- It saves time: Time is money, something we’ve been taught since we were in school. Well, today, a customer’s time is your money. The faster he’ll be able to complete a transaction, the higher your sales.
- It encourages buying: A convenient option of sourcing their desired product or service – such as grocery shopping on a tablet – encourages the customer to shop more without having to physically exert themselves.
- It changes perception: The more convenient options your customers have, the more they will perceive you to be a trustworthy retailer, thus increasing their loyalty towards your brand.
It is imperative that as a business, you are willing to go that extra mile to satisfy your customers. The obvious benefit of this is winning the trust of your consumer, besides building higher brand recall, ultimately helping you set the foundation for a long-term relationship.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about why is convenience such an important factor for them. The retail space is moving online, diminishing the need for face-to-face interaction. Self-service is the new mantra in convenience. Businesses in today’s digitised world need to focus on targeted marketing and trust building strategies, that are subtle, yet effective where the customer has a chance to interact with your brand, in isolation.
Tapping the full potential of today’s customer-empowered marketplace requires a complete view of the customer across the organization and across every touchpoint in every medium. With customers moving online, physical interaction is now being replaced by seamless customer experience. Soon customers will manage most of their relationship with the enterprise without interacting with a human.
Another fascinating example of self-service are Smart kiosks and Digital Branch that you see in varied customer facing businesses and banks. We see them today in movie theatres, helping consumers skip long queues and of course as ATMs, perhaps the most prominent example of how self service and convenience are intrinsically linked to a better customer experience. I would even go as far as saying an app is the new age self service kiosk sitting on your customer’s mobile phone. Think about it…. Today I don’t have to walk into a store, I can shop while lying in bed in the middle of the night, or in the early hours of the morning on my way back from the gym. Is it convenient? Yes! Does it lend to a better experience for the customer? Most definitely.
If you are looking to provide a superlative customer experience for your business, every time anyone interacts with your brand/business, it is not only important to win their loyalty and use innovative engagement strategies, but to also make the whole experience ‘convenient’ for them. Advanced Customer Communication Management Solutions, such as Interact DX help businesses create all forms of customer communications that can be delivered across print, web, and mobile channels, resulting in enhanced customer experience and loyalty.
When designing a customer experience that is hinged on convenience, these are the questions you need to ask yourself?
- Security: Customers need to be assured that their information is safe and will not be misused.
- Value Addition: Businesses should strive to make every interaction a memorable one for the consumer, whether it is through upselling based on previous purchases, or offering discounts for loyalty.
- Commitment: Businesses need to be committed to acquiring new and retaining old customers – it needs to be an ongoing process.
You are well on your way to enhancing the quality of customer experience and if you want to hit the top rung of the success ladder, then stay tuned for our next post, as we delve into yet another ingredient that adds to the perfect customer experience recipe!
