2020 is the year of the customer. From tailored ads to social media to personalized emails, people want and expect their shopping experience to be people focused. In addition, speed is now everything. Whether it’s your website or shipping, we live in a time where speed is of the utmost importance. Not sure where to start with this process? Here are 5 easy ways to increase customer experience.
Take Advantage of Artificial Intelligence
It’s not plausible for most businesses to have someone operating in customer service twenty four hours a day. Thankfully, technology doesn’t need to sleep. Chatbots and automatic messaging apps like Messenger on Facebook can make a world of difference when it comes to the customer experience. These tools are available 24/7 – meaning customers never have to wait for a response (speed matters), they can help users solve problems, chatbots can help an unlimited number of customers at any given time, they can share information, and there is no human emotion involved so they are always polite and ready to help.
Update Your Website
When’s the last time you updated or refreshed your website? If you can’t answer that question, it’s probably time. Be sure to check, fix, and update all landing pages – users who encounter errors are likely to leave your site within seconds. Web pages should load in 3 seconds or less, and your site should be responsive – meaning it should look great and operate perfectly on all devices. Have you added new blogs or updated your content recently? If you want to rank higher on search engine results, SEO and quality content are a must! Lastly, be sure your security is up to date so you are protecting yourself and your customers.
Personalize
Whether it’s customizing customer emails to include their name and products they have recently looked at, or customizing ads on the web, people love personalization. Do you collect emails and birth dates? Send a special offer on your customer’s birthday. Do you have an online store? Collect data so you can make personalized purchase suggestions via email or when customers visit your website.
Respond, Respond, Respond
Did a customer leave a review? Regardless of whether it was negative or positive or whether it was left on Twitter or Yelp – it’s important that you always respond. While negative reviews are often difficult to deal with, and let’s be honest, it’s hard not to take them personally sometimes, it’s crucial you form a level-headed response. People want to know you care, even if someone is being rude or a transaction went horribly wrong. We all have bad days. Also keep in mind that speed matters – try to respond within 24 hours if possible.
Go Social
Social media platforms are the perfect place to interact with your customers and clients. Engage your fans with interactive posts, respond to comments, and really let your brand’s personality shine. (If you haven’t seen Wendy’s social media accounts, check them out!) Also, 2020 is going to be huge for shoppable posts. If you’re on Instagram, you will have great opportunities for sales via the use of appealing images and one-click shopping.
Most of all, your customers want to know that you are human. Adding your own personal touch is an easy way to increase customer experience and create brand loyalty. If you’re not sure where to start or need help connecting with your customers, Blindspot is here to help. Whether it’s social media, SEO, a website refresh, or blog writing – we’ve got you covered!