CX

Increasing ROI: The Critical Role of CX

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Increasing roi with cx

One crucial strategy for increasing ROI stands out in today’s business world: making your customers happy. It’s not just a trend; it’s a key to success. Look at Amazon—it’s a great example of how focusing on customer happiness can make a business thrive. Here, we examine why customer happiness is vital for boosting ROI and present six ways to enhance your business’s success by delivering an exceptional customer experience (CX).

Measuring what matters

Customer experience (CX) should be a top priority in every business meeting. You might think, “You would say that as leading UK customer specialists”, but don’t just take our word for it. According to Forrester, businesses prioritising customer experience grow their revenue 1.7 times faster than businesses that don’t.

However, recognising its importance isn’t sufficient. You must demonstrate the impact of customer experiences, good or bad, on your bottom line. Without tangible evidence, convincing company leaders to invest in CX can be an uphill battle. So, while it’s evident that CX is crucial for customer satisfaction, proving its value through measurable ROI is essential for securing the budget and resources to stay competitive.

Six ways CX will improve your ROI

1. Customer Loyalty and Retention:

Why does customer loyalty matter? It’s simple—happy customers stick around. Investing in CX breeds loyalty, reducing the churn rate and the need for constant customer acquisition. As satisfied customers remain loyal, the cost of acquiring new ones diminishes, leading to sustainable growth and an enhanced ROI over time.

2. Repeat Business and Upselling Opportunities

How does CX drive repeat business? When customers have positive experiences, they’re more inclined to return for more. Moreover, a satisfied customer is like fertile ground for upselling. By delighting customers with exceptional experiences, businesses create opportunities to cross-sell or upsell additional products or services, further bolstering revenue streams.

3. Positive Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Why is word-of-mouth marketing so potent? It’s built on trust. Delighted customers don’t just keep their positive experiences to themselves; they share them with others. This organic promotion by satisfied customers is invaluable, attracting new business at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising and increasing ROI in the process.

4. Reduced Customer Service Costs

How does CX impact customer service costs? Simply put, fewer complaints mean fewer resources expended on resolving them. By prioritising CX and consistently delivering excellent experiences, businesses can mitigate issues before they arise, leading to lower customer service costs and a healthier bottom line.

5. Differentiation in a Competitive Market

What sets businesses apart in a crowded market? Exceptional customer service. In fiercely competitive industries, CX becomes a crucial differentiator. Businesses carve out a niche by consistently exceeding customer expectations and attracting discerning customers who value superior experiences, increasing market share and profitability.

6. Enhanced Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Why is the customer lifetime value (CLV) crucial? It’s a long game. CX isn’t just about one-off transactions; it’s about fostering enduring relationships. By providing consistently positive experiences, businesses cultivate loyal customers with higher CLV. These customers become the backbone of sustained profitability, driving up overall ROI.

Conclusion: Increasing ROI with CX

Investing in CX isn’t merely discretionary—it’s an investment with tangible returns. By prioritising customer experience, businesses enhance satisfaction and directly impact operations, increasing profitability and ROI. If you aim to future-proof your business, doubling down on CX is critical. At insight6, we believe in the transformative power of exceptional customer experiences. Ready to elevate your business? Contact us today for a no-obligation chat and unlock your CX strategy’s full potential.

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AI in CX: Balancing Automation with the Human Touch

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AI in CX.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly central in shaping the customer experience (CX) landscape. But in today’s tech-savvy world, where businesses use AI to get things done faster, there’s a big question: How do we keep that personal touch while letting robots help? It’s a balancing act that matters a lot. In this blog post, we’ll dive into why it’s so crucial for businesses to get the mix right to keep customers smiling.

Table of contents:

What is AI’s impact on customer experience?

AI is a growing area in the customer experience. With its ability to analyse vast amounts of data and predict customer behaviour, AI empowers businesses to tailor their interactions with customers profoundly.

One notable aspect is personalisation. AI algorithms analyse customer data to offer tailored recommendations and content, giving customers individualised attention. Whether suggesting products based on past purchases or curating content to match specific preferences, AI-driven personalisation significantly enhances customer engagement.

AI is also being used to support customer service. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants offer round-the-clock support and quick responses to customer enquiries. They can handle routine queries, freeing staff time for more complex tasks. These efficiencies reduce response times and minimise wait times, improving the overall experience.

Nevertheless, AI introduces challenges in preserving that essential human touch.

Why is balancing AI and human touchpoints necessary?

According to a recent article, 81% of customers prefer having a human involved in reviewing and validating generative AI outputs.

Balancing AI and human touchpoints is essential for several reasons. Customers value genuine human interactions, which foster trust and emotional connections. Overreliance on automation can erode this trust, leaving customers feeling disconnected and underserved.

Maintaining a balance between AI-driven efficiency and authentic human engagement ensures a more well-rounded customer experience. While AI excels at speed and efficiency, human touchpoints bring empathy, understanding, and the ability to handle complex and emotionally charged situations.

Integrating AI and customer experience can enhance satisfaction, foster lasting loyalty, and strengthen customer relationships. Now, let’s delve into when and how to incorporate AI into your customer experience strategy effectively.

How can businesses use AI to enhance CX?

AI has the potential to enhance the customer experience if done right. Equally, the consequences of getting it wrong could do the opposite, damaging your reputation.

Simply put, implementing AI solutions should be done to improve customer satisfaction, not just as a cost-cutting exercise. To do this effectively, you must understand when and where to incorporate AI into the customer journey to enhance the overall experience.

Three steps to introduce AI to enhance CX:

1. Understanding the current customer experience:

  • Start by understanding your current performance from the customer’s perspective. This means viewing interactions through the eyes of your customers.
  • Implement CX solutions like mystery shopping and feedback mechanisms to gain invaluable insights. Mystery shopping provides an external evaluation, while feedback offers direct input from customers themselves.

2. Mapping the actual customer Journey:

  • It’s essential to map the customer journey, not just the ideal one. Journey mapping is a powerful technique to identify what’s working well and areas needing improvement.
  • By scrutinising each touchpoint in the customer journey, businesses can pinpoint pain points and areas where customers might be experiencing frustration or dissatisfaction.

3. Integration of AI solutions:

  • Once a clear understanding of the current customer experience is established, AI solutions can be strategically integrated to improve it further.
  • AI-powered tools can streamline customer interactions, from chatbots and virtual assistants providing instant support to predictive analytics anticipating customer needs.
  • By integrating AI within the customer journey, businesses can increase efficiency, minimise wait times, and improve personalisation to enhance the overall experience.

What are the challenges of implementing AI in CX?

Implementing AI into the customer experience presents several hurdles for businesses. These include ensuring data quality and integration, maintaining customer trust amid automation, addressing privacy and security concerns, managing implementation costs, training employees, dealing with ethical considerations, and ensuring scalability.

Overcoming these challenges demands meticulous planning, a customer-centric approach, and a commitment to addressing potential roadblocks proactively. By doing so, businesses can unlock the benefits of AI in enhancing customer experiences.

Where should companies start before using AI?

To start enhancing your operations with AI, begin with two crucial steps.

First, understand your customer experience from their perspective—mystery shopping and customer or employee feedback ensures you get invaluable, unbiased insights.

Next, focus on mapping the customer journey, not just the ideal one. Customer journey mapping is a powerful technique for finding what’s working well and needs improvement.

AI solutions can be thoughtfully integrated to enhance efficiency and improve customer experience. Once you have a firm grasp of the current experience, you can make a plan to enhance it. Having identified opportunities for improvement, you will be able to assess whether an AI solution or adding a human touch is best on a case-by-case basis.

When you’re ready to take these steps, insight6 is here to assist. As the UK’s largest CX consultancy with over 25 local CX specialists, we excel at understanding your business from your customers and employees’ perspectives.

Our innovative CX solutions help you create an exceptional customer experience, driving engagement, loyalty, and meaningful connections. Our experienced CX Directors aren’t just experts; they’re seasoned business professionals ready to guide your team, regardless of size, toward changes that make your customer journey unforgettable.

Ready to take your customer experience to the next level with AI?

Start by understanding your customers’ needs and mapping their journey. Reach out to us today to connect with your local CX specialist. Let’s discuss how AI can transform your business and arrange a free demonstration of our innovative total feedback solution. Don’t miss the opportunity to enhance your customer experience – get in touch now!

How to Turn Customer Feedback into Actionable Insights 

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Introduction: 

Most of us understand the importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences to drive loyalty, repeat business, and growth. But have you considered the impact of a poor customer experience? Do you know how your customers feel about your products and services? Asking for and acting on regular customer feedback is critical to business success. Why? So, you can improve customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and ultimately boost your bottom line! Here, we explore how to turn customer feedback into actionable insights. 

 

Table of contents

Why is customer feedback critical for business success? 

Understanding your customers' needs and preferences is important in today's competitive landscape. Customer feedback gives valuable insights into their experiences, expectations, and pain points. It helps you find areas for improvement, make informed business decisions, and stay ahead of the competition.  

Consider this: 84% of customers say their expectations are unmet and 76% would stop doing business with a company after just one bad experience. By actively looking for and listening to customer feedback, you can address these issues proactively and ensure a robust customer experience strategy. One that works as a powerful tool to drive business success.   

What are the benefits of collecting and acting on customer feedback? 

Collecting and utilising customer feedback in the right way offers many benefits to your business. For example:  

  1. Customer satisfaction and loyalty: When customers feel heard and see their feedback being acted upon, it enhances their experience and instils trust. According to research, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase.
  2.  Differentiation and Competitive Advantage: By consistently improving your products and services based on customer feedback, you can differentiate yourself from competitors and position your business as customer centric.
     
  3. Profitability: Increasing customer retention rates by 5% can boost profits up to 95%. By actively seeking feedback and improving customer experiences, you can drive profitability and long-term business success. 

When to ask customers for feedback and how to collect it 

You need to find the right tools and channels to ask for customer feedback. Here are some key considerations: 

  • Timing: Request feedback at various touchpoints throughout the customer journey, such as after a purchase, support interaction, or service completion. Ensuring that feedback is fresh, exact and detailed is critical.
     
  • Methods: There are several ways customer feedback can be collected, including surveys, feedback forms, and online reviews. Customer Experience Reviews, more commonly known as Mystery Shopping, is one of the best ways to test the service a company provides through the eyes of its customers or clients.
     
  • Incentives: Offer incentives, such as discounts, exclusive content, or rewards, to encourage customers to give feedback. This can increase response rates and show appreciation for their time and input. 

Remember, the easier and more accessible you make the feedback process, the more likely customers are to take part and supply valuable insights. With insight6 customer experience solutions, you can gather in-depth information on how your customers feel about your services, products and company overall.
 

How can asking for customer feedback build customer loyalty? 
 
Asking for customer feedback shows you value your customer’s opinions and are committed to offering an exceptional experience. Meanwhile, acting on customer feedback builds trust and strengthens the customer-business relationship, increasing loyalty. Customers feel a sense of ownership When they see their suggestions and concerns being addressed. They are likely become brand advocates, recommending your business to others and continuing their patronage. 

Why is it important to address negative customer feedback? 

Negative customer feedback is an opportunity for improvement. Instead of ignoring or dismissing negative comments, embrace them as valuable insights.  

Addressing negative feedback promptly and effectively shows your commitment to resolving issues and improving the customer experience. It allows you to turn dissatisfied customers into brand advocates and loyal, repeat customers. Remember, a positive review shows a fantastic customer experience. You can read our insights on how to generate more positive customer reviews online.
 

Best practice: strategies to improve your response rates.  

To improve prove your response rates and gather more comprehensive feedback, consider the following strategies: 

 

  1. Keep it concise: Keep your surveys or feedback requests concise and focused. Customers are more likely to take part if the process is quick and straightforward.
     
  2. Personalise your approach: Use personalised messages when requesting feedback. Address customers by name and highlight how their input will contribute to improving their experience.
     
  3. Follow up and show appreciation: Thank customers for their feedback and let them know how it will be used to enhance their experience. Follow up on their suggestions or concerns and inform them of any actions taken.
     
  4. Engage through multiple channels: Reach customers through various channels, such as email, social media, or in-app notifications. Make it convenient for them to give feedback in their preferred way. 

 

Ultimately, enhancing the customer experience and gathering regular customer feedback is critical to building loyalty and driving profitability. High customer satisfaction guarantees loyalty and makes you stand out from the competition. It also lets you prevent customer churn and negative word of mouth. 

insight6, as a partner to hundreds of businesses and organisations across multiple sectors, focuses on elevating the customer experience to win new business, improve customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and boost profitability. Our comprehensive feedback solution, instant insight, enables companies to regularly analyse feedback from customers and employees, gaining valuable insights for informed decision-making and positively changing the customer and employee experience. 

 

Using instant insight will:
 

✓ Help you gain customer feedback.  

✓ Allow you to gain employee feedback.  

✓ Analyse/report on real-time feedback.  

✓ Obtain actionable comments.  

✓ Improve your products and services. 

✓ Benchmark against your competitors.  

✓ Increase positive online reviews. 

Today we are the largest customer experience (CX) consultancy in the United Kingdom with a network of 25+ local CX specialists covering every region. Our national reach means you have access to a customer experience director in your local area. What is more, each director brings an invaluable mix of business experience and CX knowledge to support your team — whether large or small — in making the necessary operational changes to enhance your customer experience. 

Understanding how your customers feel about your products and services will improve satisfaction, encouraging advocacy and repeat business. You work hard and spend money to find and attract new customers. Do not let the cost of unsatisfied customers affect your reputation and bottom line.  

Get in touch today for a no-obligation chat or request a demo to see how instant insight can transform your business.  

Like what you have read? Sign up to the insight6 newsletter to keep up to date with everything you need to know to improve your customer experience. 

Why Customer Experience (CX) monitoring should be at the top of every Franchisor’s to do list in January

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CX is arguably the biggest differentiator, or battleground, between businesses right now. Every business needs a well-considered and executed customer experience strategy, to deliver more business, repeat business and a positive brand reputation. But when it comes to the franchise sector, it’s vital to not only implement, but continuously monitor your CX strategy. 

You’re only as successful as your weakest performing franchisee

By the very nature of a franchised business model, you, the franchisor, are one step removed from delivering your brand to the end customer. That can have negative consequences for your whole company if poor CX goes undetected.  

By measuring the CX that your franchisees are delivering on a monthly basis, you not only get a real time picture of how the brand is being received overall, but also an indication of any potential problems within your network. 

At the very worst end of the scale, you could uncover a franchisee treating customers terribly – if they hadn’t already made a complaint – but generally, you could discover things customers may not have noticed, but weaken the experience that you had designed. For example, missed processes, failing to follow up or a lack of personalisation may need addressing individually, or across your network.

CX monitoring isn’t about franchisee bashing

The very opposite in fact. It’s about assessing what works well and uncovering new ideas that can be shared across the network. Because the most successful franchises are the ones that operate in an open, honest, collaborative, and supportive way – and you get this through monitoring and feedback. 

Putting CX at the heart of the business and measuring against KPI’s should always have positive intentions. Yes, it can create a bit of competitive spirit amongst franchisees, but it should also create positive conversations where someone may seek out help or advice. 

Franchised businesses must take a 360 degree approach to monitoring CX.

CX in the traditional sense (franchisee to end customer), is only one element at play here. A franchise network also needs to monitor the experience a franchisee receives from other franchisees and from the franchisor. 

For your franchisees to deliver a superior customer experience, they must receive the right tools, information, and support – and it must be delivered in a way that works for them, not you. By asking for regular feedback from your network you can quickly get a better understanding of where you may need to provide extra resources or training, or where you may need to improve your communication style or timings. 

It’s not just a tick-box exercise.

Once you’ve monitored it’s vital that you do something with the results. Too many times we see businesses collect insight and then don’t take any action to improve the experience and the scores before they repeat the same research 12 months later. 

Monitoring every 12 or six months is also not good enough, you need to be monitoring on a monthly basis to get the best impetus and improvement. This helps improve the CX culture.

Ultimately, knowledge is power. 

If you as the franchisor understand the quality of service that is being delivered by your franchisees, you have the ability to make changes. If you are giving your franchisees the opportunity to give you feedback on the quality of service they are receiving, you are able to make changes. It fosters a transparent working relationship that results in a better experience for all.  

 

Jonathan Winchester is a customer experience entrepreneur, franchisor, speaker and business leader. He is the Founder and Chief Executive of insight6. insight6 is a franchise. For more information on how to improve your customer experience, visit www.insight6.com. Request to connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn.

Private Schools – Handling Professional Enquiries: Are You Failing At The Follow Up?

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Across the UK, a huge percentage of private schools are failing to retain the interest of potential clients for one simple and easily amendable reason: neglecting the ‘follow-up’. Failing to ‘follow-up’ on an enquiry or visit means that your school is bypassing a vital ‘conversion window’, during which clients are most amenable to negotiation, and therefore more likely to be converted from a potential client into the parent of one of your students. Ignoring the client in this window could be perceived as a lack of interest and more crucially, an indifference towards the individual needs of the client and his or her child. So, what is the ‘follow-up’ rule, and where are you going wrong?

insight6 partners a number of independent schools, sending a team of our Researchers to assess the standards of customer service. Looking at a sample of reviews from schools prior to working with insight6 there was a lack of aftercare for potential clients, which may well have contributed to their disinclination to pursue business with the school. Once an initial enquiry has been made, it is vital that the client be contacted shortly afterward to resolve any outstanding concerns, and to lay the first stepping-stones towards securing their business. If a client is left to pursue the school of their own accord, your school risks their interest waning, or shifting towards other establishments with better customer service structures in place; there will be plenty of competitors poised to take the initiative where you did not. A ‘follow-up’ conversation is paramount to retaining your potential client’s attention, and should be thought of as part of the natural flow between handling a preliminary enquiry and enrolling a new student.

To ensure a successful school-client ‘courtship’, the ‘follow-up’ should be implemented in two stages: after the client’s initial enquiry, and then after their visit to the school. According to our Customer Experience Reviews (CX Reviews), the treatment received during these stages was lacking in a variety of ways, but most significantly during the immediate aftermath of correspondence. Whilst school’s often put effort into strengthening their front of house department to ensure that preliminary enquiries are handled with professionalism, it is crucial to note that a high standard of customer service needs to extend beyond a cheerful greeting and a pleasant phone attitude, and into the ‘follow-up’ phase.

A primary interaction with a possible client does not stop once the web or phone enquiry has ended. The ‘follow-up’ should be thought of as an additional step to this interaction, and a vital part of it. By implementing a set waiting period of 3 – 5 days, after which a ‘follow-up’ will be made if the client has not gotten back in touch, your school will stand out amongst others, and increase your prospects of gaining the client’s trust.

According to the sample insight6 looked at, only 41% of potential clients received a ‘follow-up’ call after their initial phone conversation, prior to working with insight6, meaning that over half (59%) of those that make an enquiry are not pursued by the school, despite indications that they may want to book a visit or learn more about what the school has to offer. Without a clear indication that their custom is wanted, clients may feel that their child is not being given precedence, which can be a deterrent from further attempts to form a relationship with the school.

In the initial stages of forming a relationship with your client, it is of the utmost importance that they are made to feel as though their needs are being prioritised. A ‘follow-up’ phone call to provide updates, and to remind the client of the school’s assets, is a small but enormously effective tool in eliminating any doubts about their importance to you.

Whilst it may seem obvious, an often neglected but important step to remember when dealing with any new client is to ensure their contact information is collected. According to our sample, less than half of potential clients had their details taken at the first point of contact. Not only does this lack of foresight immediately cancel out any chance of a ‘follow-up’, the message sent to clients is one of unprofessionalism and disinterest. The significance of making a record of even a small enquiry cannot be overlooked, as the ‘follow-up’ that will stem from this record could be the key.

Another step is to set an appropriate time for the ‘follow-up’ call with the prospective client where possible. This way, he or she immediately knows that they are being taken seriously, and that their child’s potential enrolment is important enough to the school to be pursued at a later date.

Your school is in its most advantageous position to convince a client to enrol their child just after a tour of the school has been given. Tours of the establishment are proven to be an effective way of attracting business. This is why it is once again vital to ensure a ‘follow-up’ takes place in the small window of time between the visit ending and the client having the chance to explore alternatives. Your staff will have worked hard to create a vibrant impression of the offer on the tour but the longer the ‘follow-up’ is left, the duller the impression of the visit becomes.in your client’s mind. The advantages of your establishment, however strongly impressed, can be diluted by the indifference of the school afterwards; the hard work your team put in to gain a rapport with the client or child may well be undone. Establishing a clear time and date for a follow-up call with your client is a simple but extremely effective tool to use to prevent this from happening. Just by reaching out to remind the client of your interest in them, and to thank them for their visit, you could distinguish yourself as a more personalised, caring establishment than your competitors.

Finally, the ‘follow-up’ call in itself should be representative of the high standards set by your school; your staff should understand the goal of the conversation – whether this is to answer any previous queries, to provide further information, or to schedule a visit to the school.  Data from our sample shows that in only 33% of cases did the school follow up with the client within that ideal 3 – 5 day window prior to working with insight6. Moreover, none of our Researchers reported any enthusiasm whatsoever from the staff member they were speaking within the ‘follow-up’ call, and no indication that the school had been doing anything to resolve their concerns.

A school’s reputation for professionalism is at risk in these small errors – as for example in not knowing the client’s name or being unable to recall previous conversations – and in this period, when a client is still forming their opinion of the school, you cannot afford oversights. The client is the priority, and needs to be treated as such by all of your team, including those that handle the customer service department.

Following on from this, your staff should be aware that professional conduct extends to every possible outcome of a client enquiry, even if that is an eventual decision to abandon the pursuit if it is not right for them. Your customer service department is the voice of your school, and represents the way you handle all matters, including disappointment. Leaving a negative impression here is undoubtedly a reputational risk, which is easily avoided through appropriate staff training and guidance.

Here at insight6, we are dedicated to identifying the weaker areas in your customer service department, but also to provide the tools with which to improve. Our thorough training and development sessions are a simple and effective way to teach your staff the importance of the ‘follow-up’, along with other strategies that will guarantee a more successful rate of attracting and keeping business.

Our sessions are tailored to your school’s needs, and provide interesting, interactive, fun methods of helping your staff to reach their highest potential as customer experience providers. During these stringent economic times, it is not an option for your school to be anything less than airtight in all departments, so that clients showing interest cannot be left to slip through the cracks. Paying attention to the small but significant details, making your client feel cared for and important and offering a truly personalised service are sure-fire ways to distinguish yourself amongst the sea of indifference that our research suggests can flow from many establishments.

The ‘follow-up’ is an easily implemented, inexpensive and incredibly effective tool; try making it front and centre stage of your business strategy and see where that takes you!

 

Customer Engagement Strategies

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Strategies you can implement to improve customer engagement

insight6 explores the importance of customer engagement, the impact it has on Customer Experience and the strategies you can apply to your business.

What does it mean?

Customer engagement is any direct contact between a brand and its customers. It is incredibly important that brands reach out to customers in the right way so that they positively enhance the Customer Experience. Interactions between a brand and its customer can be both offline or online, ranging from surveys and point of sale promotions to mentioning each other on Twitter.

How a brand interacts with their customers will vary depending on the business and who their customers are. Brands that are targeted towards the younger generations, for example, should be looking at social media and other forms of online engagement to truly grab their audience’s attention on a platform that suits the customer. The rise of social media has had a real positive influence on the ability of brands to engage with their customers as it provides a quick and accessible way to provide support, information, address issues and increase brand awareness.

What impact does this have on Customer Experience?

To put it simply, when a customer feels engaged and connected to a brand they are more likely to have a positive overall experience.

By engaging with its customers, a brand can positively enhance the emotional connection that is required for the best Customer Experience. The modern customer has become accustomed, and now expects, the opportunity to be an active part of a company. Customers don’t wish too simply make a purchase, they are interested in the journey, they want to actively participate and become a part of a brand.

With the benefits that engaging your customers can bring to Customer Experience in mind, here are our insight6 strategies you should be applying to your brand to improve customer engagement:

6 Customer engagement strategies you should apply to your business

1 ) Take advantage of social media

Without a doubt, social media has had a massive influence on the ability of brands to engage with their customers. Social media, if used properly, can be an extremely effective tool in breaking news to customers, posting engaging content for them to share, to address issues, and to promote your brand.

Do your research and find out which social media sites are popular with your customer base and focus your efforts there. Invite customers to leave reviews of your business online so that they can share their experiences with your brand.

2 ) Open up special communications for ‘V.I.P’ customers

If you want to encourage brand loyalty then creating a form of membership or V.I.P club for long standing customers is a great initiative. V.I.P customers should be those who have used the brand for a while, referred friends and family to it and are genuinely just fans of the brand.

These customers can be offered exclusive access to things such as a member’s login on your website, a special monthly members newsletter with unique discounts available. Whatever you choose to offer it is all about your brand becoming closer to its customers. This form of engagement works really well with any long standing customers, improving their experience and making them feel valued for the time and money they have spent on your brand.

Of course, you should engage with every customer but providing an extra level to that the most loyal customers will add that extra incentive to keep them coming back.

3 ) Closely follow the customer journey

Closely follow the developments and journey of your customers as they use your business – at what points are they most impressed? What issues do they bring up that need to be addressed?

By following their journey and development you will be able to gain a better understanding of the changes you can make at each stage of the process and where you can better engage with your customers in the future. In turn this will allow you to put your time into these ideas with confidence that they will work.

4 ) Personalise your customer communication

There are many ways to ensure that the communication that you have with your customers is personal and it is something that you should make a priority as it helps to make a customer feel closer connected to the brand.

With the advances in technology, it is now easier than ever to provide customers with personalised content, for example, you can send an email to customers on their birthday through an automatically generated system, offering them a discount or special offer to celebrate their day. You will have noticed this is something huge brands such as Netflix, Spotify and Amazon do regularly by having ‘recommended for you’ sections on their websites.

A simpler way to personalise your communication with a customer is to ensure that you take down their name and use it whenever you are communicating with them. Whichever way you achieve personalisation, the aim should always be to make the customer feel as welcome as possible.

5 ) Let the customers meet the team behind the brand

While it is possible for customers to connect with a brand, people naturally connect with each other. If it is possible, let the customers meet the team behind your brand, whether that is through social media, email or in person, communication doesn’t have to be signed off from the brand. If you are communicating with the customer via email or social media then let the team member dealing with the customer sign off with their own name and use their own individual personality to their advantage in building a relationship with the customer.

6 ) Host Q&A sessions and events

Not all engagement has to be online. One great way to engage with your customers is to host events or Q&A sessions where customers can come and find out more about the products or services that you offer. Think about what you offer and the kind of event your customer would like to attend – would they like an opportunity to come and ask questions about current products and products of the future? Could you hold a conference style event with seminar speakers? Or an awards evening? There are many possibilities – think back to your V.I.P customers, you could even host an exclusive event for them, think how special and looked after they will feel being given an invite.

Why is customer engagement important?

In terms of numbers, statistics from Gallup research shows that having fully engaged customers leads to 23% more revenue than average.

Having contact and engaging your customers is crucial in gaining a better understanding of what your customer wants from you. There are a huge number of benefits to engaging your customers in the right way including building customer loyalty, trust, building better relationships and gaining their valuable insights.

There is no one engagement strategy that would work for every business, so it is important to tailor yours to your brand and to your customers, but the focus should always be on building a connection with your customers.

Get in touch with your local CX Director today

Is Your CX Strategy Red?

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Customer experience (CX) strategies are in. Outdated marketing plans based on figures and historic patterns are out.

Believe it or not there are still many business leaders out there who sit in their offices and ponder the best ways to launch a new product, develop a new marketing campaign or sign up new business without acknowledging the one most important factor in all of these plans; the customer. The metrics matter. But not as much as the colour of love.

The customer of today is more informed and more in control of the experience they receive. Customers don’t just expect polite, friendly service; they expect businesses to know their individual needs and preferences and often expect their experience to be customised for them. Today’s customer wants to feel valued, to be listened to and to feel that they matter to you. They want to feel loved.

Most business leaders now recognise that customer engagement is key to maximising profit and are already placing greater emphasis on driving customer value, loyalty and retention. Customer experience is destined to overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator in the future, so if you are still not prioritising the customer journey, you need to re-evaluate.

If you treat your customers with that criteria in mind you will win a lifetime supporter whose value could be worth more than a new customer.

CX Strategy - RED

So instead of simply focusing on expanding your customer database, try our three simple steps to improve your profits immediately:

1.    Develop Strategies To Retain Your Existing Customer Database

A repeat customer spends 67% more than a new one (BIA/Kelsey).

What are you doing to retain your existing customers?

  • Are you updating them on new products or services?
  • Do you offer incentives to draw them back?
  • Do you invite them to stay in touch and perhaps share their experience with others?
  • Do you offer competitions or draws to make them feel valued?
  • Do you create opportunities to ask for their feedback and views?

If a customer already has a relationship with you and likes what you offer, they will return, unless you give them a reason NOT to.

2.    Improve Your Customer Engagement

Engaging with your customer is much more than a simple ‘hello’ as they enter your premises or site. Customers want to feel loved and appreciated. They need to feel that if there is a problem, it will be handled confidently.

  • How often do you engage with your customer? If it is only during the transaction you are not really engaging your customer.
  • Do you stay in their minds by keeping in contact with them?
  • Do you have a weekly or monthly newsletter?
  • Do you have seasonal events or occasions to invite them back?
  • Is every member of your team aware of the need to make your customer feel special? It’s a culture. Spread the intent throughout the whole team.

3.    Maximise Your Customer Lifetime Value

My father only ever owned a Vauxhall. He loved the cars and said he always received great service. His local dealer knew him, addressed him by name and always had his favorite paper in the waiting room when he took his car for a service. He was a lifetime customer and no amount of persuading would encourage him to defect.

  • Reward your longstanding customers.
  • Pay attention to the little things; that’s what makes your customer feel special.
  • Be honest and transparent at all times.
  • Effective customer engagement calls for a thorough understanding of the customer. Make sure you KNOW that your customer is a wheelchair user or works abroad.

Forward thinking businesses go to great lengths to identify their ‘typical’ customer and then attempt to create deeper parallels by matching social and ethical preferences. For example, businesses that advertise charitable work or sustainable or eco-friendly ethics publicise these values and attract like-minded customers.

Customer lifetime value is one of the most important metrics in your business toolbox.

In this age of the empowered customer, businesses must look forward to develop better customer engagement strategies. Being reactive does not work in the arena of customer relationships; it’s about being proactive, about noticing and predicting your customer intelligence and using big data to provide customer mapping. It’s about being sure your customer journey is great – in every regard and at all times.

The expectations of the 21st century customer are complex and multi-faceted. Competition is fierce and digital platforms flood your customer’s inbox or newsfeed with attractive offers every second. And yet the answer to a healthier bottom line is so simple. Love your customer. Your CX strategy should be front, back and middle of any business strategy if you are to grow and create solid foundations for future profits. And the mantra again…….LOVE YOUR CUSTOMER!