Reimagining customer experience in The New Normal

There is an emotional aspect linked to every relationship, which also holds true for the connection between people and brands. Customers focus on how businesses treat them. Customer experience management plays an important role in providing a delightful customer experience. The definition of customer experience has taken a new dimension due to the crisis. Companies, who care, innovate and keep a continuous track of the changing habits of the customers will help them build strong relationships that will endure for the long term. An act of kindness from brands has a major impact on people. They’ll remember who helped them in times of need. Genuine care, transparency, and credibility are qualities that now matter most to today’s customers. And building your customer experience strategy on the basis of these will be the game-changer.

The core of exceptional customer experience: Empathy

Your business’s relationship with customers is not built overnight. It is nourished by the experiences that the consumers go through along different channels in their journey. These experiences must satisfy their expectations, which will lead to a sense of trust and loyalty.

If your most important stakeholder is a human being, you need to understand that the definition of customer experience has changed as they are craving for comfort and connection nowadays. There is a need for brand action to help address the challenges of their customers.

71% of customers agree that if in a crunch situation, a brand is putting profit over people, then they’ll lose trust in the brand forever. (Source)

So, instead of focusing on increasing the market share and profits, the focus should be on providing the customers the support and the comfort they are looking for. Customers care about accurate and quick information. And customer mindset has developed to value emotional connection even more so as the days pass by. Best prices and a great marketing campaign might not have the same effect when compared to emotional intelligence and care in the time of crisis and post-crisis. Instead of selling their product, businesses have to reach out to customers to help them, prioritize their convenience and comfort to provide the best solutions.

Anticipate customers’ needs through reliable data

The foremost aim of any delightful customer experience is to anticipate customers’ needs utilizing a strong CRM (customer relationship management) strategy. Once knowing what they want to be based on data such as past purchasing behavior and offers, provide them with it before they ask for it. This way, you not only sell the products but win customers’ hearts through this proactive service. Whether you are a B2B or B2C company, the way to a customers’ heart is to proactively act upon customer needs and resolve their concerns. In return, they will spend money on your product/service which will be truly profitable for your company.

Besides, if you are looking to expand your products/services, be mindful of customers’ preferences. Always consider it as the best possible marketing strategy. The customers should be at the center of every initiative. In order to understand your customers better, pay close attention to their past purchasing behaviors and buying patterns. Think wisely, whether an expansion in the product or service line will attract and satisfy the customers or not. Use CRM data analytics to be absolutely sure.

You can create ways for the customers to share their ideas or requirements on new products/services or expansions. Build platforms for them where they can share their idea, feedback on your product/service. This will make the customers hooked up with your brand and the insights will give you a better understanding of their expectations and needs. Therefore it will be easy for you to cater according to their needs and score lots of brownie points.

Find ways to make digital more human

There are different channels through which B2C companies encounter customers: physical, digital, and telephonic. Till now, there have been efforts put to maximize digital presence to make the experiences simple for a customer. But now, human interactions have to be embedded wherever possible as a customer seeks a human touch to establish trust.

A 2018 report by PwC showed that 59% of global consumers felt that companies had lost touch with the human element of customer experience, and 75% of the customers preferred to interact with a human versus with an automated machine. (Source)

Today, people are craving a human touch. As consumers try to adjust to the changing market equations, where buying, selling, and consulting would be more or less online, strong customer experience solutions are needed. To retain and maximize engagement, solutions to cater to customer lifecycles are the need of the hour.

Besides, it’s crucial to recognize how your business puts a smile on customers’ face and make their lives better. As an enterprise, you must communicate this idea in your organization’s mission statement. This will resonate with your workers, then they will find joy in serving customers. They will go a little extra mile to cover the customer issues. Indeed, it will boost your brand reputation among potential buyers.

How can Maxicus help businesses adapt?

Maxicus, as an outsourcing partner for brands across industries, has built solutions to make customer lives simpler. With expertise in CX solutions along with a strong background in customer engagement, Maxicus co-creates business models to ease specific pain points. From Customer Lifecycle Management to Revenue Growth & Lead Generation – leading brands have trusted Maxicus to cater to their customers.

To find out more about how we can help your business navigate through the new normal, reach out to us.