This article was sponsored by Rio SEO, and the opinions expressed here are the sponsor’s own.
Customer experience (CX) is more than just a buzzword – it significantly influences a customer’s impression of your brand and how they discuss it with friends, family, and business partners. As you consider expanding your CX efforts and optimizing local experiences, you might wonder where to start.
When planning your CX, consider factors such as:
- Local business listings, like your Google Business Profile or Apple Maps presence.
- Online reviews.
- Ease of checkout.
- Customer service channels.
- Facilitation of word-of-mouth marketing.
With all these elements in play, how can you be sure that improving your customer service experience is worthwhile?
Data indicates it’s worth investing time in updating your CX. In fact, 94% of consumers report that a negative review has deterred them from doing business with a company – a key area for improvement.
So, how can you enhance all aspects of your customer experience? This piece will explore five ways to enhance customer experiences and increase your company’s profits efficiently. But first, let’s discuss why enhancing CX is beneficial for your sales.
How Will Improving Customer Experience Help Improve My Sales?
Your prospects have pre-existing expectations before discovering your store online, making it crucial that your brand meets their needs. Building a positive customer experience begins the moment a search is completed for your product or service, encompassing every stage from navigating your website to in-store or online shopping, and even post-sale opportunities for leaving a review.
What Areas of the Shopping Journey Help Influence a Customer’s Purchase?
CX plays a significant role in whether someone chooses to buy from your company. It begins the moment a customer becomes aware of your business and continues through five phases:
- Awareness Phase: Potential customers seek solutions to their problems, often finding you through a local business listing online.
- Consideration Phase: Customers weigh their options. Online reviews play a critical role here, so it’s important they are positive.
- Purchase/Decision Phase: This is when a website visitor becomes a customer.
- Retention Phase: Here, your business solidifies its relationship with the customer, turning them into loyal shoppers through marketing efforts and personalized offers.
- Advocacy Phase: Exceptional CX may lead customers to advocate for your business through positive reviews and word-of-mouth.
Customer perceptions form throughout every stage of the journey, making CX a top priority for businesses across various sectors.
To implement these upgrades with minimal effort, here are five actionable strategies to deliver exceptional service that boosts loyalty and leads to customer advocacy post-sale.
Strategy 1: Optimize Your Local Search Experience With Correct Information
When a potential customer encounters your brand during the awareness phase, their digital journey begins with a search. They find your business listing, which contains essential information like your name, address, and phone number. It’s crucial that this information is accurate, as incorrect details can lead to negative experiences and lost opportunities.
What Accurate Information Should My Google Business Profile Have?
Ensure fields like business name, primary category, description, address, phone number, hours, and website link are accurate. Maintaining updated listings across search engines ensures potential customers can easily reach or find you, creating a positive experience from the start.
Strategy 2: Smoothly Provide Quick Exceptional Customer Service
Manage your customer experience by being responsive across all platforms, including chatbots, Google Q&A, social media, and more. Quick responses are expected by customers, and failing to meet them may lead them to turn to competitors.
Strategy 3: Create A Seamless Purchase Experience
A seamless conversion experience is vital, ensuring there’s no friction regardless of how customers choose to interact, whether online or in-store. Suggestions include simplifying checkout processes, improving site speed, and ensuring CTAs lead to the correct locations.
Strategy 4: Improve Customer Retention
Transform customers into loyal ones by initiating targeted marketing practices and loyalty programs for B2C, and providing in-depth product support for B2B. Maintaining clear and effective communication is crucial in both scenarios.
Strategy 5: Make It Easy For Customers To Leave Reviews & Feedback
Positive customer experiences can lead to positive feedback and reviews which are beneficial for retaining current customers and attracting new ones. Encourage reviews by integrating digital feedback solutions.
Use Streamlined Tools To Upgrade Your Customer Experience
Effective customer experience management meets customers with the right content and information at every stage of the buying experience. Consistent evaluation and refinement using the right tools and technology is essential.
Rio SEO, in collaboration with Forsta, presents an integrated set of Local Experience (LX) solutions designed as a comprehensive local marketing and customer experience platform for enterprise brands.
Image Credits
Featured Image: Rio SEO
