Now, more than ever, customers are presented with so much choice. They have more options than ever to go elsewhere. Price comparison sites and online purchases mean customers don’t even need to speak to someone at a company before leaving.
As well, pricing is so sensitive; it’s getting harder to differentiate based on price.
Companies need to look for other options to stand out from the crowd
One of the key things that brands can do to differentiate is prioritise customer experience. This isn’t about meeting expectations or a tick-box exercise. It’s about surpassing what your customers expect – surprising and delighting them, which means they'll always come back to you. It’s about making sure your customers have no reason to leave you; creating an experience they want to have time and time again.
What can you do to take CX to the next level in your organisation?
While specific tactics will depend on who you are as a company and who your customers are, one of the ways to improve CX is to prioritise anything that makes life easier for your customers.
It's about finding new ways to engage proactively with customers, making sure that they are up to date with that's going on. It means there's minimal effort on their part - they don’t have to call in and chase for progress updates – because you’re proactively making sure they are in the know.
Who is already going beyond average?
For many people, John Lewis is the pinnacle of customer experience. Across every different channel that customer’s engage with John Lewis, they always get the same standard and level of care. As a brand, they have a really trusted relationship with their customers. It’s what those other brands are striving to match.
The same can be said about companies like first direct, OVO Energy and DPD. They’ve all become customer experience leaders in their marketplace.
DPD, for example, has become the delivery company that everyone looks to in terms of best practice and how to engage with customers. Not only do they text you to tell you when to expect your delivery, but they also add extra levels of service details. So you can track your driver and know exactly where they are. You can even text back to that message and say "Actually, that's not convenient for me. Can you deliver on a different day or leave with a neighbour?"
The challenge is that you’re now benchmarked against all companies, not just ones in your industry
For companies that aren’t prioritising customer experience, there is a problem. Customers increasingly benchmark brands against the very best experiences they’ve had, regardless of industry. So it doesn’t matter if you are an insurance company or work in Telco, you are compared to the likes of first direct and John Lewis.
Recognising this is part of the reason why OVO Energy has been able to differentiate from the rest of the market. Their main ethos is the customer drives every decision. They didn't want to think or act like a typical utility company. They wanted to act more like a retailer and challenge themselves to take on the big, established customer experience leaders. Instead of settling for being better than the rest of the industry, they want to be better than everyone, regardless of industry.
If you want to take your customer experience to the next level, check this eBook out:
