Apart from price and quality, the most important factor that consumers care about is their experience with a brand. A brand can have great products at affordable prices. However, if the customer service and experience are unsatisfactory, the entire brand perception becomes bleak.
Delivering excellent customer service can help organisations build long-term loyalty and profitability. Because of this, marketers should devote time and resources to delivering exceptional client experiences.
Customer experience is described as “the sum of a customer’s encounters with your brand”. It examines the customer’s lifecycle, charting each and every interaction the consumer has with a brand. It identifies areas where a brand is providing a great experience, resulting in increased loyalty and advocacy. And if they are providing a horrible experience, clients will likely give a bad review and go to the competition.
The key goal of every organisation should be to provide a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints in order to meet the expectations of both companies and customers. It is critical to keep an eye on the entire customer journey to ensure that brands give a great experience. This ensures superior service. For any type of business, a superior experience becomes a valuable and unique advantage.
Social media is a platform that consumers have found a place for sharing their brand experiences. Often, we have seen people complain about fast food outlets either delivering the wrong order or people stating their dissatisfaction with the quality of the food. Brands are always quick to rectify orders but fail to adjust the customer journey all together.
I have always wondered why food outlets such as McDonald’s and Burger King have not found their way to us. One may argue that our population is disadvantageous or lack of funds could it be that when it comes to customer experience we fail to adhere to global standards? Ideally, what you eat here should taste the same in another place. KFC dunked wings, for example, are in my opinion the Hail Mary of wings but I can guarantee you that the dunked wings at Tlokweng, Riverwalk and Airport Junction taste different. This should not be the case.
Marketers do an incredible job when advertising foods, but in order to avoid post-purchase dissonance, the ‘turf war’ that inhibits establishment of a cohesive customer experience plan must be broken down by the marketing and service teams. Undoubtedly, outstanding customer service and effective marketing strategies are critical for any organisation, but they are only one aspect of a customer’s experience.
To deliver a great customer experience, pay attention to customer feedback and, if necessary, take action to improve your operations, be relevant and knowledgeable on trends. Continuously improve your customer experience strategy, understand when and why your customers act the way they do as well as what influences their purchasing decisions. This not only helps you to personalise your interactions with them but it also raises the possibility that they will engage with you because you provide information when they need it.
There are several factors to consider, but the most important is to remember that a CX strategy is about providing a positive experience for your customers. This leads to sales, repeat business, increased brand loyalty, and word-of-mouth referrals, as well as fewer customer complaints, negative reviews, and product returns, all of which benefit the company and its overall success.
Unpacking Customer Experience
