Today, customers no longer only buy goods, products, or services, but also seek experiences that appeal to their individual wants and needs.
Companies that want recognition for their customer service typically choose to place the user at the center of everything through a customer-centric approach. This business strategy uses the customer as a point of reference when carrying out any process or action, which leads businesses to empathize with customers and identify points of friction in order to give them a satisfactory experience.
To achieve success, it is necessary to focus on specific tools and models capable of designing, measuring, and controlling the experience of those who interact with the business. Once all channels and contact points have been identified, work is done to improve interactions. In this way, memorable experiences are created and designed to improve each step of the customer journey by empowering employees.
Information technology research consultancy Gartner states, "When it comes to deciding where to buy, 64% of people consider the quality of the customer experience to be more important than price.” This tells us that we must invest in a sustainable differentiation strategy that increases customer loyalty and improves the company's competitive position. So how do you go about creating memorable experiences?
1. Get to know your customers
Listening and putting yourself in the shoes of consumers is the best way to achieve a successful customer service strategy.
Thanks to the technology that facilitates the collection of feedback and the analysis of big data, it is possible to have increasingly specific knowledge in real time about the habits, needs, and preferences of consumers. This, hand in hand with microtargeting, manages to generate a more precise profile of your customers. Once you know what they need, you can act in real-time to improve the service offered to them.
McDonald's
When McDonald's, one of the most popular fast food chains in the world, began to suffer a decline in sales, they took into account their customers' experiences to improve the sectors that were criticized.
Based on customer and employee feedback from various surveys, McDonald's created a simpler menu, improved ordering accuracy, delivered more streamlined experiences, and began using higher-quality ingredients.
The organization also decided to invest in renovating store interiors to enhance the diner experience and installed digital self-order and table-service kiosks. This resulted in lower wait times for customers, a very important factor in this type of establishment. As these changes were implemented, a sales growth of 4.1% was projected. In turn, McDonald's managed to stand out from their competitors by improving its overall customer service experience.
2. Have a motivated team
Achieving organizational momentum is key. An engaged workforce is vital to the long-term success of a customer-centric company. Therefore the employee experience (EX) is also valuable. When employees are more engaged with the organization, collaboration and synergy will create more impactful and successful initiatives for a good customer experience. Once employees are naturally involved, the customer experience ceases to be a department and becomes a fundamental part of the corporate culture.
At the same time, a fundamental task of today's organizations must consist of training and recognizing the work team while maintaining dynamism, motivation, and interest. Having a happy workforce that feels prepared and excited to do their jobs helps customers have a better experience.
“Employee Experience and Customer Experience are linked. What affects one will affect the other. Happy employees generate happy customers who spend more money.”
Colin Shaw - Founder and CEO, Beyond Philosophy
Southwest Airlines
This company is an example of success when it comes to employee and customer experiences. The organization invests in its customers and in its employees, leading them to be classified as one of the best places to work. Thus demonstrating the time and effort invested to build a work culture that puts its employees first.
By establishing an environment of teamwork and placing courtesy, empathy, and communication as strong core values, Southwest Airlines reminds its employees to enjoy their work and take pride in what they do. This indirect approach leads to lasting customer service experiences with happy employees who take pride in their work. Recognizing humanity for its customers has helped Southwest Airlines become a leader in successful customer service. This is not surprising, since brands that use emotional connections tend to outsell their competitors.
3. Promote the use of technology
The integration between different communication channels is crucial to improving the user experience (UX). In addition to face-to-face visits, customers demand attention through multiple platforms including the phone, the website, email, live chat, or through social media.
In this context, the use of technology is necessary to achieve interconnectivity with customers. For example, tools such as BPM help in process management, organization, and productivity, while video call management meets the growing demand for managing online appointments, removing the cost barrier and increasing employee productivity.
The benefits that digital tools have with people is increasing, to the point that it facilitates decision-making in order to have a positive impact on customers. Likewise, they allow employees to solve problems and correct errors, even before customers realize the error, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Davivienda
The financial institution, Davivienda, needed to reduce wait times, as well as face-to-face queues, as they were one of the main problems causing dissatisfaction among its customers. In addition, they did not have a platform that helped manage appointments.
Davivienda took multiple initiatives to optimize its processes with the help of our various digital tools. The installation of our CXM Q-Flow platform, together with the advice of our consulting and engineering departments, helped capture information in real-time to direct, organize, and optimize the performance of the various services through the bank branch. In turn, solutions such as Daviturno Kiosco and Daviturno Web managed to reduce customer wait times between 80% and 100%, respectively. Thanks to these changes, customers rate their service satisfaction at an average of 9 points on a scale of 10.
The sum of these 3 keys that are based on a good customer experience (CX), plus the understanding of the employee experience (EX) and the improvement of the user experience (UX), make up an infallible formula to create memorable experiences, creating the total user experience (TX).
We can say that, at ACF Technologies, we have helped different companies boost their trajectory and improve their relationship with customers through our innovative strategies and powerful digital tools.
At ACF Technologies we are experts in getting the best out of your business, helping to optimize your processes, and giving you the tools needed to get to know your customers in depth while defining better strategies to create memorable experiences. Remember that to implement the changes that users need, we must thoroughly understand their needs and have the appropriate business tactics. Would you like to know more about our services and how we can improve the customer experience? Contact us today.
