Customer behavior changes very often, especially now in times of uncertainty. Corona pandemic changed our lives to the point that some of our regular activities were no longer possible, and we needed to adapt. But this meant that businesses needed to adapt and do it fast so they could answer customers' needs. Online shopping, new ways of communication, adapted offerings, new ways of promotion were just a couple of the things that had to change.
Businesses had to redefine the customer experience they were offering to answer the needs of customers and the change in their behavior. And the truth is that customer expectations now are higher than ever. This is why brands should be able to respond to that and achieve a seamless customer experience. But what exactly should you change and why? You can't just reinvent your whole workflow without knowing if this will actually lead to success. Keep reading to understand better the consumer context and how you should redefine your customer experience based on it.
Customer experience – then and now
A couple of major things have changed over the past years, and the primary reason is the COVID-19 pandemic that changed our world so much. Here are a couple of critical factors that transformed the perception of CX from the business side:
- Collecting and analyzing detailed customer data — A lot of data was collected by companies already, but it wasn't used at its max potential. Many businesses had terabytes of information that they never analyzed in detail. Data holds the key to optimizing your customer experience to answer all the needs of your potential and existing customers. Once the pandemic started, brands began appreciating data more and analyzing it better and quicker to understand the fast-changing user behavior.
- Customer communication became a major factor — The way of communicating with clients and offering them support suddenly became a bigger priority. How you interacted with customers during especially the first months of the pandemic was crucial. People were trying to adapt to the new way of living, which made them more demanding, so if they weren't receiving the help they needed, they were less willing to make compromises and stick with a product.
- Thinking about the customer journey as a whole — Many businesses divided the customer journey into different parts like a top, middle, and button of the funnel or pre-sales and post-sales, but the coherence between those wasn't perfect. The messaging and even the brand voice could've changed in a split second once you change your place in the customer journey. But this is not always the right tactic. You need to make the user journey as smooth as possible without any bumps on the road. Even if the communication is handled by different people at different points of the user journey, the customer shouldn't even notice the change.
Redefining customer experience
There were many things to be done in a very short period of time to stay on top of the pandemic and improve your customer experience. But there were some key ones that companies identified quickly, and the ones that implemented them early were more successful. Let's have a look.
Personalization
One of the major changes that customers were expecting was to receive the personalized messaging and offers they wanted. When your social contacts are very limited, having a brand to treat you as an individual was something we all needed. And customers are still expecting that even after our lives went back to normal to some extent.
If you want to stand out from the crowd, you will have to personalize the customer experience. We are receiving so many emails a day, and if yours isn't catching the customer's attention from first glance, you are losing a potential sale. Personalize your customer communication and also try to do the same for the user journey on your site if possible. This will undoubtedly lead to success.
Adapt your messaging
Try to make digital experiences more human-like. We know that shopping online is not the same as shopping in person with the help of a shop assistant, but shopping online with the help of a virtual one or chat support can be just a bit like it. Try to adapt your messaging and make people feel that you are there for them. Humanizing your brand voice will make the gap between you and your customers a bit smaller.
In this way, customers will be more willing to choose your brand and stick to it because you show them empathy and compassion. Understanding is something every person appreciates and looks for. So, if a person is getting it from your brand, they will stay loyal to you.
Make the customer experience efficient
Efficiency was always important but now even more. Before the pandemic, we usually had less time to spend on our phones and computers and interact with brands online. However, the limitation that was imposed changed that. Many brands thought, okay, people now have more time, and they are not in a hurry, so what should we further optimize the efficiency of the customer experience? People indeed had more time to browse online, but they also had less patience.
The changes imposed on us made us less tolerant and less patient. We wanted everything to happen fast and exactly as we wanted it because it gave us some sense of control. This is why if a customer had to go through 10 different steps before actually getting where they wanted to go, it wasn't really working for them. Making the customer journey and experience efficient is crucial, and it will give you better chances to decrease your bounce and churn rates.
The importance of CX in the consumer context
A happy customer will most likely come back to you and maybe also share their experience with other people and bring you more potential clients. This is why customer experience is crucial. You need to make it very pleasant and efficient by offering customers exactly what they need. Try different approaches until you find the perfect way to attract and nurture customers. Adapt it whenever needed to answer the changes in the market and customers' behavior. Offering the best possible customer experience will pay back in no time.
