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We are all consumers of some sort, so why when it comes to our own business does the customer experience (CX) tend to come considerably down the list of areas of focus? In the end without their placing an order or custom, the business, no matter how good the product it is offering, how great the technology invested in, they will go elsewhere.
Going by market trends, CX will overtake price and product as the key differentiator in many consumer’s minds. Top that with research that 55% of customers would pay extra for a better service, it is apparent that a dissatisfied customer is the biggest threat to a brand and a happy customer is its biggest evangelizer. It has now become abundantly clear that customer experience is as important as other traditional business functions. The question therefore is – how do we create a culture and environment where CX is seen as a core part of your business? The following are a few potential steps among others that will improve the CX for your business. Sell credibility The sales tactics of an era gone by, where customers were lulled, lured and sometimes intimidated into buying are now relegated to the annals of history. Customers today are armed with information, have methodically researched alternatives before making a decision. (This is even true for the automotive industry, which used to be counted as one of the most stressful buying experiences). In these times, coming across as transparent and credible are the two most important customer experience factors. The task in front of you is to train your sales people to be transparent and credible, that can win the hearts and minds of customers. Focus on improving customer service Your customer service organization is the most important source of your customer experience statistics. According to the US chamber of commerce, a whopping 68% of customers leave because they are upset with the treatment they received while interacting with customer service and US brands are losing approximately $41 billion due to poor customer service. However, the statistics are effectively reversed when customers are impressed with customer service, which means that a great customer service bespeaks itself as a great marketing tool. A great customer service experience acts as a vehicle for customer retention, loyalty and new customers by word of mouth reference. Define your customer experience vision Lastly, while it borders on cliché, defining the vision for customer experience is different from the norm. When you define your vision for CX, it should be bereft of materialistic results of improving margins or revenue. Why? When you focus on revenue, you are going to fall into the trap of metricizing the true potential of what you would want your customers to experience. Treat company performance and revenue as the by-products of what you envision your customers to experience. For a certain entrepreneur turned philanthropist, putting a personal computer in every home led to the computing revolution we are grateful for. The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing. ~ John Russell Know what your customers want most and what your company does best. Focus on where those two meet. ~ Kevin Stirtz
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Some days you just need a little inspiration—that extra nudge that encourages you to keep pushing forward. We’ve compiled some of our favorite motivational quotes every small business owner should read. Feel free to share this with the entrepreneur in your life!
“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” –Robert H. Schuller It’s a powerful thought, isn’t it? So many things we fail to accomplish are things we never pursue out of fear of failure. Next time you’re faced with a business decision, ask yourself: what would I do if I was certain I’d be successful? “Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘make me feel important.’ Never forget this message when working with people.” – Mary Kay Ash This simple visualization is a wonderful way to approach customer service and employee engagement. At the end of the day, if you make the customer or team member feel anything other than important, you likely haven’t succeeded. “Starting a business is a lot like jumping out of an airplane and assembling the parachute on the way down.” –Unknown It’s a feeling all small business owners relate to—flying by the seat of your pants for weeks or even months at a time. But it’s how we learn things, and how we learn to adapt. The most successful small business owners are the ones who know how to figure things out on the fly! “Sheer persistence is the difference between success and failure.” – Donald Trump “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs Both Trump and Jobs are saying essentially the same thing: perseverance pays. Think about your biggest accomplishment. It’s likely you didn’t achieve it without a few challenges along the way. Now imagine if, just before you reached the turning point of success, you’d let that last mistake or adversity cause you to give up. Your persistence is what gets you past that last hurdle and on to success. “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” –Unknown Those late nights, early mornings and weekends spent at your desk will pay off in the end. “Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.” – Zig Ziglar What a wonderful way to look at customer complaints. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If you have a clear opportunity to improve, then you have a clear opportunity to attract more customers. |
AuthorMark Huddleston is MD, Non-Exec, Skills, Employability & Productivity Advocate. Providing support to regional / local government and SME's Archives
June 2025
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