Customers are increasingly demanding and volatile, so ensuring their loyalty and retention is a daily challenge for any business. To stand out from the competition, businesses must make sure their customers enjoy an exceptional experience.
A study conducted by Forbes Insight indicated that the two strategic priorities for company executives were customer acquisition and retention, 42% and 32% respectively.
Gaining customer loyalty is a big challenge in this context of the all-powerful consumer. Quality is no longer enough; it is the experience enjoyed by the customer that makes the difference.
The primary reason for dissolving a customer-business relationship is as simple as the relationship deficit: 64% of individuals said they would go to the competition if they were disappointed with customer service. (Cap Gemini study, 2012).
What exactly is a customer experience? According to blog.businesstoolbox, it is the sum total of all the moments (feelings, emotions) customers experience when in contact with your product or service, from prospection to after-sales service.
To make these moments the best they can be; here are a few tricks to help you along.
1. Recognize your Customer’s Needs
When a customer contacts you to inform you of a problem, never tell them that you can’t do anything for them. Listen to their request, and if needed, have them repeat the information. Let the customer know that everything is being done to find a solution to their problem.
Don’t forget, customers who call to inform you of their concerns are in an intense emotional state. This is exactly the time in which you need to provide the best service possible.
2. Provide Accurate Information
“As soon as possible”, “at the earliest opportunity” and “soon” as well as any other similar expression should be excluded from the successful customer experience.
When a person contacts your customer service department, it is because they need clear and precise information. Accuracy is that much more important when providing physical indications.
Beware: Once you’ve set a timeline, it must be respected.
3. Rapidly Connect the Customer with a Live Person
This may seem obvious, but too many businesses still resort to robots and automatic messaging to manage their customer service telephone lines.
In fact, this is a major annoyance for most people. When a person takes the time to call customer service, they want to talk to a real person, not to a machine!
4. Take the Time to Train your Teams
It’s important to raise your consultants’ awareness to detecting claims and to train them so they will not react defensively.
Arrange for dedicated teams specifically trained to manage claims. This is an excellent way to reverse a crisis situation during the customer loyalty process.
5. Be Flexible
Your customer may have a request that is a little bit out of the ordinary, and you should respond positively as best as you can. A business can always develop a few internal customer satisfaction rules if customer satisfaction is the goal! Think about word-of-mouth. A satisfied customer will share their satisfaction.
6. Be Accountable for your Errors
If you are responsible for an error (delivery, labelling, etc.) take responsibility for it!
Be responsible and propose solutions to remedy any damage caused. If possible, demonstrate to the aggrieved customer what you have implemented to ensure the same error is not repeated.
By informing the customer that they are an integral part of your progression or even innovation, you now have an excellent means to boost their customer experience with your brand.
7. Use Claim Related Information
Managing a prejudice has a direct impact on your customer’s satisfaction.
Processing dissatisfaction may become a formidable lever for creating value if you take the time to focus on the data collected during a claim. This information is important; use it to make your marketing decisions.
Micheline Durocher,
President, Groupe Marketing International