Customer Experience is more important than Price or Product & Five Fun Facts!

In 2022, nearly 2000 business leads were surveyed and they said the number one priority for 2023 and the next five years for their business was enhancing the Customer Experience.

Not only that here are five fun facts...

1 - 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience

2 - 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after receiving a more personalised experience

3 - 57% of customers won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile and 50% of customers will stop visiting it, even if they like the business

4 - 68% of customers leave an organisation because of a perceived attitude indifference

5 - 84% of organisations working to improve customer service report an increase in revenue

I am going to focus on number five because I have been part of and driven teams to do this very thing.

When people ask me what the single most important thing is to driving up numbers, I say a great customer experience. It's a no brainer.

Price - well most people are willing to overlook the price for an amazing experience. Why else when you go to a show and you step into the luxury clothes wear company outlet do they hand you a glass of bubbly? Yes you may relax more to get that credit card out, but you feel valued, having an experience and you are more likely to have a smooth customer experience and spend money for that. I have to admit, I am time poor and I will always pay that little bit extra to a speedy and smooth service.

Product - well some products are not where they need to be, but great authentic marketing and a great customer experience can glaze over that.

As you can see - its all about the experience and why? Millennials are the power house of purchasers and they like an experience. Gen Z will follow this wanting more socially responsible and ethical products on top.

Today, I rang up two companies to sort two issues out. I won't name them, but one was absolutely exceptional and one for abysmal (the latter was an energy company!)

The first company, the member of staff voice and tone really resonated with the brand she was representing. I instantly felt reassured and I trusted her. She was clear and helpful with her language, listened to my concerns and from my perception had all the technology at her finger tips to sort out and resolve my issue. It was amazing. She said she was going to put a note on my file in case the situation had not resolved with the payment company attached to my order. I believed her. When banks and utilities say that, I know I will be ringing up in a few weeks and they won't have any information about a previous conversation.

This company clearly cares about its brand, hires people who represent it on the phone well, and gives them the tech to ensure customers issues are resolved. I was never put on hold and it was sorted in 8 minutes and 13 seconds according to my phone log. I have come away with a feeling of being listened too, my custom valued and my issue resolved. The company obviously invests in its people and training.

The second company took 46 minutes and 34 seconds to resolve what I had thought was resolved in September when i rang then and spent 31 minutes and 10 seconds on the phone. The member of staff talked quickly and quietly, did not listen and did not make me feel reassured that the utility company would sort out my issue. I wish I had been dealing with the 'Which' preferred company of 8 years running but alas... no! The member of staff left me on hold twice, sounded like to did not care, did not have the ability to sort out my issue to my satisfaction. Obviously they don't invest in their staff and don't pick the right staff to elevate their brand.

So you can see, just from two touch points today how easy it is to create the best service.

Customer Experience is the New Marketing Battleground!