Creating a positive customer experience goes beyond mere customer service. Your CX strategy should ensure customer satisfaction at every touchpoint. But how do you know if your approach to CX is actually working?
By paying attention to your metrics and customer behavior, you can measure the effectiveness of your current CX model. Here are some signs that your company’s CX might need some work.
1. Outdated Customer Journeys
The customer journey maps out the ideal path that a client will take while interacting with your company. This includes every step from the initial discovery to their customer review. A detailed understanding of the customer journey is key to providing quality CX. However, some companies fail to update these pathways.
Remember, your customer data should inform your customer journey model. Use an experience management platform to collect behavioral data and client feedback. This will help you develop a roadmap based on actual metrics rather than guesses.
2. Low Customer Retention
Customers not sticking around? Your CX could be to blame. Great CX design not only boosts leads, but customer loyalty as well. You want to build a relationship with your first-time patrons that ensures repeat visits. If your copy and customer interactions aren’t hitting the sales sweet spot, it’s time to take a second look.
Customers could be jumping ship for a number of reasons. Perhaps they’re unsatisfied with the service they received. Maybe they haven’t connected with your values and so purchased from another company. Sit down with your team and analyze every touchpoint. And when in doubt, ask your customers.
3. High Bounce Rate
When it comes to CX and SEO, bounce rate is a key metric. This data point shows how many customers visited your website without clicking through to another page. In other words, you’re looking at customers that “bounced” after just a few seconds. If your bounce rate is high, making some adjustments to your CX strategy may help.
Consider what might be missing from the page. What copy might entice customers to click a button? How can you better capture their attention? Often, a small change can make all the difference.
4. Poor Customer Satisfaction Scores
While customer service is only one part of CX, it plays a significant role. One disgruntled patron might not accurately portray your CX strategy. However, your CX might need some work if your customer satisfaction scores are consistently low.
Companies should be collecting qualitative and quantitative data from customers about their overall experience. Look for patterns in this feedback when reviewing surveys. You’ll likely find ways to improve your customer service overall.
Online reviews are another source of insight. Consider what customers are complaining about the most. Was it a confusing interactive voice response menu or website layout? They might bring up negative interaction with sales employees. Raise this feedback with your team (after responding thoughtfully to the customer, of course).
5. Overemphasis on Demographics
Some companies make the mistake of relying too heavily on demographics to inform their CX strategy. However, CX involves not only who your customers are, but what they’re doing. While demographics still matter, it’s likely time to update your CX strategy if you aren’t taking other data into consideration.
Keep tabs on your experience management program to track customer behavior. Then cater your CX design to fit this behavior, rather than what you estimated it might be. This behavior will likely change often, so be sure that these check-ins happen regularly.
6. Inconsistent Service Strategies
While the call center was once a hub for customer service, clients now seek support from all angles. Your social media profiles, email inbox, phone lines, and chatbots are all part of your customer service strategy. If they aren’t in alignment, you could be sending mixed signals.
Perform an audit of your customer service messaging and note whether the messaging is inconsistent. Customers sending requests through multiple channels might be another red flag to look out for. That suggests they aren’t getting their needs met on their first attempt. If you find any issues, revisit your CX strategy to ensure messaging is the same across platforms.
7. Disengaged Customers
If you’re posting on social media only to hear crickets, you might be dealing with poor customer engagement. And this silence could be a sign that your CX is out of date. Your company wants to interact with customers, even if the customer isn’t actively making a purchase. This interaction is what establishes brand recognition and loyalty.
Increasing customer engagement can take time. Establishing a clear brand image, fine-tuning your online voice, and creating more interesting content are all part of the equation. Your team should also keep tabs on your social data to determine which content types are working.
Remember that customer engagement is a two-way street. Ensure that your social media managers are responding to customers quickly and creating posts consistently.
8. Disengaged Employees
A lack of customers is often a sign of faulty CX. However, disengaged employees might be the sign you’re overlooking. If your employees aren’t tuned into CX, they might be lacking purpose in their everyday jobs. A strong CX strategy engages every department and aligns your company toward the customer.
Your employees are often your best resource. As your company prioritizes CX, ask your staff if they have any ideas. They’re likely seeing shortcomings in everyday client interactions and can provide innovative solutions.
9. Lack of CX Goals
CX is here to stay. Whether you run an online business or brick-and-mortar shop, you’re interacting with customers at dozens of touchpoints per day. However, CX isn’t just about today. You also need to plan for the future.
If you lack a future-focused CX strategy, it’s time to take a second look. It’s important to have a set of measurable goals in place to gauge your products and practices. Tools like predictive analytics can help you set these goals and plan for the future of your company’s CX.
Customer experience is one of the key pillars of modern business. By improving your CX strategy on a regular basis, you’re prioritizing your customers’ happiness. The result? You can expect smooth lead generation, reliable customer retention, and engaged employees. These are the factors that will set your business up for success.