Customer Experience (CX), or Client Experience in English, can be considered one of the “buzzwords” within companies striving tirelessly to achieve operational excellence.

The problem is that, according to a study by Harvard Business Review, only 15% of companies consider themselves very effective in their CX strategies, while 53% claim to be somewhat effective and 32% not very effective.

On the other hand, 73% of business leaders acknowledge that Customer Experience is essential for business success, and 93% agree that it will become even more critical in two years, according to another study by Harvard Business Review.

In other words, organizations recognize the importance of Customer Experience but struggle to implement effective strategies.

 

The concept of Customer Experience (CX)

The concept of Customer Experience (CX) encompasses all stages of the customer journey, including before, during, and after a sale or even a simple interaction with the company’s website, for example.

CX can also be defined as the combination of all perceptions and impressions a consumer has about a company after interacting with it.

This experience begins when the consumer discovers your brand, learns about your products, talks to one of your representatives (or bots) on your website, completes a purchase, and even afterwards when support comes into play.

Throughout this journey, the 4.0 customer, increasingly demanding and immediate, is not just concerned with the product but also with the service and unique features the company can offer.

 

The 3 pillars of CX

The 4.0 customer seeks memorable experiences whenever they show interest in a product or service. To delight and surprise this consumer, companies usually rely on three pillars that give meaning to Customer Experience.

 

1. Effort

This isn’t about your business’s dedication to providing the best CX but rather the effort the customer must make to contact or buy from you. Therefore, it’s crucial to review the entire customer journey to minimize the effort required to receive assistance or purchase a product or service.

 

2. Emotional

Joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction are some emotions companies can evoke in customers, helping them remember your brand fondly. Building emotional connections is the first step to creating a deep, lasting, and profitable customer relationship.

 

3. Success

Helping the customer achieve their goals easily and quickly ensures their success. However, Customer Success (CS) isn’t just about meeting expectations but exceeding them. This is an indispensable pillar for an efficient CX strategy.

 

The importance of CX

By offering an unforgettable CX, you can retain your customers and more: transform them into advocates and promoters of your brand. This can result in customers recommending your business to others, creating a community that promotes your business without any cost.

 

Putting it into practice

There’s no magic formula. But here are some tips applicable to companies of all sizes and across various industries. Check them out!

 

Create an internal culture

Put the customer at the center. This must be your business’s mantra, and your employees should be aware of it. It’s also essential to invest in team training, especially in customer service.

 

Understand your customer

You need to understand your customer’s needs and desires and even where they prefer to be assisted to avoid being invasive or inconvenient. This way, you can offer the right solution, at the right time, through the ideal channel.

 

Improve the relationship

Be present across all communication channels and platforms. Providing omnichannel support is essential to enhance customer relationships, without overwhelming them with messages and calls.

 

Invest in personalization

Who doesn’t like feeling unique? Whenever possible, personalize your service as well as your product or offering, and try to be creative to surprise your customer, generating empathy and admiration.

 

Monitor results

Today’s consumer preferences and behaviors aren’t the same as five years ago. And in another five years, they’ll change again. Therefore, continuously review your strategy and adapt to market transformations.

 

Metrics to evaluate

NPS: The Net Promoter Score (NPS) boils down to a single question: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or family member?” This simple yet effective metric measures customer satisfaction.

 

CSAT: Ranging from 1 to 5, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) is another key metric to define customer satisfaction, where 1 is the minimum score and 5 is the maximum.

 

CES: The Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how much effort a customer had to make to communicate or buy from the company, identifying areas for improvement.

 

TTR: The Time to Resolution evaluates the average time it takes the service team to resolve a problem. The calculation is based on the total time spent divided by the number of resolved cases.

 

The benefits for companies

Besides fostering loyalty and creating brand advocates and promoters, investing in Customer Experience also increases your business’s trustworthiness and credibility, becoming a competitive advantage over competitors while also contributing to cost reduction with streamlined and efficient processes.

 

The role of technology

It’s impossible to think about Customer Experience without leveraging technology. Artificial Intelligence (AI), applied to service bots like chatbots and voicebots, is an example.

Virtual Reality (VR) and smartphone applications are also trends that appear as excellent options for enhancing the Customer Experience.

We hope you enjoyed this article. See you next time!

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