There are many moving parts in play when trying to explain, let alone execute, an exceptional customer experience. It truly takes a village and a good <\/span>customer experience strategy <\/span>to get things done effectively.\u00a0 Staying on top of your <\/span>CX strategy<\/span> is vital as<\/span> customer behavior <\/span>and digital channels of engagement continue to change how business is done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But it\u2019s easy to be overwhelmed even before you get started. How do you prioritize the endless list of online and offline opportunities within your customer journey? Take a breath\u2014 we\u2019re here to help break things down for you.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an overview of what we\u2019ll be covering in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin with what \u2018<\/span>customer experience\u2019<\/span>\u00a0means. The term refers to the sum of a customer\u2019s perception of your business. It\u2019s the result of every interaction they have, and the experience varies based on the extent of the exchange, who it\u2019s with, and their general expectations before and after said interaction. Fortunately, there are many ways you can ensure each <\/span>customer experience<\/span><\/a> is consistently high in quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A \u2018<\/span>customer experience strategy\u2019<\/b>\u00a0is the actionable plan to deliver a <\/span>meaningful, positive <\/span>experience across every interaction between the customer and your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n Customer experience is increasingly recognized as a powerful means of differentiating your business from its competitors. <\/span>That\u2019s why about <\/span>83%<\/span> of business decision-makers plan to increase their budgets to improve customer experience in 2023, according to Forrester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike variables such as price or product range, <\/span>customer experience becomes your consistent, unshakeable competitive advantage by creating opportunities for strong, resilient customer relationships over time. <\/span><\/p>\n Warren Buffett once said, \u201cIt takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you\u2019ll do things differently.\u201d His statement strikes the core impact of having a customer experience strategy: mitigating customer churn. <\/span>74% of consumers<\/span> are likely to buy based on experiences alone and it\u2019s hard to earn back trust once lost.1<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Secondly, customer-centric companies are <\/span>60% more profitable than companies that don\u2019t focus on customers<\/span>.2<\/sup> Why? That\u2019s because better, more consistent experiences forge deeper loyalties. Loyal customers<\/a> are <\/span>five times<\/span> more likely to purchase again and four times more likely to refer the company to people they know and work with.3<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n The first step to developing a customer experience strategy is identifying and charting out all the customer-facing components that impact your customer experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Who are your customers? What do they need? <\/span>What are their goals, challenges, and pain points?<\/span> How do your customers contact you? What forms can communication take? <\/span>What creates good and bad experiences?<\/span><\/p>\n Start by identifying the distinct segments within your customer base and creating detailed customer personas for each of these segments. Then, map out the detailed, end-to-end journeys across different processes or departments, covering multiple <\/span>customer touch points<\/span><\/a> within your company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Remember, the overall customer experience you provide is a culmination of the various interactions your customers have with different teams of your organization.<\/span><\/p>\n Related resource:<\/b> Your guide to mapping customer journeys + FREE customer journey map templates<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n As important as it is to know customer expectations and needs, it\u2019s equally essential to align your CX strategy with your overall organizational goals and vision.<\/span><\/p>\n What is your company\u2019s vision? How do you hire front-line employees? What internal processes interact with the customer experience? <\/span>What is your <\/span>customer support<\/span><\/a> philosophy?<\/span><\/p>\n Knowing the answers to these questions enables you to prioritize and define the customer experience objectives contributing to your company\u2019s overarching business goals. Float your CX vision, priorities, and goals across your company so that all your employees are invested in offering great customer experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n Once your CX priorities and goals are defined, articulate what success should look like when your customer experience strategy is implemented. Customer experience metrics and KPIs allow you to measure, follow up, and review the impact of your CX strategy. A few commonly used CX metrics include,<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 <\/span>Customer Satisfaction <\/b>scores <\/span>(CSAT)<\/b> measure <\/span>customer satisfaction<\/span><\/a> on a numeric scale gathered from well-framed <\/span>customer satisfaction surveys<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 <\/span>Net Promoter Score (NPS)<\/b> gauges customer loyalty and advocacy by measuring customers\u2019 likelihood of recommending your product or service.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 <\/span>Customer Effort Score (CES)<\/b> tracks how effortless it is for customers to interact with your business.<\/span><\/p>\n Related resource: <\/b>25+ Vital customer experience metrics<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n What platforms do you use to manage your <\/span>customer interactions<\/span><\/a>? What software do you already have for managing the customer experience, such as help desks or <\/span>CRMs<\/span><\/a>?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Review your existing processes and tools to see which of them are hindering or helping you achieve your customer experience goals. Determine the tangible value you reap from these tools and see if trimming, upgrading, or investing in new customer experience management tools will empower your team to deliver exceptional customer experiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Adobe<\/span> research determined that companies with the strongest omnichannel customer engagement strategies enjoy a 10% Y-O-Y growth, a 10% increase in average order value, and a 25% increase in close rates.4<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Simply offering multiple channels for customers to contact you isn\u2019t enough. You also need to provide consistent customer support across channels using historical context without having customers repeat themselves when switching between two channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n An omnichannel help desk can make this goal easier. Find customer information easily with a 360-view of all their engagement and respond to different channels from a single page without switching tabs.<\/span><\/p>\n According to a <\/span>Freshworks study<\/span><\/a>, 76% of consumers globally prefer to \ufb01rst try to solve issues on their own before contacting support. So, empowering them to help themselves with the right information should be a priority in your digital customer experience strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nearly 50% of consumers expect a response to social media questions or complaints within an hour, with <\/span>18% expecting an immediate response<\/span>.5<\/sup> To meet or exceed these expectations, it\u2019s critical to implement technology that helps customer service teams deliver quality support, quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example, deploying agent-facing AI and automation<\/a> helps offer faster resolutions with contextual assistance that makes agents better at their jobs. When you\u2019re using a modern help desk, there are many different ways you can reply faster, without needing to hire more agents:<\/span><\/p>\n A good customer experience strategy has a big positive impact on your sales. <\/span>49% of buyers<\/span> have made impulse purchases after receiving a more personalized experience.6<\/sup> Being able to personalize every interaction makes each customer feel cared for. To do so:<\/span><\/p>\n Only <\/span>one out of every 26 customers<\/span> is likely to bring up their complaints directly to you.7<\/sup> The other 25 customers will simply take their business elsewhere without a word. Be proactive with surveys, web forms, or Net Promoter Score (NPS) programs, read through their comments, suggestions, and opinions to see what they expect from you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Future-proof your customer experience by keeping a finger on the pulse of your customers\u2019 desires, even as they are constantly evolving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Take Adidas, for example. The company began pouring resources into creating a customized customer experience by personalizing its digital messaging and content based on insights from customer data, user engagement, and customer feedback. Through this lens, they discovered a desire from their customers for more sustainable goods. This led Adidas to begin producing shoes from ocean waste, selling 1 million pairs in just one year.8<\/sup> <\/span><\/p>\n By investing in a <\/span>customer feedback<\/span><\/a>-first CX strategy, you can change your company\u2019s growth trajectory and even establish yourself as a frontrunner in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n Related resource: <\/b>The<\/span> Freshdesk-Opinyin integration<\/span><\/a> to gather feedback by tracking customer sentiment from support tickets<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few examples of how peers combine data from online and offline CX initiatives to create a compelling customer experience strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n After experiencing petering growth in the early 2000s, Microsoft partnered with B2B customers, sharing best practices and building new products. As a result, Microsoft not only got the boost it needed, but it democratized access to the type of technology that empowered businesses and their teams to get the job done right.<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft also began to invest more in its <\/span>social media presence<\/span>. Currently, they have a strong presence on Twitter with multiple accounts dedicated to various themes, including careers, development, events, security, and, of course, customer service. By utilizing social media in this way, Microsoft\u2019s customers can interact and engage with nearly every aspect of the brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The takeaway:<\/b> Ask questions through social media platforms using polls, surveys, chats, and forums. Seek constant feedback to get a 360-degree view of your <\/span>customer\u2019s journey<\/span><\/a> as it evolves\u2014 not just after the initial interaction\u2014 so that you can learn the where, when, and the why touchpoints are to renovate current or initiate new processes.<\/span><\/p>\n Airbnb is, arguably, the epitome of personalized customer experiences because they have a firm grip of the two different types of customers in their industry \u2014 those looking to rent out their place and those looking for a place to stay. As a result, Airbnb has exponentially simplified the search experience for both audiences by providing them both on the same platform.<\/span><\/p>\n The takeaway:<\/b> Don\u2019t be afraid to let your customers lead. Understand that your customers do not exist within a binary and that there might be other essential use cases for you to offer service. Keep your eyes ever-peeled for potential opportunities to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The already ingenious grandfather of the delivered-right-to-your-door mattress company struck innovation again in 2016 when they created a free chatbot for insomniacs with the initiative to \u201cmake 3 A.M. a little less lonely.\u201d By texting \u201cInsomnobot3000,\u201d customers can talk to the chatbot about whatever is on their mind, offering them a real conversation. But wait, there\u2019s more.<\/span><\/p>\n The Insomnobot3000 option isn\u2019t just for helping insomniacs get to sleep. Through the chatbot, Casper can collect data and send promotional offers and discounts. <\/span>After the first year of the chatbot\u2019s launch, Casper pulled in $100 million in sales.<\/span><\/p>\n The takeaway:<\/b> Make it easy for customers to connect with you on their channel of choice<\/span> and humanize the customer experience as you do so. <\/span><\/p>\n As you can see, there is no exact right way to go about creating a customer experience strategy, but there are definite patterns to help your brand become more successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Listen to your customers and seek constant feedback, not just after the initial interaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cultivate a healthy sense of company pride by taking a people-first approach so your employees like what they do, and exceed expectations in delighting your customers to forge stronger customer loyalty and lifetime value.<\/span><\/p>\n Taking these touchstones into account, you will surely create a successful customer experience strategy that guarantees long-term <\/span>profitability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Source:<\/sup>What is a customer experience strategy?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Why is a good CX strategy so important?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Your CX strategy impacts customer retention:<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
Customer experience strategy helps scale revenue growth:<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
4 steps to building an effective customer experience strategy<\/b><\/h2>\n
Step 1: Understand your customer needs and journeys<\/b><\/h3>\n
Step 2: Define your company\u2019s customer experience vision<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"CX](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/24154916\/CX-Priority-Report-blog-banner.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStep 3: Identify relevant CX metrics to track progress<\/b><\/h3>\n
Step 4: Assess and optimize your CX technology stack<\/b><\/h3>\n
5 Customer experience strategy best practices<\/b><\/h2>\n
#1 Invest in an omnichannel experience<\/b><\/h3>\n
#2 Make self-service your first line of defense<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"chatbots](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/23183405\/Chatbot-feature-customization.png\")
<\/p>\n#3 Offer speedy customer service<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
#4 Create personalized customer experiences<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
#5 Take your customers\u2019 voice seriously with feedback surveys<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Visual](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/21185350\/Visual-representation-of-customer-feedback.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16151645\/adidas.png\")
<\/p>\n3 Exceptional customer experience strategy examples<\/b><\/h2>\n
#1 Microsoft<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16150405\/microsoft.png\")
#2 Airbnb<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Airbnb:](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16150810\/Airbnb-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16151324\/airbnb-2-1.png\")
#3 Casper Mattress<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/blog-assets.freshworks.com\/freshdesk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16151452\/insomnobot.png\")
Go forth and strategize<\/b><\/h2>\n
1. https:\/\/www.treasuredata.com\/resources\/forbes-insights-proving-the-value-of-cx\/<\/a><\/sup>
2.