No one wants to do business with a company that treats you poorly.
How you feel after an interaction with a customer service center has a huge impact on your future purchase decisions. A good interaction keeps you happy and satisfied, while a poor interaction could lead to you stop doing business with that company again.
It’s because of these extremes why 88% of companies now prioritize customer experience (CX) in their support centers. Yes, it’s that important.
And it’s easy to see why. If a customer is choosing to do business based on CX, then that’s where Ember stands out!
In fact, more than two-thirds of companies now compete primarily on the basis of customer experience – up from only 36% in 2010!
Therefore, if you want your customers to have a positive experience, you have to invest in it. Makes sense, right?
1. The Importance of Multi-Channel Servicing Will Increase
Companies interact with their customers across multiple channels which can be through forms on their website, mobile application, live chat, social media and more.
However, while customers may be positive and accept different service levels from different channels, they also expect that the communication remains consistent.
Are you providing a consistent experience across all channels, both online and offline?
It can be challenging, but the gold standard here is IKEA.
If you visit any IKEA store around the world, you will get the same experience. IKEA invests heavily into customer experience. This year alone, they’ve opened more stores, invested in its home delivery network, and launched a brand new app – all to the benefit of their customers.
And the payoff has been huge! Not only is IKEA one of the most beloved companies in the world, but their annual revenues have now reached more than $40 billion worldwide.
Adding to this, Adobe found that companies with the strongest omni-channel customer engagement strategies enjoy a 10% Y-O-Y growth, a 10% increase in average order value and a 25% increase in close rates. It sounds like a no brainer to invest in CX, right?
2. Mobile Customer Experience is Priority
When it comes to providing a positive experience across different channels, mobile customer service is expected to soar.
The reason is simple – a bad mobile experience can do serious damage to your brand!
For example, 57% of customers won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile. And if a website isn’t mobile-friendly, 50% of customers will stop visiting it, even if they like the business.
By not providing a positive mobile experience, you’re putting your business growth in jeopardy.
66% – “A frustrating experience on a mobile device or website hurts my opinion of the brand overall”
55% – “A bad mobile experience makes me less likely to engage with a company”
52% – “If I really like the brand or company. I’m disappointed if the mobile site is a bad experience”
It’s no longer the question whether the mobile experience is important or not.
Ember knows this.
According to Stat Counter, 52% of all internet traffic now comes from mobile, with desktop usage on a declining trend.
So it comes as no surprise why 84% of companies who claim to be customer-centric are now focusing on the mobile customer experience.
However, for companies that aren’t, they’ve been slow to adapt to this trend – especially when it comes to customer support – as an overwhelming 90% of customers report having a poor experience when seeking customer support on mobile devices.
There is a huge gap that needs to be taken seriously.
If your customers cannot navigate your website or mobile app with ease and find what they are looking for, then you frustrate them. And you lose them.
3. Customer Frustration will lead to Churn
According to Esteban Kolsky, 72% of customers will share a positive experience with six or more people. On the other hand, if a customer is not happy, 13% of them will share their experience with 15 or even more.
The challenge here lies in the fact that, in most cases, customers don’t tell you they’re unhappy. In fact, only 1 in 26 unhappy customers actually complain.
The rest, they just leave.
For many companies, the absence of negative feedback is a sign of satisfaction. But, as the research shows, this might not be the case. Your customers may not be happy, or worse, they’re sharing their bad experiences with others.
Customer expectations are at an all-time high and it’s a tough time for companies to meet and exceed them.
Even if you provide a positive customer experience 9 out of 10 times, that one time you do not could be fatal.
Studies have shown that 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience, while 92% would completely abandon a company after two or three negative interactions.
What constitutes a bad experience? Sometimes, it’s as simple as poor follow-up.
Our own research found that very few companies follow up with their customers. Put simply, you can avoid many of these poor experiences by sending a follow-up email.
Conclusion
With 9 out of 10 businesses competing mainly on customer experience, it’s the organizations that take customer experience seriously that will stand out from the noise and win loyal customers over.
One thing is for sure, in order to deliver a positive experience; you have to know your customers (KYC) better than ever before.
This means creating complete customer profiles that help you understand and measure your customers’ behavior at every touch point, and across multiple channels.
(The way to handle this is by using Ember’s CRM.)
Once you know your customers well enough, you can use that knowledge to personalize every interaction. Customers these days have more power and choices than ever before. Thus, you are responsible for understanding and acknowledging their needs.
If you make sure their interaction with your company is smooth, pleasant and continuously improving, you will drive brand loyalty. If not, you’ll give your competitors the best gift you can – your customers.
Ready to take your brand’s customer experience to the next level? Connect with the Ember team today and ignite your business.