Simple Ways to Improve Customer Experience

The definition of customer experience is any contact a customer and an organization have throughout their working relationship. Interactions can encompass everything from awareness and discovery to cultivation, advocacy, purchase, service, and follow-up.

Positive customer interactions are crucial for fostering customer loyalty and sustaining a robust customer base.

On the other hand, negative customer experiences can negatively impact future business prospects and may even result in the loss of a customer relationship.

Why Does Customer Experience Matter?

• 86% of customers will switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. Even a single negative interaction can be enough to drive customers away. To keep your customers happy, you must ensure they have a positive experience every time they interact with your company.

• 70% of customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience. Customers are not only looking for quality products or services, but they also prioritize exceptional customer service. When businesses offer a superior experience, customers are willing to invest more in their purchases. This presents a valuable opportunity for companies to differentiate themselves and attract a broader customer base.

• 90% of customers say they would recommend a company to others based on their customer service experience. Creating positive customer experiences can significantly influence word-of-mouth marketing. When you provide an exceptional experience for your customers, they are more inclined to share their satisfaction with friends and family, ultimately helping you attract new customers and expand your business.

• 96% of customers have stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service. Getting customer service right matters. If you don't, you could lose a lot of business. Even a few negative customer experiences can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

• 75% of customers are more likely to do business with a company that offers personalized experiences. Customers appreciate being treated like individuals, not just as customers. When you can personalize your interactions with customers, you show them that you value them as more than just a sale. This can help you build stronger customer relationships and increase loyalty.

Customer service and customer experience are not interchangeable terms. While customer service refers to a single point of contact with a brand, customer experience encompasses the entire customer journey, involving their emotions and feelings. A customer-focused approach to improve customer experience involves considering every customer interaction with the company.

Companies that effectively implement a customer experience strategy often see increased customer satisfaction, reduced customer churn, and increased revenue.

Providing an exceptional customer experience can not only retain customers but also encourage them to spread the word about their positive experiences.

How do you make your customer experience outstanding?

There are several ways that companies can create an outstanding customer experience:

Focus on the customer.

Focusing on the customer means prioritizing the needs and preferences of the customer and tailoring the customer experience to meet those needs. This involves gathering customer feedback to understand their needs and preferences, and using that information to inform decisions about products, services, and customer support. It can also involve designing the customer experience with the customer in mind, ensuring that all interactions with the company are intuitive and easy for them. By focusing on the customer, companies can create a personalized customer experience tailored to each individual's specific needs, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.

Personalize the experience.

Personalizing the customer experience involves using customer data to tailor interactions and offer personalized recommendations and solutions to the individual customer. This can be achieved through data analytics and customer segmentation techniques, which enable companies to understand the distinct needs and preferences of various customer groups. By personalizing the customer experience, companies can create a more relevant and engaging experience for the individual customer, increasing satisfaction and loyalty.

• • Offer personalized recommendations based on the customer's previous purchases or browsing history.
  • Personalize marketing communications based on the customer's interests and preferences.
  • Provide personalized support and assistance tailored to the customer's specific needs.
  • Based on customer preferences, provide personalized experiences, such as product recommendations or customized product options tailored to individual needs.

Create a seamless experience.

Creating a seamless experience involves making it easy for customers to interact with your company across channels and ensuring that the experience is consistent and unified. This can include designing a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints, including the company website, social media, in-store, and customer service interactions. It can also involve utilizing technologies such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems to create a unified view of the customer and deliver a seamless experience across various channels. By creating a seamless experience, companies can provide a smooth and consistent journey for their customers, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.

• • Ensure that the branding and messaging are consistent across all channels

  • Provide a consistent level of service across all channels

  • Use technologies such as CRM systems to create a single view of the customer and ensure a cohesive experience

  • Offer a variety of channels for customers to interact with the company, such as web chat, social media, and phone support

  • Allow customers to easily switch between channels without having to start the conversation from scratch.

Respond promptly to customer inquiries.

Being responsive is a crucial aspect of delivering a positive customer experience. Customers appreciate fast responses to their questions and concerns, and timely responses can help to resolve issues and build trust. This involves providing multiple channels for customers to reach the company, such as phone, email, or chat, and ensuring sufficient resources are in place to respond promptly to customer inquiries. By responding promptly to customer inquiries, companies can demonstrate their commitment to customer service, help to create a positive customer experience, and gain customer testimonials.

• • Offer multiple channels for customers to contact the company.

  • Set clear expectations for response times and consistently meet them.

  • Ensure that sufficient resources are in place to handle customer inquiries promptly.

  • Provide self-service options, such as a knowledge base or FAQs, to allow customers to find answers to common questions independently.

Solving problems effectively

Addressing and resolving the issue is essential to creating a positive customer experience. When problems arise, companies need to find a solution that addresses the customer's needs and resolves the problem promptly. This can involve providing clear and concise communication to the customer and proactively finding a resolution. By solving problems effectively, companies can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction and help to create a positive customer experience.

• • Provide clear and concise communication to the customer about the problem and the steps being taken to resolve it.

  • Be proactive in finding a resolution to the problem.

  • Ensure sufficient resources are in place to handle and resolve customer issues.

  • Provide a straightforward process for escalating and resolving more complex or severe issues.

  • Follow up with the customer to ensure that the problem has been fully resolved to their satisfaction.

Exceed customer expectations

Exceeding customer expectations involves going above and beyond to surprise and delight customers. This can include providing unexpected perks or extras or going out of the way to resolve an issue that exceeds the customer's expectations. By exceeding customer expectations, companies can create a positive customer experience that exceeds the customer's expectations, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty. Offer unexpected perks or extras, such as a gift or discount on a future purchase.

• • Go out of the way to resolve an issue that exceeds the customer's expectations.
  • Provide personalized experiences or recommendations tailored to the customer's specific needs and preferences.
  • Anticipate and proactively address potential issues before they arise.
  • Follow up with the customer to ensure that their needs have been fully met and that they are satisfied with their experience.

Getting customer feedback

Seeking input and acting on it is crucial to delivering an exceptional customer experience. By soliciting customer feedback, companies can gain a deeper understanding of their customers' needs and preferences and identify areas for improvement in the customer experience. It is essential for companies to not only collect feedback but also to act on it by using it to make changes and improvements to the customer experience.

This can involve implementing changes based on customer feedback or using it to inform decisions about products, services, and customer support. By getting customer feedback and acting on it, companies can create a customer experience that is continuously improved and tailored to the customer's needs.

• • Solicit feedback through surveys or customer feedback forms
  • Use customer feedback to inform product or service improvements
  • Respond to customer feedback and address any issues or concerns that are raised
  • Implement changes based on customer feedback
  • Provide customers with updates on how their feedback has been used to improve the customer experience.

Developing a Customer Experience Strategy

Create a customer journey map.

This outlines every step a customer may take when interacting with your company, including interactions beyond a purchase. Account for both pre-sale and post-sale aspects of the customer experience. Spending time and effort on the interactions leading up to a sale is tempting. However, post-sale interactions are equally essential for building a complete customer experience that fosters long-term loyalty.

View the customer experience from multiple internal perspectives

Marketing is focused on customer acquisition. This makes your marketing team experts in brand awareness and user expectations—identifying what content your audience consumes the most and what generates the best leads. Their insight enables you to understand how people discover your business and how to refine your reputation to drive increased sales.

Sales team members handle the early stages of a customer relationship. Their interactions with potential customers show what motivates each lead. Sales professionals can tell you about the challenges the customers encounter regularly and how they (sales) expect your product or service can address those challenges.

Leads that do not convert can provide insight into the aspects of your product or customer experience that led to the missed opportunity. Customer service is the primary channel for receiving feedback. This is where any product frustration first surfaces. Customer service hears honest feedback daily. So turn to that department to learn what causes the most problems for your customers. 

Then, verify that what you communicate in your sales and marketing processes aligns with your customers' real experiences.

Show your entire company that there is a clear focus on the customer experience initiative.

You cannot change the customer experience overnight, so demonstrate your explicit focus on and commitment to this initiative. Every team member will be impacted. They must communicate changes, facilitate operations, organize research and analysis, and perform necessary actions to ensure your new approach is consistent across all departments.

Failure to align senior management can result in three roadblocks: inconsistent interactions between the company and customer, walling off information that could be helpful to customers and employees, and a lack of team member support.

Understand there will still be churn and learn from it

Find out why any customers who left chose to move on. Have multiple channels for these customers to leave feedback. Take their opinions seriously. You should want to hear where your company fell short. Make it easy for customers to cancel their accounts, but also find out why a particular customer chose to cancel.

Your goal, of course, is not to have customers cancel. While sometimes it's inevitable. Here are simple ways to encourage a positive customer experience.

Sharpen your Customer Service Skills

The significance of improved customer service skills cannot be overstated. Exceptional customer service has become a key differentiator for businesses, impacting customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall success. Enhancing your customer service skills is essential for both your professional growth and your organization's financial success.

Leverage HubSpot's free HubSpot Academy, a leading educational platform designed to empower marketing professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the digital era. With numerous courses and certifications, HubSpot Academy for Customer Service provides valuable resources to enhance the customer experience, make a meaningful impact, and advance your career.

How to Encourage a Positive Customer Experience

• Design your customer's experience with your company's mission and goals in mind. This makes your company stand out from the rest.

• Personalize the experience by empathizing with your customers and knowing their needs when they contact your company.

• Make customers feel comfortable and be friendly and warm in all interactions.

• Deliver the best value to your customers. Transparent pricing and taking adequate time to answer questions encourage decision-making.

• Listen to customer feedback. Look for ways to use what you learn and improve your practices.

• Be consistent in applying the standards you've developed across your customers' experience. This encourages them to return.

• Remember, too many bells and whistles are distracting. Use technology to enhance, not create, the experience.

• Show your customers that you appreciate them. Say (and show) "Thank you."

Wrapping it up

Making changes, no matter how simple, will go a long way in ensuring your customers have the best experience possible when working with you.

Here are some practical questions to ask yourself about your company and services. Answering them and considering how these responses impact your customers will go a long way in ensuring their experience is outstanding.

• What channels does your business actively use, and how are they used?
• What types of channels are being used to provide the customers with service?
• Is all friction removed from the purchase process?
• Are you set up in a personalized way to meet and cater to individual customer needs?
• Have all service and informational channels been optimized for mobile? Is the customer journey straightforward?

As customers become more empowered, the importance of the customer experience increases. Competing on pricing is not enough. You must offer great experiences to connect customers with your company. This can be your advantage over your competition.

For every step of the customer journey—from finding your name to doing business with you to returning over time to do more business—you must understand what the customer says about their experiences with you. And work to make it the best it can be.