Spring Into Action: Improving the Customer Experience

The guiding principle of any business is to ensure a positive customer experience. Very often, a company’s growth strategy is contingent on the level of customer service offered to their consumers.

In fact, American Express published research that found 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience. Simply put, a business who implements successful customer experience strategies have a greater likelihood of achieving high customer satisfaction ratings--and therefore, generate more revenue.

Defining Customer Experience

Customer experience, or CX, is the interaction and experiences a customer has with your company throughout the customer journey--all from the initial contact to customer loyalty as a direct result of a positive customer service experience. A consumer that is happy with a product, good, or a service will remain loyal to the brand in large part due to how they are made to feel during the customer experience.

Consider if there are two competing brands offering nearly identical products and pricing. The customer experience will likely be the factor that determines the earned business of a consumer. When evaluated in these terms, you gain a better appreciation for the importance of a positive customer experience.

The Difference Between Customer Experience and Customer Service

The first point of contact between a company and customer is typically through the initial interaction with a company’s employee or representative, either in person at a store or via telephone or email communications. The initial interaction presents the opportunity to deliver customer service.

Customer service is only one facet of the greater customer experience. For instance, if you book a hotel room and speak with a representative that is both friendly and helpful, you’ve likely been given good customer service. When you arrive at the hotel and find that you’ve received a hotel upgrade, that would be a great customer experience.

What’s more, customer experience has changed greatly in today’s marketplace. Beyond interfacing in-person, it has evolved into an exciting and innovative technology-based space.

While customer service is as important as ever, there’s broader aspects to the customer experience. The customer experience of today gives way to creating stronger customer relationships in tandem with technology.

Creating a Superior Customer Experience

It goes without saying that favorable customer service will likely open the door for a positive customer experience outcome. Toward that end, it’s critical that your business has a customer service team with the right skills to evaluate and manage the needs of the customer.

Team members must have high levels of patience, understanding, and empathy in order to serve a range of customers and personalities. The key is to build strong relationships that create a blueprint for success.

An effective customer service team will be engaging and interactive with the customer. From keeping records of previous interactions to offering a friendly interaction with each and every customer, a customer service team should be excited about the opportunity to create a positive customer experience.

Customer engagement can be a taxing career. From exercising problem solving skills to dealing with difficult customers, a company’s customer service team needs their employer to offer them the tools they need to succeed. This may include an incentive program, a handsome benefits package, or a culture offering work/life balance.

ActionCOACH RGV Offers Tools to Create a Positive Customer Experience While Growing Your Business

Whether you’re an established business or are just getting started as an entrepreneur, the experienced team at ActionCOACH RGV have the knowledge to help you create positive cash flow and increase revenue through improving customer experiences.

Joining ActionCOACH RGV offers a pathway to help you better leverage the tools you need to succeed.

Join our Founders U Program to learn more.