68% of customers don’t buy more products from a company because they think the company doesn’t care about them.
Compared to just 14% who leave because they’re dissatisfied with the company’s service.
Oof.
We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again:
UPGRADING YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS THE HIGHEST ROI CHANGE YOU CAN MAKE IN YOUR COMPANY.
Ah, I feel better after typing that.
Below are 3 tools you can use in 2023 to improve your customer experience, reduce churn and attract more loyal (paying) customers:
1. Mural for journey mapping
You can’t improve the customer experience without first understanding how that customer interacts with your brand.
And I mean, at all levels.
From your ads on Instagram to their Google Search of your website to directions to your store to their in-store experience with your staff…
Every single point of interaction is important to the larger customer experience.
Mural is a powerful tool that helps teams map out and understand each of these points on the customer journey – visually. Here’s an example:
You can create detailed, interactive journey maps that show every step of the customer journey – from initial contact (digital or in-person) to post-purchase follow-up.
Where are my visual learners out there? I see you. Journey mapping allows you to identify your customer’s pain points and your opportunities for improvement.
The goal is to create a seamless experience for your customers, where they always know what’s going on.
Journey mapping on Mural helps you do that.
2. Alchemer for customer experience surveys
You have the customer experience set up. You know how a customer interacts with you brand.
Now it’s time to figure out what your current and more importantly, former customers dislike about the experience.
If you can identify your product or service shortfalls and improve them, say goodbye to “former” customers because you won’t have any anymore.
Woop woop!
Alchemer is a survey platform that makes it easy to gather feedback from your customers.
- Branded surveys
- Organized responses
- Data and insights to learn opportunities
By regularly surveying your customers, you’ll stay on top of their needs and make sure you provide the best possible experience.
A couple notes on surveys though:
- An annual survey doesn’t cut it — If you send one big customer survey at the end of the year, you’ll get a low response rate and worse, bad data. The more effective way of collecting data is continual feedback. Each purchase, each conversation, each in-store visit is an opportunity to ask how they’ve enjoyed their experience.
- Don’t rely entirely on surveys — Your customers’ feelings aren’t always quantifiable. Expand your customer experience monitoring beyond quantitative data to get a more accurate picture of their perception of your brand. Looking for more authentic ways to get qualitative data? Start with focus groups and real 1:1 conversation.
Speaking of conversation…
3. Regular ol’ conversation with customers
Remember when humans used to speak to each other? That was nice.
Customer conversations are essential for building long-term loyalty.
By taking the time to talk with them, you show you value their feedback and opinion. They feel welcome and special when let them know you’re committed to providing the best possible customer experience.
A few ideas to start customer conversations:
- Follow up with customers after a purchase
- Reach out randomly to ask for their thoughts on a new product
- Give them the opportunity to opine what your company should do next
Timing doesn’t matter. Format doesn’t matter. The quality of conversation is what matters.
Build strong, personal connections with your customers. Increase their loyalty. Improve your bottom line.
Simple is as simple does.
Mural, Alchemer and customer conversation can help you make meaningful changes to your customer experience and increase their loyalty.
By mapping the customer journey, gathering feedback and staying engaged, a seamless experience is a few details away.
Need help prioritizing? Collabo XD designs listening programs and customer journeys for a living. Give us a holler here.