Many companies use customer experience and customer service as interchangeable terms. In reality, the customer experience goes far beyond customer service; it includes all touchpoints that an individual has with your Brand. From emails to television advertisements, phone calls to banner ads, every touchpoint you have with a person is part of the overall customer experience. When Brands choose to invest in the customer experience, they can increase their revenue and their customer loyalty. In doing so, they are delivering on their Brand promise.  As you can see with Brands like Delta Airlines and Starbucks, consumers are often willing to pay more in order to work with companies that they know they will have a positive interaction with. When Brands develop comprehensive customer experiences, consumers will develop loyalty and confidence towards their products or services.

Thankfully, there are many ways that Brands can transform the experiences that people have with them! In this article, we will discuss six easy tools that all companies should access as they create a customer experience strategy. At RocketDog, we believe the customer experience is at the heart of the Brand. We work closely with Brands to help enhance the experiences that they offer to their clients.

1: Be Direct

When you interact with customers, be direct. Customers want to know what to expect when they engage with your Brand. When an individual visits your Website to look for an answer to their question, navigating your site should be intuitive. When you beat around the bush or use fluffy language to answer questions, people waste their time trying to find the true solution to their problem. When you have the opportunity, pick up your phone to call your customers so that they know you are eager to help them promptly.

When you are direct, customers will be aware of the lanes that you excel in. You may not be able to provide everything a client is looking for, but you can be excellent in the solutions you do provide. Be confident in your product offerings and your ability to provide high-quality goods and services. 

2: Be Responsive

Don’t leave customers in the dark! When a customer calls or sends in a request, they should receive a response back promptly, no matter where they are or what device they are using. Whether it’s a “1-800” number, a Contact Us email address, a chat box, or a Twitter feed, customers should receive a response from one of your representatives. Your customer service team should be robust; trained to help provide excellent and quick care to clients. Long wait times are not only unfair to the customer, they are frustrating. According to Consumer Reports, consumers said they were “highly annoyed” when they were not helped within a reasonable time frame.  When consumers have multiple “highly annoying” experiences with your Brand, they are less likely to be loyal advocates for your Brand. Even if a representative is not able to answer their question immediately, develop a customer service structure that allows people to get responses right away. Their initial response can inform them of what to expect in the communication process.

Long wait times are applicable to phone calls, live chats, and emails! Whichever channel you use to respond to customers should be developed to be responsive.

3: Engage Emotions

Whether you realize it or not, many decisions are driven by emotion. The customer experience should not be solely transactional, it must resonate personally with the consumers. When you have consistently positive interactions, customers will naturally begin developing a trust and loyalty towards your Brand. To engage the emotions of your audience, you must first identify the feelings that you want them to experience as they engage with your company. Do you want consumers to have confidence in your Brand beyond a shadow of a doubt? Do you want customers to feel empowered and encouraged? Once you identify the emotion that you want to invoke, you can begin working backwards to determine how the customer experience can instill that feeling in your audience.

4: Ask the Right Questions

Part of being a great Brand is asking the right questions. Finding the pain point of your clients involves more than just analyzing what they complain about, it is about identifying what the root of the issues are. Find the “Why” behind the issues and opportunities that they are facing. As you dig deeper, you can help identify a solution that can truly have an impact on the lives of your customers. 

5: Be Innovative

It was said best by Paul Van Dyk, “Don't imitate...innovate!” Innovation is a key factor in the customer experience. Rather than offering the same products and services as your competitors, think of a creative way to solve the needs of your customers. It is great to observe and find inspiration from other things being done in your industry. The key to success is taking your observations to the next level to determine how you can continue on a path of innovation.

6: Make Experience a Core Part of Your Branding

A high-quality customer experience should not just be something you do, it should be part of who you are. When the customer experience is a core focus of your Brand, it is obvious! If you have great products but untimely customer service, unkind representatives, and inconsistent touchpoints, customers will likely take their business elsewhere. When your Brand is known for being responsive, timely, and helpful, customers are more likely to refer your Brand to friends. When experience is part of your Brand, is a component of everything that you do.

Summary

At RocketDog, we believe that customer experience is one of the most important aspects of Branding. Customer experience is not just something you do, it is an aspect of who you are as a company. It is your Brand Promise. Customers appreciate when Brands are direct, responsive, and able to engage emotions. Many Brands across the country are able to charge higher prices because their loyal customer base is willing to pay more for a positive consumer experience. At RocketDog, we help companies integrate the customer experience into their overall Branding strategy. If you are looking to improve the experience that customers have with your Brand, contact RocketDog today.