Let’s break that down further…..
What is Customer Service really?
Customer service is part of the entire experience and it is reactive. It can be defined as the interpersonal advice and assistance provided to customers before and after they make a purchase.
Customer service is important because it can help you to:
Increase customer loyalty.
Increase the amount of money each customer spends with your business.
Increase how often a customer buy from you.
Generate positive word-of-mouth about your business.
Customer service is often at the heart of a business which aims to provide an exceptional service that leaves the customer feeling valued and respected. Although providing an excellent service can involve extra resource, time and money, when you get it right it will enable you to stand out from your competition, maintain a positive reputation among future customers and encourage existing customers to purchase from your business again. Remember, it is six times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer!
So Why do YOU need a Customer Experience?
Customer experience refers to the journey a customer has with your brand, from initial awareness until post-purchase. It is proactive and leaves an impression on the customer.
What is Customer Experience really?
Customer experience, also known as CX, is your customers’ holistic perception of their experience with your business or brand.
CX is the result of every interaction a customer has with your business, from navigating the website to talking to customer service and receiving the product/service they bought from you. Everything you do impacts your customers’ perception and their decision to keep coming back or not—so a great customer experience is your key to success. Though you may think your brand and customer experience is one thing, if the customer perceives it as something different, that is what the actual customer experience is.
Does your business need a Customer Experience, especially if you already have Good Customer Service?
Yes. Yes, it does!
By understanding your customer’s perception of your brand, their journey and their experience, you can design an experience that exceeds your customer’s expectations. Designing an experience with your customers in mind, can increase customer retention, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, while simultaneously reducing the friction of customer complaints and returns.
All business models can benefit from improving the customer experience: subscription businesses can increase retention and reduce churn, ecommerce marketplaces can increase repeat customer and reduce returns, and service industries can gain recommendations and reduce complaints.
In conclusion, Customer Service is one piece of the puzzle, or a specific point of interaction whereas Customer Experience focuses on the customer's entire journey with a brand. Designing and sustaining a customer experience can lead to an increase in customer loyalty and satisfaction and a reduction in customer complaints, which in turn can lead to an overall increase in your company’s revenue.
How can you design an Exceptional Customer Experience?
Look out for my next article: Customer Experience & Service Strategies
Want to improve your Customer Experience?
Comments