One of the main objectives of any company is to increase its sales. Of course, this is a key element for them, otherwise they would not have enough resources to continue their business. However, to achieve better results, it is not enough just to offer an innovative product.
In the hyper-connected world in which we live, consumer demands are changing, and at the same time, products and services are becoming more and more easily substitutable due to the increase in online shopping. In this sense, in order to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and to achieve customer loyalty, it is essential to understand what they expect from us and to offer it to them.
This is where the term “customer experience” comes into play. A concept that has now become the key to ensuring clients’ satisfaction and establishing long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with consumers.
Today we want to help you to learn more about what customer experience is, how you can measure it and how to use it to ensure your clients’ satisfaction.
What does Customer Experience mean?
In simple terms, we could say that, when we talk about Customer Experience, we are referring to the image that clients have of a company or brand after interacting with it during the purchasing process.
In this sense, the term describes the experience (which can be both positive and negative) that the client receives throughout their relationship with the brand. Therefore, we can consider that the beginning of the customer experience is when the consumer starts to know the brand.
However, it is said that it does not have an end point, as once the customer has purchased the product, their experience continues. It is necessary to ensure afterwards that they are satisfied so that the image they perceive of the brand is positive.
On the other hand, we could say that the Customer Experience has two fundamental parts: on the one hand, the product; and on the other hand, as its name and definition indicate, the customer.
Obviously, a company must be concerned about offering an innovative product with exceptional features. But what will really set us apart from our competitors will be a personalized and efficient customer service that places our clients’ satisfaction at the center of our efforts.
Customer Experience and User Experience: are they the same?
The term Customer Experience (CX) is sometimes used as a synonym for User Experience (UX). But do they really mean the same thing?
As we said when defining the term Customer Experience, in this case we are talking about the client’s experience throughout the purchasing process. However, this client does not always have to be the one who is going to use the product or service. In the latter case is when we talk about the user or consumer.
In simple terms, therefore, we could say that the difference between the two terms is that the User Experience is a broader concept, as it includes people who are initially unknown to the company, even though they may become sales opportunities for her in the future.
In this article, we will focus on the Customer Experience, although the tips we will see below can also be applied for the User Experience, since, regardless of whether it is a customer or a user, as a company we must be concerned that our service is the best possible and guarantees the satisfaction of both.
What is not Customer Experience?
Although we have already given a first definition of Customer Experience, we can make it even more concrete by mentioning some misconceptions about the term:
This is something new
Nothing could be further from the truth. Companies have always tried to understand what customers expect from them in order to offer them a service tailored to their needs. What is true is that with the advance of new technologies, new methods and forms of communication that allow us to satisfy customers have emerged and, therefore, we can provide them with a good experience.
This is purely brand-dependent
Each person is different and we must bear in mind that their perception is influenced by multiple factors that sometimes do not depend on the company. Therefore, the only thing we can control is that the means offered are the best, and therefore the customer experience is more likely to be good.
“If something works, do not change it”.
It is normal to believe that what has brought good results so far will cease to do so if we decide to make a change. Of course, this is a possibility, but what we get in most cases is an improvement.
For example, if until now the first contact of all our customers has been through voice calls, we may think that, if we introduce a new communication channel such as WhatsApp or a live chat on our website, it will not bring us the same benefits. However, if we take the risk and finally make the change, what we will get for sure will be an increase in interactions.
The reason is that these applications have become the preferred means for users, not only in their relationship with family and friends, but also with companies. This will have a positive impact on the Customer Experience, as clients will perceive the image of a company that is adapted to new communication trends and that cares about making it easy for them.
How to measure Customer Experience?
In order to know the degree of satisfaction of your customers and, therefore, if the experience you are offering them is the right one, it is important to take into account a series of metrics with which we can obtain the information we need. Although depending on the characteristics of the company we can distinguish other indicators, the most important ones are:
- Abandonment and Retention Rate: it is possible to measure the Customer Experience through the percentage of clients who either abandon a certain process or continue with the company.
- Response and Problem Resolution Rate: one of the most important metrics is the number of customer interactions that have been attended to, as well as the time it took to receive a response. Thus, the longer a client has to wait for a response, the more dissatisfied they will be and, therefore, the worse their experience will be. The same is true if their request is not answered.
To quantify these rates, specialized software that includes measurement and monitoring systems is normally used.
For example, companies that use virtual PBXs have access to an administrator panel from which they can consult and download detailed reports with the statistics of all interactions. Thus, they can consult data such as the number of calls and chats attended, waiting times, the extension in charge of each conversation…
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- Net Promoter Score (NPS): when the Customer Experience is positive, customers are likely to recommend our product or service. On the other hand, when the experience has been negative, they will probably share it with their environment. This probability of customers recommending the product or not is measured through the Net Promoter Score. Typically, consumers are asked to assign a number from 0 to 10 depending on whether they would recommend the product or not. Depending on the score consumers assign, they will be considered detractors (0 to 6); passive (7 and 8 points); or promoters (9 and 10 points).
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): in this case, as the name suggests, the degree of customer satisfaction with the product or service received is measured. With this indicator, companies can distinguish the main reasons for the loss of clients, thus identifying points for improvement in the Customer Experience.
These general indicators (as well as others that measure more precise aspects) depend on a score assigned by the client to a given aspect and are measured through satisfaction surveys that are normally carried out once the purchase process or the service provided has been completed.
There are numerous ways to reach customers, such as email. However, the most common way is through telephone calls with a telemarketing software that includes Artificial Intelligence. With it, once the interaction with the customer is finished, a call will be launched to the client to evaluate the attention received, and it will be a callbot that will ask the questions and record the answers for a later analysis.
Another option is, as nowadays customer service via instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram is becoming more common, it is possible to use chatbots to launch these questions. These systems, like callbots, are used to automate the process to obtain information and increase the productivity and efficiency of agents. But unlike them, they are used in written conversations.
Keys to ensure a good customer experience
As mentioned above, we should bear in mind that these tips can also be applied to the User Experience.
The most important thing in both cases, and therefore to ensure the satisfaction of our customers and users, is first of all to recognise what their expectations are. Only by offering a service adapted to what they expect from us will we manage to improve the image they have of our company and, therefore, their loyalty towards the brand.
Once we have identified these needs, the next step is to find the right tools to meet those expectations. For example, let’s imagine that we identify that current customers expect to receive personalized and prompt attention through any channel.
In this case, having a solution that allows us to manage them all from the same place and, as a result, reduce the time it takes for agents to switch from one platform to another to deal with the different interactions, will reduce waiting times. If these systems also allow integration with other company tools, such as a CRM, the agent will be able to view all customer data from the same interface and provide the information they need quickly without leaving the conversation.
Finally, as we have seen, it is important to measure that the Customer Experience is adequate. Therefore, it is essential that these tools also allow us to obtain reports and monitor the different aspects of the company.
The services we offer you in Fonvirtual have these and many other features that will make the customer experience in your company unforgettable. Do you want to know what they are and how they can do it? Contact us and we will inform you!
