Customer Experience (CX) covers everything your customer goes through when dealing with your business. It starts from the first time they hear about your business (like seeing your social media post or ad) to buying your product and even how you support them after the purchase.
Whether you sell to other businesses (B2B) or directly to consumers (B2C), customer expectations are higher than ever! In fact, 63% of business buyers feel that most companies don’t meet their expectations.
In today’s cut-throat competition, maintaining a good customer experience (CX) is highly important. How a business treats its customers is just as important as the products or services it offers. A popular survey even revealed that a company that delivers great CX can increase returns to shareholders by 3x!
So, do you also want to improve customer experience for your business? In this article, let’s learn the client experience definition and see how to measure it. Also, we will check out some techniques that can let you improve customer experience.
What is Client Experience?
Client or customer experience is how your customers feel about your business. This experience is largely based on their interactions with your company. It includes everything from the first time they hear about your brand to when they buy and use your product or service.
A good customer experience builds loyal customers who eventually become brand evangelists. Whereas, a bad experience causes customers to leave, which hurts your revenue.
There are two primary factors that create a great customer experience:
- Your Product: Does your product solve problems and meet customer needs? If yes, it is a good start.
- Your People: Do your employees (customer service, sales, support) treat customers well and make them feel valued?
Always remember that even if you have a great product, bad service can ruin the experience. But when you have both a great product and great service, customers will enjoy doing business with you!
How to Measure Customer Experience?
To measure customer experience, you can follow these four techniques:
1. Analyze Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Surveys help you understand how happy your customers are with your business. To gather feedback, you can send surveys at important moments, like
- After a purchase
- Customer support interaction
Nowadays, several companies are investing more in collecting and analysing customer feedback because it’s one of the easiest ways to improve customer experience.
One popular method you can follow is the Net Promoter Score (NPS). It asks customers how likely they are to recommend your business. By tracking NPS across different areas (sales, support, website, etc.), you can identify areas that need improvement.
2. Identify Customer Churn and Its Reasons
Customer churn means people stop using your product or service. Every business loses some customers. However, as a business owner, you should always analyse why they leave. By identifying reasons, you can prevent it from happening too often.
In a recent survey, about 20% of companies said stopping customer churn was one of their biggest challenges! To reduce it, you should look for patterns like:
- Are people leaving because of price?
- Are they switching because of poor after-sales service?
After understanding why customers stop buying from you, try to address those problems quickly.
3. Ask Customers for Product or Feature Requests
The best way to know what customers want is to ask them directly. If they can request new features or improvements, you can make your product or service better. This can be done through:
- Surveys
- Social media
- Feedback section on your website.
Always remember that fulfilling all requests is not possible. However, if you notice many people asking for the same thing, it’s worth considering! Furthermore, listening to customers shows them that you care, which builds loyalty.
4. Analyse Customer Support Trends
Look at the most common problems customers report in support tickets (emails, calls, or chats asking for help). If many people have the same issue, it points to something that needs to be improved in your product or service.
By solving these recurring problems, you can reduce the number of complaints and increase customer experience.
How Can You Enhance Customer Experience?
In a recent study, it was established that about 79% of Indian businesses believe CX is a strong way to increase revenue. But, do you know how to improve it? Below are seven ways that can help you enhance customer experience:
1. Understand Your Customers
To give your customers a great experience, put yourself in their shoes. Use your own product or service just like they do! This helps you understand what works well and what needs improvement.
This insight makes it easier to solve customer problems and improve their experience. Remember, the better you understand your customers, the more you can meet their needs and expectations.
2. Optimise Your Website
Many businesses operate online today. Having a good website significantly increases customer experience. That’s because a slow or confusing website frustrates customers and drives them away. Hence, your website should be:
- Fast
- Easy to use
- Well-organised
- Properly labelled
This allows customers to quickly find what they need. Also, a proper website makes it easier for customers to shop, contact you, or find answers.
3. Listen and Engage on Social Media
Customers often share their experiences (both positive and negative) on social media. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll miss valuable feedback! As a business owner, you can use “social listening tools” to track mentions of your brand.
Engaging with customers on social media shows that you care and builds trust. People can tell when a brand genuinely cares versus when it’s just trying to sell something!
4. Hold an Honest Communication
Mistakes happen, whether it’s a shipping delay or a technical issue! Instead of avoiding the problem, be honest with your customers. If there’s a delay, let them know what is going on and how you are resolving it.
Be aware that people appreciate transparency (even in bad situations). Whereas, hiding issues or ignoring complaints can damage trust. By being upfront, you can make customers feel valued, which increases customer experience.
5. Respond Promptly
Quick responses also make customers feel heard and valued. Even if you can’t solve their problem right away, acknowledge their request. For example,
- You can send an acknowledgement email like, “Hi [Customer Name], I received your request and I’m working on it. I’ll update you within [time frame].”
This approach reassures customers that they are not being ignored. In customer service, a fast response (even if it’s just a quick update) creates a positive experience. Please note that most people don’t mind waiting as long as they know someone is working on their issue.
6. Let Customers Help Themselves
Not everyone wants to call customer support. Younger generations, especially Gen Z, prefer to solve problems on their own. Therefore, several businesses nowadays are investing in self-service tools like
- FAQs
- Help centers
- Online chat support
Recently, a survey found that 68% of businesses are focusing on self-service tools instead of just improving human support. Giving customers easy ways to find answers saves them time and increases customer experience.
7. Offer Real Value
Most customers want products that are value for money. Here, this doesn’t mean making cheap products! Instead, it means offering something useful and unique. You as a business owner can provide real value through:
- Great quality
- Fair pricing
- Excellent service
If customers feel they’re getting their money’s worth, they’ll keep coming back!
Great CX, Greater Success!
By improving customer experience (CX), you can achieve long-term business success. That’s because CX influences:
- Customer loyalty
- Revenue
- Brand reputation
Usually, businesses that provide great CX not only retain customers but also attract new ones through word-of-mouth. By optimizing digital experiences, engaging on social media, and offering prompt support, businesses can improve CX and drive growth.
Want to transform your customer service from a cost center into a growth driver? We at Atidiv specialise in enhancing CX. Recently, we helped a U.S.-based online tire retailer save $1.3 million and become the top-ranked company for customer service in their industry.
Partner with Atidiv today and enhance customer experience like never before!
FAQs On Customer Experience
1. Why are my customers leaving even if my product is good?
A great product isn’t enough; customer service matters too! Please note that if your customers feel ignored, frustrated, or unvalued, they will leave. Some common reasons of a high churn rate are:
- Slow responses to customer queries
- Poor after-sales service
- Vague or unclear responses
2. How can I improve CX without spending too much?
Improving customer experience doesn’t have to be expensive! If you don’t want to invest too much, implement small changes like:
- Responding faster
- Improving your website
- Training staff to handle customers better
Also, use free or affordable tools for surveys, social media engagement, and self-service.
3. How do I measure customer experience?
You can use techniques like:
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Tracking complaints or product returns
Also, check online reviews and social media mentions. By regularly analysing these data points, you can identify areas for improvement.
4. How can I handle negative customer feedback?
Firstly, don’t ignore it! Instead, address them quickly and professionally. Apologise for mistakes and offer solutions. This shows that you value your customers.
Most importantly, you must see negative feedback as an opportunity to learn and improve. A well-handled complaint usually turns an unhappy customer into a loyal and long-term customer. Also, it boosts your reputation and business growth.