Businesses face a lot of challenges on a daily basis. One of the biggest challenge faced by businesses today is on how to connect and engage effectively with customers. To find success and stand out from competition, organizations must look for innovative solutions which is consistent and personalized.
Customer experience experts agree on one thing though, the most powerful way of creating an effective customer experience is through one on one dialogue, whether its through traditional human connection or technology (ai, bot, etc.). The three important areas of customer experience strategy is personalization, friction-less, and on-demand.
1. Personalization
One of the key topic in customer experience today, personalization is all about giving customers a personalized experience that is specifically tailored for them. Recognizing people’s unique individuality is key in delivering a great customer experience. Personalized interaction is what retains customers and makes them want to come back.
2. Frictionless
Reducing friction is proven to be convenient for customers. Businesses should be aware of the fact that people will pay for convenience. Any product/service which can make life easier for customers will get an edge from the rest. Prices are less relevant for customers when convenience exist.
3. On-Demand
Consumers these days are demanding. When they want something, they want it at that exact moment. For example, think of cable TV services that offers on demand programs. Customers don’t really have to wait for their favorite show to come on or record it to watch later on, they just have to decide what they want and turn on the TV. Another example is Amazon’s Alexa. It has a system which lets people order something without even opening their computer.
While the three concepts might seem simple in theory, it doesn’t necessarily means easy. For example, airlines initially struggled to shift peoples preference of calling the reservations center towards using the online reservation platforms. Customers felt that the self service solution was for airlines to cut cost and save money instead for their own benefits. In order for passengers to try and use the new system, airlines had to educate and offer incentives. Once passengers realized that this was a more convenient and better process, they were inclined to use it and felt happy. Catching up to the innovation took some time, but the result was delivering a better customer experience.
It can be challenging and difficult to embrace change. Often, employee resistance or pre-existing old proven processes can hinder progress. Anticipating how customers will react to change will also be another hurdle for companies to overcome. Customers takes time to adapt to new technology and artificial intelligence. However, if companies do not make these changes, it could prove to be more costly in the long run. Consistent improvement and growth is key in transforming customer experience for the better.
