Customer Experience Management

Customer enthusiasm instead of customer satisfaction and an innovative combination of digital service functions and analog services stand for a modern customer experience. Unique selling propositions compared to competitors captivate customers and prospective buyers across channels.

With relevance and hybrid 24/7 services, you create important unique selling points (USP’s) in customer care! The customer is king, quality before quantity and after the sale is before the sale are not empty phrases. Customer First is representative for all strategic and methodical instruments of customer development and support, which have gained even more importance during the current digitalization boost. These include customer service, centricity, journey, experience, engagement, loyalty, relationship and lifetime value.

Brands are permanently in competition with large mail order companies and online marketplaces

It is inevitable to be present on large sales platforms, but one should not underestimate the relevance of own sales channels. The major online shopping platforms enjoy supremacy and sales are usually unattainable, but for all the scale, there are weaknesses and areas where you can score points as a competitor. Customers are becoming more demanding and often shopping experiences fall short of where you can take advantage as a direct selling brand. The shopping experience is related to the product in demand. In the case of everyday consumer goods, consumers tend to be price-driven and invest little time in searching for products and completing purchases. In most cases, they also do not build a personal bond with these products. With luxury goods in use or consumption, the situation is different. In the case of high-quality jewelry or perfume, for example, consumers take the necessary time to complete the purchase. Product information, brand experience, trustworthiness of the supplier and research experience are then all the more important for the purchase decision. Independence is a decisive criterion for a company’s own success. A 100% dependence on the big players should be avoided. Rather, one should use these large trading partners and marketplace providers as supplementary sales channels and build up and establish one’s own direct sales in addition to business with established, diverse SME trading partners.

Use potentials for cross- & up-selling, create incentives for follow-up purchases and stay in contact with your customers even after the purchase

Unique experiences, unique selling points compared to competitors, and sustainable customer loyalty are top priorities. Customer engagement is in demand. It is not enough to be present with the product in demand at the right time in the appropriate channel. Instead, companies need to provide customers with relevant content, offers and services across all touchpoints. This ranges from product information that the customer actively researches to general information that is important for concluding a purchase, e.g., retailer ratings, product reviews, shipping service providers and costs, and payment options. Hybrid 24/7 services and customer-centric, individualized offers are the way to go. Smart data is becoming an important tool in realizing this service offensive. Customer loyalty must not be ignored either. In this respect, new, innovative and creative solutions must be created that increase customer engagement, accelerate purchase frequency, and increase cross-selling and up-selling. The introduction of value-added services and a loyalty program are also effective tools for customer retention. Companies need to evaluate which new customer segments to expect and how to retain them in the long term. Furthermore, needs and buying behavior will change. This has an impact on customer shopping baskets and it must be ascertained how a company must react to this in a far-sighted manner. It must be continuously checked whether existing stationary customers have different needs than new digital customers. In addition, the focus should remain on demographic changes in customer segments. In various industries, the question also arises as to whether the stationary business will continue to survive.

Error-free IT platforms and intuitive usability are critical success factors for the loyalty of your customers

Technical problems can have a negative impact on this. Teething troubles in the implementation phase can lead to capital errors. Establish a browser concept early on and adapt your quality assurance processes accordingly. It should not be the case that a user has to switch browsers to complete an online purchase. Further, it should not be necessary for the user to switch between mobile view and desktop version to use basic functions. Visual blemishes are acceptable given the diversity of browsers, especially in the mobile space.

The realization of consistent Responsive Web Design and corresponding breakpoints is still not self-evident after more than 10 years

In addition to mobile devices and large monitors, there are numerous display sizes. The output of the content should be adapted to this. Design elements do not have to be displayed on every search results page (SERP) if they do not add value and fill the entire viewport. In addition, with filter and sort functions, attention should be paid to whether it makes sense to immediately reload each selected criterion individually. As a rule, usability increases with multiple selections and a call-to-action (CTA) for the user to make their selection. Less is more – pay attention to relevance and plan timing. Program automations carefully. Pay attention to the added value and do not disturb the user while browsing. In addition to the consent layer for cookies and privacy policy, no other pop-ups or fly-outs, e.g. for chatbots, newsletters or coupons, should be loaded on the first visit to a website. These should be displayed only once per user session, discreetly and at the right time. Avoid multiple pop-ups if the user is on different pages. Not every user who mouses out of the viewport wants to leave your site. You should also use push notifications at the right time for app users. In addition to shared user data, leverage demographic surveys

Fulfillment services and processes – the final stage of order fulfillment.

Create unique selling points and show your best service side in the last meters. Influence the service quality of your logistics centers and optimize workflows for order pickers. Set clear guidelines for problem situations. If inventory is wrong, it’s better to ship no items than the wrong items. Within your budget, use high-quality, sustainable packaging materials that are appropriate for the size of the item so that the shipment reaches your customers intact. Forgo extras if they result in oversized packaging, such as hangers. Provide “aha” effects during unpacking and use your packaging for cross-channel marketing activities. After the purchase is before the purchase! The shipping service provider and variable delivery options, such as a parcel store, can also contribute positively to the purchase decision. The same applies to returns handling. Cost-effectively, you should consider the selection of shipping service providers and a wide range of shipping methods in the interest of your customers.

Would you like to learn more about customer experience management or do you need operational support? Then we look forward to hearing from you!