How is Your Customer Experience?

Small Business

Apr 20

If you’re in business, it should be a no-brainer that good customer service is a priority. It's how you build that loyal customer following!

Knowing that it should be a priority, and knowing how to make it a priority, are two different beasts.

Let’s talk a little about what customer service, also known as customer experience, actually means. Your customers’ experience includes any interactions with your business, from first contact through closing the sale, and beyond.

With any luck, your customers have such a positive experience that they become repeat - or lifelong - customers.

If a consumer has a positive customer experience, they are much more likely to not only continue doing business with you, but they’re also more likely to recommend you to others. This can be anything from a simple word-of-mouth recommendation to a friend to a glowing online review that captures how hard you work to make sure your customers feel valued.

There are a few simple ways that you can make sure that your customers have exceptionally good experiences with your business.

First, know who your customers are!

What are their needs and wants? What problem are you solving for them? You can only provide the right solution if you know what your customers are looking for. Besides being able to provide excellent service, knowing your customer base well makes it easier to determine what kind of content and marketing messages will resonate with them.

Once you know how your customer base is, find ways to build a connection with them. Provide goods and services that demonstrate your desire to earn their trust and loyalty.

This includes ensuring a great customer experience even after the sale.

We’ve all been there - a business makes a mistake (as every business does!), but handles and remedies it so well that we’re even more impressed than if everything had gone smoothly. We’re all human. How you handle the human errors that are bound to happen says volumes about the ethos of your business.

Determining if your company is providing exceptional service means asking for feedback. Customer surveys are one way to do this. Monitoring and responding promptly to online reviews also help paint a complete picture of how people feel about your business.

Just collecting information about your customers’ experiences isn’t enough. Successful companies are constantly analyzing feedback from customers to determine how they can improve. Listen to your customers when they offer you less than stellar feedback. Often, they will tell you how you can improve!

If you’re truly invested in providing superior customer service, you’ll look for ways to implement measures and improve processes to prevent poor experiences from happening.

Great customer service is the hallmark of a successful business.

There are some tried and true steps you can implement to help you toward your customer service goals, and we know a few shortcuts. Just ask!

Ultimately, taking the time to learn from, connect with, and listen to your customer base helps ensure their experiences with your business keep them coming back for more!