Five years ago we already saw an increasing growth in the number of companies, large and small, new and established, that decided to base their strategy on experience. Over the last five years, customer needs have been placed at the centre of what a company needs to do, above the product to be sold. Statistics show that people are much more interested in how they are treated, and this is where we need to go deeper.
CX is no longer just a trend, it has become a mainstay that is here to stay. Smart companies are using technology to monitor and improve this discipline, which translates into higher revenues and profits. But how has what initially seemed like a fad managed to take hold, how has it managed to take root and become a key strategy for the future of a corporation? At Brain Trust CS we are going to focus on 4 basic aspects:
- Emotional.
Customers establish an emotional link between the brand and certain experiences. From personalised service, to web usability and in-store infrastructure, our perception depends on how we are made to feel at different touch points. Apple users remain loyal despite products costing three times more than others with similar features and performance. This is because the Apple multinational takes great care of the emotional sphere, eliciting enormous trust in response. Therefore a superior experience becomes an irresistible offer for the consumer, assuming that they will not get the same level of quality if they go to the competition. Optimising each interaction properly will generate relationships based on engagement and drive repeat purchases.
- Satisfaction.
To improve satisfaction, it is essential to develop the right experience-based strategy. Nowadays we have to focus on an experience that takes place at each and every one of the touchpoints, so that we can offer an optimum level of service. For this reason, we must know what the different audiences demand, as well as their expectations of the brand. The case of the App launched by BBVA is worth taking as a reference, as its simple design, ease of use and availability on different devices have led it to lead the ratings of its customers.
- Virality.
Whenever an expectation is exceeded, the need arises to share this fact with the world. With a good Customer Experience strategy we can achieve an army of loyalists by publishing good references on different social channels. By reaching out to evangelists, we will be able to reach an increasingly larger audience, contributing to a positive perception of our brand. On the other hand, nowadays it is very common for an angry customer to post their verdict on the internet after a bad experience, either through their Facebook status or messages on the official account, through tweets, mentions and conversations. This can spell disaster for a company's image, as once words are on the web, they cannot be invisible. AirBnb provides a quick and efficient response across different platforms, be it via phone, email, Twitter or Facebook, which has ensured a very favourable experiential feedback stream.
- Competitiveness.
Customer experience is the only sustainable competitive advantage we can bet on today. With commoditisation, we have reached a point of no return where a company can only differentiate itself through two strategies: providing a unique experience or offering the lowest prices. As users increasingly value personalised interactions with their favourite brands, it is important for corporations to reach out to them in a way that goes beyond the usual brand-consumer relationship. Ticketmaster recently undertook a technology upgrade initiative for its customer-facing contact centres to improve service and satisfaction, further global expansion and reduce operating costs. Thanks to these modifications, it remains highly competitive, maintaining its status as the world's leading ticketing company.
