What great CX looks like - your guide to delivering an exceptional experience every time

What great CX looks like –

your guide to delivering an exceptional experience every time

Whatpeople. great CXReal looksreviews. like Real Real insight.

Intro It’s an inescapable fact that COVID-19 has changed customer experience (CX) forever.

60% of consumers have higher expectations of their digital experiences post-pandemic, and in a world where there’s so much choice at their fingertips, holding onto your customers is even more important – and difficult.

Providing an okay experience is not enough, and providing a bad experience is downright unacceptable. In fact, a third of consumers say they would ditch a business after just one bad experience.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, because businesses who work hard to provide exceptional experiences will be rewarded with more loyal customers, who are willing to spend more too! Almost half (49%) of consumers say that CX is more important than low prices or discounts, while 61% would pay more for products and services from businesses who provided them with a good CX during COVID-19.

What great CX looks like

To deliver exceptional experiences, you need to look at all aspects of your business, so that every interaction with your brand, no matter how small, is exceptional every time.

In this guide, we’ll explore which parts of your business you should be focused on, what exceptional looks like, and how to create those experiences that keep customers coming back time and again.

Digital experience The pandemic has proven that no business can afford not to have a great digital experience, whether you’re a retailer who depends on your site for sales, or a solicitor who wants to get more enquiries. Providing an exceptional digital experience (DX) is a great way to stand out from the competition.

Why an exceptional digital experience matters By the end of 2020, half of businesses had either mostly or completely resumed operations since COVID-19 hit, yet less than a quarter (24%) were deliberately making changes to their digital customer journey!

Performance A quarter of visitors will abandon a website that takes more than four seconds to load and 46% don’t revisit websites that perform poorly.

By not putting performance first, not only could you be driving visitors and customers away, you could also be hurting your search engine optimisation (SEO), causing your website to rank lower in the search results and making it harder for people to find your business online.

Mobile now accounts for around half of all internet traffic worldwide, so it’s vital to test your site works on a variety of devices. Even Google prioritises mobile sites over desktop versions.

This resource from SEO experts Moz has loads of great tips for improving your mobile optimisation.

Ultimately, it all boils down to ongoing testing and measuring. Your website will change and grow over time; you’ll add pages, features and content that could all have an impact on your performance. Testing and measuring will help you avoid any performance dips which could result in driving away visitors and impacting your revenue.

Tips to take away → Prioritise mobile experiences → Check your load speed times across all pages and devices → Monitor your site for drops in performance

What great CX looks like

Trust signals The internet is full of scams and dodgy websites. If you’re not an established brand, it can be difficult to win the trust of new customers, which is where trust signals come in.

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“The reason we put Feefo on our website was that we wanted some kind of customer recognition that they love our products, they love our brand, as there’s a perceptions that if [a product] is eco friendly it’s not going to work as well.

“People trust what other people say, they don’t trust what brands say. We’ve spent a long time building that brand trust.”

Lisa Whalley-Smith, Head of Brand and Marketing, Ecoegg

Trust signals are anything that puts confidence in your brand, products and services. There are lots of different types of trust signals, including: • Customer reviews and testimonials • SSL certificate – savvy consumers look out for the padlock icon and https website address • Trusted payment methods, such as PayPal • Awards and certificates, such as Feefo’s Trusted Service Award

Salon Services case study: Product pages with 20 or more reviews saw a

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334% increase in conversions compared to those without

Even simple things like ensuring your grammar and spelling is correct and your website looks professional are hugely important for creating a good first impression. Arguably, the most important trust signal is customer reviews, as they provide evidence that other people have used your business and been happy with your products and/or services. Not all customer reviews are trusted though – 52% of people are suspicious if they can’t see any negative feedback, for example. Make sure you’re collecting feedback through a verified, trusted source.

Tips to take away → → → → →

Collect and display trusted feedback from your customers, including negative reviews Install an SSL Certificate onto your web server to secure your site Offer a range of trusted payment methods Display any award wins you have Proofread your site for grammar and spelling mistakes

What great CX looks like

Navigation Nobody wants to spend hours trawling your website trying to find what they’re looking for. In fact, 94% of consumers say that easy navigation is the most important website feature, which is why it’s so important to invest in a good user experience (UX) and consider what journey you want users to make when they visit your website.

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94% of consumers say that easy navigation is the most important website feature

Whether you want visitors to buy your products, fill in an enquiry form or download a piece of content, you need to help them get to that goal in as few steps as possible and clearly signpost the way. Map out your customers’ digital journeys and measure exactly where users drop off to understand where any weaknesses may be. A customer journey map brings your customers’ journeys to life visually, making it easier to see how their experiences flow across your brands’ touchpoints. To find out more about how to create a customer journey map, read our ultimate guide here.

Don’t be afraid to run surveys and ask visitors if your site is easy to navigate and if they’ve run into any problems. Surveys can easily be placed into pop-ups, so you can ask for feedback at key moments, such as when someone is about to leave your site, or when they’ve been on your site for a specific amount of time.

Tips to take away → → → →

Create a customer journey map to understand how visitors use your site Test your site’s UX Create strong calls to action (CTAs) Run surveys to pinpoint any issues

What great CX looks like

In-store experience The high street had been on rocky ground before the pandemic, but COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many beloved brands. In fact, British high streets lost 11,000 shops in 2020 and there’s concern a further 18,000 could close in 2021. With so many businesses forced to move to online, high street stores have become a ‘nice to have’ for some retailers.

It’s time to think about what your store offers that your website can’t. What experiences can you offer that can’t be replicated online? What value can you add to your CX?

Why an exceptional in-store experience matters • It’s predicted that 78% of purchases will still be made in stores by 2024 • 70% of people who shopped locally during the pandemic will continue to do so • 42% of consumers shop in-store because they enjoy the experience

Offer something unique While there are some shoppers who will always prefer to see, feel and try your product in-person, it’s no longer enough to make your physical stores a success. You need to understand what they want, need and expect from you when they visit your stores or branches, so you can offer more of an experience, not just a transaction.

Mamas & Papas, for example, offer a personal shopping service in-store, designed to help take some of the stress out of becoming a new parent, by giving expert advice and gift vouchers if you end up spending over a certain amount. This is a great way to promote your staff as experts and offer a personalised service that your customers will remember.

GAME has gone for a different approach. Their Belong Game Arenas allow gamers to play the newest video games in store with their friends and try out the latest tech. It’s a fantastic way to generate more revenue and keep your customers coming back – and next time, they’re bring their friends too!

Tips to take away → Understand what your customers want and need from your stores → Offer a customer service that feels personal → Do your research and find a way to stand out

What great CX looks like

Step up your staff training Your employees are your most important asset, especially when it comes to delivering an exceptional in-store experience. That’s why it’s vital to invest in training; they need to know your products inside-out, be passionate about your service and be motivated to provide a great experience every time.

Whether you choose to reward staff members based on the amount of positive feedback they get, or run competitions between stores, you need to make sure your employees feel valued and empowered to do their jobs well. Show them what exceptional looks like for your brand and give them the tools to deliver that experience.

Tips to take away → → → →

Make sure staff training is up to date Have training initiatives in place when new products or services launch Ask your staff what tools they need in order to go their job better Find a way to reward employees that go above and beyond for your customers

What great CX looks like

Collect in-store feedback Customer feedback doesn’t have to be a digital-only affair. It’s one of the best ways to measure in-store performance and monitor your staff, so you can reward who’s doing a great job and help anyone who needs more training or support.

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“Getting a five-star review is definitely a reason to celebrate, so we share it with the team straight away. We took on a trainer just before lockdown, and when we were allowed to start doing outdoor training, him and another new recruit were delivering all the sessions. He ended up receiving one of the best reviews that we’ve ever had! It was really important that we celebrated that. Using feedback internally can definitely help boost morale.”

Luke Newton, Co-Founder, SWEAT Southsea

By using a tool such as Feefo Places or Feefo Surveys, you can compare branch performance and even understand what customers would like to see in your stores, allowing you to offer different experiences. Feedback will still need to be collected online, of course, but the unique URL or code can be printed onto POS or receipts. Encourage your staff to request customer feedback to increase your chances of collecting helpful comments and insight.

Tips to take away → Find a way to collect in-store feedback → Monitor individual store and employee performance → Encourage staff to ask for feedback from in-store browsers and buyers

What great CX looks like

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Create a seamless omnichannel experience Whether your customers interact with you on social media, step into a physical store or visit your website, their experience with your brand should feel consistent and joined up – that’s what a successful omnichannel experience looks like.

Omnichannel customers spend 4% more in-store and 10% more online than single-channel customers.

Here’s an example: A person clicks a Facebook ad for a dress

They go through to the site and the dress is out of stock in their size 01

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4%

10%

more in-store

more online

They speak to someone on live chat, who tells them it’s in stock in their local shop and reserves the dress for them 03

The customer visits the store the next day and buys the dress

04 All of these touchpoints took place on different channels, but felt connected, improving the customers’ experience with the brand and resulting in a successful sale that might not have happened. Again, this is where customer journey mapping can play an important role, as it allows you to see how customers are interacting with your different channels and how they connect to one another.

Tips to take away → Create a customer journey map → Measure your CX across all channels → Sync up your support, so customers get the same level of assistance and personal service whether they’re speaking to someone on the phone or on live chat

What great CX looks like

Customer service team Your customer service team plays a huge role in your CX. Not only can they provide helpful info along the customer journey by answering any enquiries and therefore nurturing consumers to purchase, they’re also there when things go wrong. They pick up the pieces when a delivery hasn’t arrived, or an item is faulty.

How they deal with these problems makes all the difference to customer loyalty – remember that we mentioned earlier that a third of consumers wouldn’t go back to a business after just one bad experience?

Why exceptional customer service matters

91% of customers say they are more likely to make another purchase following a positive customer service experience

78% will forgive a company for a mistake after receiving excellent service

71% have made purchase decisions based on the quality of customer service

Give your team flexibility Don’t hold your team back from being able to deliver an exceptional experience. Rather than trying to oversee every customer issue and micromanaging the response, give them the flexibility and the tools they need to be able to solve problems quickly and creatively.

An example of a business that does this so well is Zappos; all of their customer service reps are

What great CX looks like

granted management level decision making power, meaning they can offer partial or full refunds, special-case returns, or basically impress the customer is whatever way they deem necessary.

It may seem difficult to put this level of trust in your team at first, but that leads onto our next point.

Track their performance We’ve already briefly mentioned tracking employee performance, but this is especially important when it comes to your customer service team. It’s not about a lack of trust or ranking your employees, it’s about understanding how successfully you’re solving customer issues, where your team is strongest and where improvements need to be made across the business.

Feefo’s Insight Tags is the perfect tool for this. It allows you to tag reviews by anything you want, so you can filter your feedback easily and measure exactly what you need to. For example, you could tag reviews by the type of issue ‘broken/faulty product’, ‘late delivery’, ‘poor service’, etc., and by the customer service rep they spoke to.

As a result, you can measure what issues are arising most often and if the solutions on offer are actually leaving customers happy or not. This is incredibly powerful insight that will help your customer service team deliver an exceptional experience, every time.

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“If we get some fantastic feedback on Feefo, or if we have a lovely customer story, we share that in-house. The guys in the bakery are busy producing these beautiful cakes, and for them to hear how well received a box has gone down is a real morale booster within the team. Feedback can be used as a tool to improve, but it can also be used in a really great way to share with the team just how well everything has been going.”

Lucy Bartholomew, Customer Service and Marketing Director, Rachael’s Kitchen

What great CX looks like

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Watch out for burnout Your customer service team bear the brunt of your unhappy customers, and while complaints may normally be few and far between, busy periods, such as Christmas, can cause your staff enquiries to skyrocket.

It’s all too easy for your team to get overwhelmed and burnt out - that’s bad news for your employees and your customers! Run regular private internal surveys with your customer service team to make sure they’re happy and have everything they need to deliver those exceptional experiences. You can even keep them anonymous, so your team feel completely at ease to tell you how they really feel. Download our ‘Tips for taking the pressure off your customer service team’ guide for more advice on how to best look after and support your most important asset.

Tips to take away → Understand what your most common customer queries and issues are, so you can give your team the tools, and flexibility, to solve them → Measure how your team is performing and identify your strengths and weaknesses in your customer service → Run regular staff surveys to monitor mental health and understand how you can better support them

Exceptional isn’t easy, but it’s worth it Providing top tier service every time may seem impossible and sometimes it is! You’ll always have customers who can’t be pleased no matter what you do, or things that happen that are simply out of your control. It’s how you react to these situations that matter. Doing all you can to deliver exceptional makes a huge difference to customers, whether you’re successful the first time around or not.

The secret to achieving exceptional? Listening to your customers.

They have all the insight you need to improve every single aspect of your customer experience. Your customers, and their needs and expectations, will change over time, so it’s vital to keep listening to and collecting feedback. If you do, you’ll be amazed at the advantage this gives you over the competition. Many businesses claim to offer good CX, but few actually deliver exceptional, memorable CX. To find out how Feefo help you improve your CX and make every experience exceptional, get in touch with our experts today. sales@feefo.com

020 3196 8098

What great CX looks like

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