{"id":11013,"date":"2020-07-30T14:48:24","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T13:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=11013"},"modified":"2023-01-16T17:31:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T17:31:47","slug":"9-ways-to-improve-your-cx-strategy-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/9-ways-to-improve-your-cx-strategy-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Ways to Improve Your CX Strategy Right Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s world of online shopping and round-the-clock connectivity, consumers feel empowered like never before. This has led to a sharpened focus by companies to nail down their customer experience<\/a> (CX) strategy to drive overall satisfaction and retain loyalty.<\/p>\n

But while\u00a080% of companies\u00a0<\/a>already believe they deliver \u201csuper experiences,\u201d only 8% of customers agree. Here are some ways in which your customer experience strategy may be coming up short.<\/p>\n

1. Consider the\u00a0employee<\/em>\u00a0experience<\/h2>\n

In recent years, a new understanding has emerged regarding how customer experience and employee experience work more effectively\u00a0in concert with one another<\/a>. The idea goes a little something like this: Unhappy employees, more often than not, breed unhappy customers.<\/p>\n

According to a\u00a02016 McKinsey study<\/a>, when one U.S. airport realized that its customers\u2019 interaction with employees, rather than time spent standing in line, caused dissatisfaction, the airport committed months to reassessing its working culture. But the real turning point came when one frontline employee used a group work session to tell management: \u201cI will care about what you say when I believe you care about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once employees began to feel that their opinions and ideas mattered, communication across the board improved and the airport began to see results.<\/p>\n

McKinsey\u2019s study also found that after remodelling its customer experience vision, the airport\u2019s average retail spending per passenger grew 15%, resulting in happier customers, a better working culture, and growth for the organization. That\u2019s more or less the definition of a win-win.<\/p>\n

2. Embrace digital\u2014if you haven\u2019t already<\/h2>\n

Traditional customer experience has changed drastically since the arrival of digital and mobile tools. While most companies understand the importance of the \u201cvirtual\u201d customer journey, learning how to implement the digital experience so it enhances, rather than compromises, the overall customer experience ultimately secures company success.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0McKinsey<\/a>, digital transformation and a focus on customer experience can generate a 20-30% increase in customer satisfaction and economic gains of 20-50%. Meanwhile in a recent\u00a0Qualtrics\u00a0<\/a>study, more than 65% of customers said that their experience on the website or app would be at least a \u201cvery important\u201d factor in their willingness to recommend a brand.<\/p>\n

Evidence shows that introducing a more omnichannel<\/a> approach to customer\u00a0experience<\/em>\u00a0fills a crucial piece of the jigsaw puzzle for companies aiming to improve customer\u00a0satisfaction<\/em>. How well your company performs digitally boils down to how well you understand your customers\u2019 needs, and how efficiently you meet them.<\/p>\n

3. Make agility a priority<\/h2>\n

For companies holding on to traditional working models and corporate hierarchy, the message is increasingly clear: adapt to a new, modern structure or fail. Companies like Airbnb and Uber succeeded in disrupting long-standing industry norms by connecting buyers and sellers through simple, streamlined apps. In the process, they created a brand-new experience their customers never realized they wanted.<\/p>\n

Ryan Burke, Global Growth Markets Leader at EY, identifies agility as a key area driving companies\u2019 growth. \u201cAs technological, political, and employment trends evolve dramatically, fast-growing companies are building a new set of agile muscles,\u201d he wrote in a 2017\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0post. \u201cFor these companies, agility means having an opportunistic mindset that embraces learning and doing through experimentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

So how does this feed into the customer experience? The vehicle industry provides a good example,\u00a0Kieron McCann<\/a>, director of marketing and strategy at Cognifide, wrote in 2018. Where once the industry focused on getting people into the showroom and making a sale, \u201cthe introduction of features like smart-device integration means the focus has shifted from the product (car) to the individual consumer (driver), opening up opportunities to connect and engage between purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simply put, the process of delivering a positive customer experience no longer lies exclusively within certain silos of the organization. It requires a joined-up approach, with teams from across the company working and collaborating together to deliver engaging, personalized customer solutions to increase satisfaction and secure loyalty.<\/p>\n

4. When you get customer feedback,\u00a0act<\/em>\u00a0on it<\/h2>\n

Customer feedback offers one of the most valuable insights into building an effective customer-experience strategy. But it\u2019s one thing to listen to what your customers have to say\u2014and another to act on it.<\/p>\n

In 2017, a Tesla driver named Paul Franks noticed some wear and tear on his steering wheel, which he believed was the result of rubbing against it when he got in and out of the car. He\u00a0tweeted<\/a>\u00a0to Musk: \u201cCan you guys program the car once in park to move back the seat and raise the steering wheel? Steering wheel is wearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within 30 minutes, Franks had a reply from the tech mogul. \u201cGood point,\u201d\u00a0Musk tweeted back<\/a>. \u201cWe will add that to all cars in one of the upcoming software releases.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was as good as his word<\/a>\u2014the feature was soon added to all future Tesla releases and, through a software update, every Tesla already on the road received the upgrade, as well.<\/p>\n

Acting on customers\u2019 opinions helps to build a sense of significance, encourages engagement, and introduces a more personal element in the overall customer experience.<\/p>\n

5. Put CX leadership in place<\/h2>\n

Despite companies realizing they should start paying more attention to their customers\u2019 needs, strategies to improve overall customer experience still often tend to fall flat due to lack of leadership. According to a\u00a02017 sur<\/a>v<\/a>ey by Gartner<\/a>, 81% of customer experience leaders claimed that CX would be the sole differentiator amongst competition in the coming years. But today, less than half of them have outlined its fundamental role in relation to actual\u00a0business outcomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When it comes to implementing a successful customer experience strategy, having a dedicated team often dictates the future success of that strategy. Research by\u00a0Adobe and Econsultancy<\/a>\u00a0found that companies that prioritize and effectively manage customer experience are three times more likely than their peers to significantly exceed their top business goals.<\/p>\n

Having a skilled, dedicated team in place to lead customer experience strategy unites a common goal and saves the program from becoming stagnant and uninspiring.<\/p>\n

6. Learn the difference between customer\u00a0service<\/em>\u00a0and customer\u00a0experience<\/em><\/h2>\n

While customer service comprises an intrinsic part of the customer experience, companies often make the mistake of using the terms interchangeably. This, in turn, makes their CX strategy more likely to fail.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you book a vacation on the phone and the person you are speaking with is friendly and helpful, that\u2019s good customer service\u201d,\u00a0Steven MacDonald, head of digital marketing at Superoffice.com<\/a>, wrote earlier this year. \u201cYet, if your tickets arrive early and the hotel upgrades your room, then that\u2019s a great customer experience!\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2018\u00a0PwC<\/a>\u00a0study found that the four major components of a good customer experience include speed, convenience, consistency, and friendliness. So, while customer service definitely plays into the equation, it isn\u2019t everything.<\/p>\n

Having easy-to-use, helpful technology could help improve the customer experience, in addition to having clearly written website copy or product descriptions. By seeing the whole picture and understanding your customers\u2019 unique journey, companies are more likely to introduce effective solutions for their brand and deliver a great overall customer experience.<\/p>\n

7. Be sure not to automate\u00a0everything<\/em><\/h2>\n

While any company seeking success in the 21st century needs to provide a good digital experience, too much digital can actually harm the overall customer experience. Customers may demand more automation, but a little human touch still goes a long way.<\/p>\n

Amid the rise of digital business and automation, a recent\u00a0PwC survey<\/a>\u00a0found that humans now play a more important role than ever in delivering a positive customer experience. Of 15,000 consumers surveyed across 12 countries, two-thirds said they felt companies have lost touch with the human element of the customer experience. Meanwhile, three quarters said they wanted more human interaction in the future, not less.<\/p>\n

Companies can use anything from relatable social media posts and conversational website blogs to helpful live phone support or chat operators to demonstrate a more personable business approach. If customers feel let in\u201d to the brand \u201cfamily,\u201d they\u2019ll more likely engage, helping establish trust and build loyalty.<\/p>\n

8. Innovate!<\/h2>\n

In just about any business sector, innovation is key to keeping one step ahead. But what exactly does innovation in the CX realm actually look like?<\/p>\n

\u201cCX innovation differs from other kinds of innovation,\u201d\u00a0brand-leadership expert Denise Lee Yohn<\/a>\u00a0told Forbes in 2019. \u201cInstead of starting with a product, service, or core technology, innovation in CX starts with the customer and their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

But staying ahead of the curve in customer experience leadership doesn\u2019t just\u2026happen<\/em>. It requires a consistent and deliberate approach and a company-wide effort. In an effort to socialize insights about customers throughout the company, audio technology company Bose Corporation organized \u201cCX Bootcamps<\/a>.\u201d These were designed to build employees\u2019 skills in the\u00a0five most highly valued brand behaviors<\/a>: openness, relevance, emotion, empathy, and experience. The approach\u00a0helped<\/a>\u00a0\u201cbuild bridges between internal teams, improve processes, and remove churn by empowering employees to put the customer first.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Walt Disney Company, one of the most successful media and entertainment conglomerates in the world, also sets one of the most impressive examples of innovative customer experience in action. The organization\u2019s \u201cMagic Bands,\u201d which arrive in the mail prior to a customer\u2019s visit to a Disney resort, act as a hotel room key, ride reserver, and a method of making payments\u2014as well as storing photos guests take during their visit.<\/p>\n

Afterward, customers can expect a follow-up email from Disney thanking them for their visit and asking to share photos from the Magic Band. The result? A creative, seamless end-to-end customer journey.<\/p>\n

9. Communicate your CX vision clearly<\/h2>\n

Even if a company has a dedicated team in place to deliver an effective CX strategy, if the vision and outcomes aren\u2019t fully understood and communicated across the entire organization, it will never reap the full benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour customer experience vision and company vision are always linked, and often one and the same,\u201d customer-experience consultant Annette Franz\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>in 2017.\u00a0<\/em>\u201cWithout this North Star, employees can easily go off track and focus on projects or ideas that aren\u2019t critical to what the business is trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong vision statements are usually short, simple and specific, ensuring that everyone in the organization follows the same North Star.<\/p>\n

Outdoor retailer Patagonia\u2019s vision statement says: \u201cBuild the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis,\u201d clearly defining both its business and environmental ambitions. Similarly, Ikea\u2019s aspiration to \u201ccreate a better everyday life for many people\u201d sets the tone for the company, clarifying its aim to furnish homes to suit all lifestyles.<\/p>\n

If you keep the needs and expectations of your brand\u2019s customers firmly at the forefront of your CX vision, without vagueness or ambiguity, every employee in the company should clearly understand your company\u2019s aim, and how to deliver it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s world of online shopping and round-the-clock connectivity, consumers feel empowered like never before. This has led to a sharpened focus by companies to nail down their customer experience … Read more “9 Ways to Improve Your CX Strategy Right Now”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":12028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-ex-cx.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 Ways to Improve Your CX Strategy Right Now | RingCentral UK Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"n today\u2019s world of online shopping and round-the-clock connectivity, consumers feel empowered like never before. 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