No matter what kind of business you run, providing an excellent customer experience is essential to success. Customers who are satisfied with the service they receive from your company are more likely to become repeat customers and recommend your products or services to others. To ensure customers have a pleasant shopping experience, businesses should ensure their website is user-friendly and provide multiple effective communication channels, product and site reviews. How often do you stay on a site if it does not meet some or all of these criteria? While it sounds too much to accomplish, focusing on your customer service strategy can improve the customer experience and increase sales.
Focus on the Journey, Not the Destination
Regarding website design, start with the basics, location. Make it easier for your customers to locate exactly what they want. Some may call it “humanization,” but it simply means your site has focused on being relatable and personable when interacting with customers instead of using the standard business jargon. A well-designed mobile responsive website ensures a seamless user experience in today’s digital age. Mobile screens are small and hard to read text on, so this is the time that custom photos and videos can help clinch a sale. As covered by Fixed Ops Now, we covered the importance of photos and video to showcase your products, demonstrate how they work, and provide inspiration. Customers have a higher chance of leaving without purchasing unless photos are present or if they are of poor quality.
However, it is equally important to provide easily accessible information and avenues for customer engagement. By incorporating a comprehensive FAQ section, businesses can address commonly asked and provide instant solutions, saving both time and effort for customers and, in turn, eliminating some of the phone calls.
Additionally, having a Contact Us page enables visitors to reach out directly, fostering a sense of trust and building customer relationships. Combined with a mobile-responsive design, these features enhance the overall user experience, making it easier for individuals to navigate the website and find the information they need, regardless of their device.
Good Communication Equates to Great Customer Experience
Effective communication with customers based on a solid communication strategy is essential for any business to succeed in today’s business world. Clear and effective communication is a simple concept, yet many businesses get it wrong because they don’t know what effective communication looks like. Businesses should provide customers with multiple channels for asking questions, providing feedback, and keeping up to date on what your business is doing.
Fixed Ops Now, has suggested seven different communication methods in a previous best practices article. These tools offer low-cost and compelling opportunities that you can utilize to enhance or improve the customer experience with your website. The difficulty may be choosing which your business should incorporate, as all may not generate the same response from your customer base.
Reviews Matter: Elevate Your Reputation, Boost Your Success
Product and business reviews can be incredibly impactful when helping customers make purchasing decisions. As we discussed previously, reviews provide a valuable source of information, as they are written by people who have already purchased or used the product and service. Product and site reviews are also beneficial for creating a great customer experience. By displaying reviews on your website, customers can understand what other customers think about the products and services they’re considering. This transparency builds trust in the business and sets it apart from its competitors. Customers want to see the good, the bad, and in most cases, if a review is posted, potential buyers scan through the ratings and reviews, noting what has been said and what the majority of experiences have been. Product reviews provide an honest and authentic look into the item; things like quality, durability, design, packaging, etc., may not be visible in pictures.
When was the last time you purchased a product without reading a review? Did you purchase a product without reading the review? Luisa Zhou referenced a Global Newswire statistic: “Over 9 out of 10 customers (95%) read product reviews before purchasing something. Additionally, 58% of these shoppers say they are willing to pay more for products with good reviews.” Having product reviews will gain consumer trust in your products and your brand.
Listening to the Voice of the Customer
Effective communication may seem like a one-way street, but ensuring you incorporate a Customer Service Bill of Rights into your interactions will contribute to listening to the voice of the customer. Your organization should document the quality of service you currently offer to customers by asking what your employees think they offer and what the customers think of what you offer and then getting expert opinions on the health of your customer service. Knowing where you stand is the precursor to resolutions on what to change, how to change, and who is accountable for each action to enhance and improve customer service interactions. Including tangible actions of providing prompt service, honoring warranties, honoring privacy, and offering refunds or exchanges when appropriate can be small gestures that create a positive customer experience that will keep customers returning.
Think about your shopping experiences.
One frequently asked question is, “How can my site stand out from the competition without reducing my prices?” Creating a customer service strategy would be the fastest way to separate yourself and will cost nothing. Think about your buying habits. Are you willing to pay more for the same product because you had a great experience with that business, trust them, and know they will make it right if something goes wrong?
Creating a great customer experience is essential in today’s competitive market. From ensuring the website is easy to navigate to providing effective communication channels and displaying product and site reviews, businesses should take all the necessary steps to ensure customers have a positive experience. Additionally, businesses should always adhere to their version of a customer’s bill of rights. By taking these simple steps, businesses can create an excellent customer experience that will keep customers loyal and increase their profits.
