{"id":10043,"date":"2023-02-14T14:31:03","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T13:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.answerconnect.co.uk\/blog\/?p=10043"},"modified":"2023-02-14T14:31:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T13:31:05","slug":"improve-customer-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.answerconnect.co.uk\/blog\/business-tips\/improve-customer-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to improve the customer service experience in five simple steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many of us parrot the clich\u00e9 that \u201cthe customer is king\u201d, but how many of us actually stop to think what that means?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By taking a truly customer-centric approach, your business can build an experience that truly satisfies your customers\u2019 needs, while also making sure their impression of your brand matches how you want your organisation to be perceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll show you five simple steps you can take to improve your customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the customer experience?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201ccustomer experience\u201d refers to the impression that your customers have whenever they encounter your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it after they see your advertising? That\u2019s part of the customer experience. Or is it when they deal with your customer service team? That\u2019s part of the customer experience too. When they feel the touch of a physical product in their hands? Yup, that\u2019s also part of the customer experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why does the customer experience matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the great advertising thinker Jeremy Bullmore once said: “People build brands as birds build nests, from scraps and straws we chance upon<\/a>.” Every time someone has an interaction with your organisation, it shapes how they view your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means you need to consider your customers\u2019 experience in its totality, across all of your channels<\/a>.\u00a0 If your product, sales, marketing and customer service teams are all working in silos, it could well lead to a disjointed customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, your product and advertising might have a high-quality feel that justifies your premium pricing in the minds of your customers. But if they have a poor experience with your customer service team, you\u2019ll suddenly lose credibility. As a result, your brand won\u2019t feel as premium. That\u2019ll make it harder for you to retain customers, make sales and justify your pricing \u2013 which will all massively harm your profitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avoid falling into that trap, here\u2019s a list of five steps you can take to improve your customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Understand what you need from a customer experience strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It all starts with a strategy. To use a military analogy, tactics are how you win the battle, but your strategy is how you win the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to understand that you can\u2019t do everything. Sure, in an ideal world, you\u2019d have limitless resources to make every customer touchpoint a perfect experience. But even the richest companies in the world wish they had bigger budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Instead, you will need to make choices to deploy your finite resources in the way that will have the biggest impact. Ultimately, all strategy is about making choices and deciding where you should focus. Often, that means the most important decision is deciding what you won\u2019t <\/em>do<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Understand your customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To improve your customer experience, you need to understand as much about your customers as possible. If you have a large budget, this might mean working with a specialist research company to work out how your customers actually interact with your organisation. But if your resources are more limited, it could be as simple as arranging a quick chat with a customer and asking them questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re trying to speak to customers, remember you shouldn\u2019t \u201clet perfect be the enemy of good<\/a>\u201d. You\u2019ll never know everything<\/em> about your customers, but anything you do learn is very useful and can help you make better decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also learn more about your customers by speaking directly to the people on the front lines of your business who interact with them every day (for example, your customer service team).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Map your touchpoints<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve got a better understanding of your customers, you should be able to map their touchpoints<\/a> (ie where they interact with your organisation). You can do this in a physical space by sticking post-it notes to a wall, or by using one of a number of online tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During this stage, it can often be very helpful to involve other internal teams in the process. Seeing the experience from customers\u2019 point of view can help people with different jobs better understand how their role fits within your broader organisation. For example, your customer service team might realise that their job isn\u2019t just to solve customers\u2019 problems, but also to act as an ambassador for your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Decide where you can have the biggest impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve reviewed your customer research and mapped your customers\u2019 touchpoints, you can then discuss with your teams how to use your available resources to improve the customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your customers tell you that they love your product but don\u2019t understand your confusing instruction manual, you could consider making online videos that more clearly explain how to use your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, if your customers tell you that their biggest annoyance is navigating your AI chatbots<\/a>, you could consider investing in outsourcing your customer service to a call-answering service<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re now sure what ideas you should be prioritising, you can use a decision-making tool like a \u201cHow Wow Now\u201d matrix<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Measure and continually optimise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve decided what changes you want to make, you should then measure their effectiveness, and continue to look for ways you can optimise the customer\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make sure your changes have an impact, you can set SMART goals for your new interventions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SMART goals are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n