CX is no longer simply about how you handle calls. It's about how you can transform the entire purchasing journey.
CX is no longer simply about how you handle calls. It’s about how you can transform the entire purchasing journey by reimagining it from the ground up. And you can’t achieve that kind of drastic change without the right organizational support.
That’s why businesses are reconfiguring how CX fits into their wider business operations, according to Ad Week. In fact, 77% of CEOs say their company will fundamentally change the way it engages and interacts with customers.
That’s why you need outstanding CX across every touchpoint. Let’s look at why you need to bake your customers’ needs into your wider business model from the get-go—and how to get started.
And as e-commerce increasingly becomes the norm for B2B, B2C, and B2B2C, there’s never been a better time to reevaluate how CX fits into your wider business strategy.
CX by the numbers
Of consumers make purchases based on customer experience
would pay more for products or services from a company with good customer service
of 18- to 37-year-olds say they will share a bad experience on social media
would share a good experience on social media
Form follows function
Building loyalty requires everything in your CX arsenal. As businesses scale and reach customers through more avenues, fresh opportunities emerge to improve the buying experience.
That’s why the most successful companies will be the ones that weave CX considerations into every new offering—developing a symbiotic relationship between business and customer priorities in the development phase. Only then can you create CX that truly keeps pace with business practices … and sometimes even informs them.
But that’s easier said than done. Take Carrefour, which is attempting to drive loyalty by offering a fresh new take on grocery CX. Taking a page from Amazon’s playbook and adapting to the rise in digital shopping, the French retailer has launched a new subscription service for customers who want to receive everyday products, straight to their home. Customers choose the products they need, how frequently they want them delivered, and receive a discount for their loyalty.
A fundamental change like this brings challenges for any business—especially one as established as Carrefour. They’ve been selling groceries exclusively in-store for sixty years, which means that much of their hiring practices, infrastructure and technology are firmly based on that approach.
Now they’re offering delivery, they suddenly need to add a whole new dimension to their CX.
“Even as companies are struggling to deliver exceptional experiences because of staff shortages and rising costs, customer expectations remain high.”
For example, they probably never needed a call center before, and may not have had the in-house expertise to make sure they were keeping caller satisfaction rates high. Their pivot also comes at a time when many retailers are attempting to ‘join up’ their online and in-store experiences—giving staff complete visibility of customers’ shopping activity so they can personalize discounts, offer in-store returns from online purchases, and gain the context necessary to more effectively deal with customer complaints and augment the online purchasing experience.
Start with the customer
Even as companies are struggling to deliver exceptional experiences because of staff shortages and rising costs, customer expectations remain high. 54% now make purchasing decisions based on customer service; and for 19% it’s the single most important factor when deciding which companies to buy from. Meanwhile, 68% would pay more for products or services from a company with good customer service.
These high expectations mean that if you attempt to implement a new product or feature without placing your customers at its center, you can expect a sharp increase in traffic on your traditional CX channels. As a result, your service agents will suddenly be facing an uphill task trying to keep everyone happy. In the worst-case scenario, you can expect disgruntled customers, negative reviews, and damage to your brand.
A higher price than ever
The relationship between poor CX and sales performance is well-known: 45% of consumers have cut their spending with companies after a bad experience. But in our connected world, the price you pay can be even higher. More than half (56%) of 18-37-year-olds say they will share a bad experience on social media. That means if you’re launching a product that doesn’t place CX at its center, you’re running the risk of ruining your reputation before you’ve even started.
Equally, outstanding CX can act as a catalyst for positive brand awareness. Nearly half (49%) of consumers who have had a positive customer experience say they would share it on social media or post a positive review online. It’s clear that whether you prioritize CX or leave it as an afterthought, it could well define the success or failure of your product or brand.
The way forward
CX needs to be in the room at the genesis stage—allowing you to scale with confidence by delighting more customers, more often.
We’ve spent decades helping retailers and other ambitious scaleups rise above their CX challenges to set a platform for sustainable growth and more satisfied customers.
Find out how Ubiquity can help.
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