Customer Experience as a Growth Factor: Quotes from Founders and Marketers

What Does Customer Experience Really Mean?

Traditionally, customer experience has been about the customer’s relationship with a company. It includes everything from how the customer perceives the company, to their interactions with the company’s employees, products, and services.

In recent years, however, customer experience has evolved to encompass the customer’s entire journey with a brand. This means that customer experience now includes pre- and post-purchase interactions, as well as all touchpoints in between.

There are a few key components that make up customer experience: 

1) Brand Perception: How customers perceive your brand is a huge part of customer experience. Your brand includes everything from your company’s name and logo to its values and culture.  

2) Customer Service: Customer service is the direct interaction between a customer and your company. This can include everything from phone support to in-person interactions. 

3) Product/Service Quality: The quality of your products and services is also a key part of customer experience. If customers are not happy with your products or services, they will not have a positive experience with your company. 

4) Touchpoints: A touchpoint is any interaction between a customer and your brand. This can include everything from visiting your website to interacting with your product.

As the definition of customer experience has expanded over the years, so has the importance of customer experience. In today’s business landscape, customer experience is more important than ever before.

Benefits That Follow A Great Customer Experience

Improving customer experience can have surprising benefits for your business.

1. Key To Building Customer Loyalty

Customer experience is an important factor in determining customer loyalty. Companies that rank the highest in customer experience surveys also have the highest scores for customer retention.

This is because happy customers are less likely to churn and more likely to continue doing business with you. In addition, they’re also more likely to refer others to your company.

For example, if you own a retail store, you know it’s much easier (and cheaper) to keep existing customers than to find new ones.

The same principle applies to businesses of all types and sizes. It’s simply more cost-effective to focus on delivering great experiences to the customers you already have rather than trying to attract new ones.

2. Better Brand Perception

Another reason customer experience is so important is that it can help improve your brand’s perception. Customers with positive experiences with your company are more likely to view it positively and recommend it to others.

As a result, they’re more likely to become brand advocates who help promote your company through word-of-mouth marketing. This helps scale revenue growth by increasing brand awareness and reach.

Nate Tsang, Founder & CEO of WallStreetZen says:

“An excellent way to do this is through using survey analytics and social media reviews. By monitoring what customers are saying about your company online, you can quickly identify how to improve customer experience. You can then address these issues head-on to prevent them from damaging your brand’s reputation.”

3. Increased Revenue

Of course, one of the main reasons businesses should focus on customer experience is that it can lead to increased revenue. Companies that deliver excellent customer experiences often see higher customer lifetime values and improved sales numbers.

Furthermore, they’re more likely to upsell and cross-sell customers on additional products and services. All of this leads to increased revenue and helps businesses scale their operations.

Let’s look at banks. Customers who are highly satisfied with their bank are more likely to get a mortgage, loan, or credit card from that bank. Furthermore, they’re more likely to recommend the bank to friends and family. In other words, customer satisfaction can lead to new customers and additional revenue streams.

According to Anthony Martin, Founder and CEO at Choice Mutual, “Banks that focus on providing an excellent customer experience often see a direct correlation in increased revenue. It’s not uncommon for banks that make customer service a priority to see a 5 to 10 percent increase in overall revenue.”

4. Improved Customer Retention

Another benefit of excellent customer experiences is improved customer retention. Companies that provide excellent customer service are more likely to keep their customers for the long haul. 

This is because satisfied customers are less likely to churn and more likely to continue doing business with you. In addition, they’re also more likely to refer others to your company. These referrals can help you attract new customers and grow your business.

Businesses with high customer retention rates often see increased profits. Naturally, it’s more expensive to acquire new customers than it is to keep existing ones. As a result, companies focusing on customer retention can save money while scaling their operations.

5. Higher Customer Lifetime Value

One of the best things about happy customers is that they tend to have a higher lifetime value. Customer lifetime value is the total amount of money a customer is expected to spend with your company throughout their relationship with you.

Companies with happy customers often see higher customer lifetime values because these customers are more likely to continue doing business with you. In addition, these customers are more willing to spend even more money over time.

Telecom companies are a great example of this.

Customers who are satisfied with their telecom provider are less likely to switch providers, even if they’re offered a discount by another company. It’s more expensive to switch providers than it is to stay with the same one. Hence, telecom companies that provide great customer experiences often see higher customer lifetime values.

According to George Tsagas, Owner & Founder of eMathZone “Telecom companies that deliver great customer service see increased customer loyalty and higher customer lifetime values. And, happy customers are also more likely to recommend the company to friends and family.”

6. Increased Customer Satisfaction

Why is customer satisfaction important? Because happy customers are more likely to do business with you again and recommend your company to others. In addition, satisfied customers tend to spend more money with your company over time.

Customer satisfaction is also a good indicator of your company’s performance. If you see a decline in customer satisfaction, it could signify that something is wrong with your product or service. Knowing this, you can use customer satisfaction data to improve your business.

Colin Palfrey, CMO of Crediful mentions: “Customer satisfaction is essential because it can help you attract new customers. If potential customers see you have happy customers, they’re more likely to do business with you. In other words, customer satisfaction can lead to new customers and additional revenue streams.”

7. Strengthened Company Culture

A strong customer service culture can also help strengthen your company culture. Employees who are focused on providing great customer experiences often have a positive attitude and a high level of engagement.

Additionally, these employees tend to be more productive and have lower turnover rates. As a result, companies with strong customer service cultures often see better overall performance from their employees.

A strong customer service culture can also help you attract and retain top talent. This is because potential employees often look for companies with cultures that align with their own values.

8. Lower Customer Support Costs

Another benefit of focusing on customer experience is that it can help lower customer support costs. Often, companies with happy customers tend to have fewer support issues. 

When customers are satisfied, they’re less likely to need assistance from customer service. It means that businesses save money on support costs and can reinvest these savings into other business areas.

One of the great ways to do this, especially when it comes to telecom, retail, and banking services, is by using voice-enabled feedback mechanisms. This technology can help identify issues customers are having and address them before they escalate.

This helps to prevent customer service issues and save businesses money since companies can analyze all calls and identify areas that need improvement.

9. Greater Employee Satisfaction

Lastly, businesses that focus on customer experience often see greater employee satisfaction. This is because happy employees tend to stay with companies longer and are more productive. They’re also more likely to provide excellent customer service, which leads to happier customers.

As you can see, everyone benefits when businesses focus on customer experience.

Retail stores are notoriously difficult to staff. The job can be quite challenging and requires a lot of customer interaction. Thus, retail stores that focus on customer experience often have an easier time staffing their stores. Employees are more likely to enjoy working at a company that provides excellent customer service.

According to Michael Nemeroff, CEO & Co-Founder of Rush Order Tees, “Focusing on customer experience can help you attract and retain the best employees, especially in a retail environment. Happy employees tend to stay with companies longer and are more productive. They’re also more likely to provide excellent customer service, which leads to happier customers.”

Conclusion

These are just a few of the many reasons why customer experience is so vital to businesses. Focusing on customer experience can improve your brand perception, increase revenue, and improve employee satisfaction. This can help you attract new customers and scale your business operations.

So if you’re not already focusing on customer experience, now is the time to start. Your business will be better for it in the long run.

The easiest way to find out what the customer experience looks like is to start collecting feedback regularly.