The significance of providing an excellent customer experience (CX) was always emphasized in the traditional marketplace. As growing cohorts of shoppers shift to online buying, driven by millennials, Gen Z, and other young communities, the importance of a good CX has gained greater prominence.

It is common knowledge that a superior CX can ensure more brand loyalty. Yet, providing these great experiences is easier said than done because in the world of digital and ‘phygital’ shopping, simply offering seamless services won’t cut much ice with new-age customers.

Therefore, it is imperative to decode the basics of vibrant CX journeys. In short, customer experiences refer to the overall interactions consumers have with brands throughout their purchase journey. Every interaction between buyers and brands then impacts how consumers perceive a company, regardless of how long or briefly the engagement lasts.

Accordingly, the moot point is – how does a company create a good CX to increase brand loyalty and boost growth? To begin with, enterprises and entrepreneurs should put themselves in the shoes of consumers to comprehend how they feel.

To improve CX, the areas that need improvement must be identified by two primary means:

Mapping diverse touchpoints in the customer journey: One must realize that buyers from various backgrounds will have diverse profiles. Due to this, it is not possible to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach in creating a single enriching experience that seems exciting for buyers from all backgrounds. As a result, brands must identify the different micro-moments or touchpoints that buyers go through. At this stage, customer delight or displeasure is decided as per the gap that exists between their expectations and the actual experiences at each touchpoint.

Brands should be precise when pinpointing the touchpoints as random identification won’t help in improving CX. The touchpoints could include abandoned carts, new consumers signing up for an email newsletter; free trial users; those booking a demo; and/or consumers raising a complaint. Every touchpoint will require a strong focus and specific marketing tactics to ensure a seamless CX.

Garnering feedback at every touchpoint: Customers must be segregated as per their target persona and feedback elicited from them. One can easily discover major consumer experience issues via a small sample too. Hereafter, one needs to garner both qualitative and quantitative data.

Qualitative feedback can be collected by engaging with community forums; using customer service data and analyzing problems for which the most complaints are received; and speaking with sales teams (since they deal directly with consumers) to gain insights into product-linked problems.

Quantitative feedback could be derived by using diverse consumer experience surveys. Such surveys could disclose consumers’ satisfaction levels with products or services; reveal whether users would recommend the company/its products to others; find out how customers rate their buying experience; and understand why users are canceling or downgrading the service or returning and seeking a refund for an item.

Additionally, quantitative feedback can be gauged by monitoring the onsite behavior of buyers or elicited through polls, which could be done via social media and emails or embedded on the website.

This now brings one to the main mantra – creating an excellent customer experience. Multiple ways exist to meet this objective, which include:

• Highlighting brand values and empathy: To establish customer connections, it’s essential to look beyond the basics and ascertain that the brand’s operations are in sync with its values and ethics. In today’s socially-competitive world, consumers prefer to purchase goods from brands that reflect their intrinsic values. Research indicates that 54 percent of buyers gravitate towards brands promoting equity, diversity, and inclusive workplace practices.
• Establishing a customer-centric company culture: Brands having a customer-centric organizational culture ensure that CX remains an integral part of their offerings and serviced-related activities. In turn, it creates an environment of trust and loyalty among users and other stakeholders.
• Deploying AI and automated email: Exceeding customer expectations calls for the creation of several touchpoints for reaching out and engaging with them. This can be done with AI (artificial intelligence) and automated email flows. For example, chatbots and other AI-enabled virtual assistants can offer users real-time, instant solutions to their queries and concerns.
  Likewise, automated emails could assist brands in fostering receptive relationships with their target group by sending personalized emails with discounts and other offers, at the right time. Personalized email content makes the entire engagement experience more pleasing for customers.
• Resolving consumer queries with help pages: Often, consumers prefer self-service in resolving issues rather than communicating with chatbots. Such individuals can be assisted by providing a help section. But brands must make sure this FAQ page is easy to locate and easier to use or understand. Besides, brands should provide a subsection where consumers could raise concerns that were not resolved through this page. Once a query is raised, the response or direct communication must happen within hours if not minutes.
• Holding CX training sessions: Employees across all levels must be up to speed on the latest details vis-à-vis customer behavior, preferences, and CX goals. Inadequate employee knowledge about CX can derail the best of initiatives. To address this issue, regular CX training workshops should be held so employees in all roles are aware of the common customer insights and feedback that could drive user-centric strategies and goals.
• Prioritizing omnichannel delivery: Present-day consumers prefer to buy and engage with brands across channels – online, offline, and a blend of both. Whatever the mode of engagement, customer service levels should be standardized and remain equally top-class across channels. Since ‘phygital’ commerce is here to stay, service levels must be in sync with these trends to drive optimum CX.

Companies adopting the omnichannel model and other tips to drive greater customer experiences are bound to scale and thrive in 2023 and beyond. Those that don’t, won’t.