Research continues to reveal, that making your existing customers happy has a direct effect on your businesses revenues. Existing customers spend more than new customers and they will tell others when they are happy. The return on investment (ROI) for actions taken to improve customer experience is therefore measurable and not as long term as you may think.
Developing a delightful customer experience increases your customer lifetime value. Enhancing the customer experience involves making sure your customers receive the best possible product and service interactions, before, during, and after their purchase. To get this right, the customer experience mentality has to be infused in the entire company. Customer service is not a department but the entire company’s responsibility.
This should therefore be integrated into product development, targets, strategy development, complaint and enquiry handling processes, marketing, reporting, lead nurturing, training, shop design and all possible customer interaction areas. In a nutshell, this should be a company-wide priority with an all-hands- on-deck mentality. Here are some tips on how you can improve customer experience in your company.
Consistency
One of the key failures for many businesses is Kenya is the lack of consistency. The business launches with high standards then somewhere down the road, they drop the ball and you begin to notice bulbs that are not working, frayed staff uniforms, torn menu’s, dirty toilets, diluted sauces, distressed furniture, poor service delivery – the list is endless.
Businesses think customers do not notice but they do. Especially those who regularly interact with your products and services. They notice and look for alternatives where they can feel good about spending their money. Business owners on the other hand think the problem is that Kenyan’s are fickle and will always go to the newer establishment. Kenyans are curious and will go to the new establishment to see or be seen then settle on where they feel most comfortable.
The launch of Two Rivers last week, is a good illustration. The marketing has really hyped the mall and everyone (myself included) wanted to go see and maybe get some of the launch deals. It reminds me of when Garden City launch. We can only tell a few months down the road which side the coin will drop. Hopefully Two Rivers will keep the marketing, retail mix and service provided consistent.
Employee buy-in
Staff need to feel involved in the development and execution of the customer experience strategy. It cannot be presented like Trump’s executive orders for them to implement. Get them to understand the why, the how and the vision you have for customer experience. Make giving great service fun and reward, in little ways, those who do an exemplary job at it. Where mistakes happen, do not use it as an opportunity to use fear to drive the point home.
Personalisation
Contrary to what business owners might think, it does not take too much time, effort and money to create an outstanding customer experience. All it takes is a few minutes and the right attitude. Think creatively when it comes to personalisation as little actions in this area have a huge impact on how your customers feel.
70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated
Examples such as taking into consideration the kind of value-adds your customers will appreciate based on their spending patterns, sending a happy birthday message, having a play area for children, writing the customers name on their take-away coffee cup, including private dinning areas in the restaurant and many more let customers know that you put their needs first.
To be continued….
Author: Jacqui Mwangi
Director | Buyology Co. LLC
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