To the marketing expert, simplicity in customer experience may seem like a given, but it’s surprising how many companies are working with old processes and out-of-date technology that no longer suits the advanced digital marketplace. The rise of online retail and the age of social media has created a need for instantaneous transactions, meaning that brands have a short time to impress their customers.
Great customer service drives an above and beyond customer experiences
When a customer feels looked after, they make repeat purchases and become a covert brand ambassador. Customer experience starts the minute someone engages with your brand, and from that point on they want to see clean branding, perfect spelling and grammar, effortless navigation and sharp graphics within your customisation tool.
Not having these basics in place will mean that brands lose customers before they’ve even reached the customisation stage. Good customer service helps to build trust and brand loyalty but, when developing a customer experience agenda, there are other things to think about too. Think, for example about the online customer journey, and the unboxing experience that happens when a product is delivered.
Getting down to the areas of your customer experience that really matter means thinking about the small things that people notice, and above all, keeping things simple. Customer definitely don’t want to have to work hard to do business with your enterprise. While the products and services should shine, it’s important to not let arduous tools or processes, or sloppy customer service behaviours get in the way. We would argue, success comes from keeping things simple.
The jump off point for a great customer experience
Simplifying your customer experience begins by looking at your service performance through the looking glass of customers, treated as individuals and not an audience on mass. We all know what a great customer experience feels like—such as being able to speak to a real person when there’s an issue via live chat or on the phone.
Simplifying customer journeys
Simplicity in the customer journey allows customers to pay, browse and customise in the least number of clicks, without being distracted by advertising, being asked to enter lots of personal details or navigate a complicated website. Although it may seem that customisation is the most in depth solution a company could choose, it’s more about the execution than the solution itself.
A simple user journey is one that provides customers with a tailored journey based on their requirement, serving up the information they need along each step of the sales funnel. Paired with mass customisation functionality, customers don’t just experience simplicity at the beginning, but during the creative process too; for example, when building their final product when using a product configurator tool.
The role of 3D product visualisations
Many companies offer 3D rendering to showcase their products, but Modular is showcasing simplicity at its finest with the ability to personalise to the customers exact requirements. There are no limits - it’s a smooth journey to reach the customisation process which is powered by the best technology and the choices are simply laid out in front of the shopper.
There is still a lot to be said for the basic principles that underpin customer service. The two principles co-exist - there is no customer experience without customer service.
Leveraging data on customer habits and choices to improve their experience
All companies now have their finger on the pulse about the importance of data tracking, analytics and the science behind how a consumer behaves. But, in reality, customers and people in general can be put off by data. So, by showing them an easy way to shop that’s all about making their own choice, they have freedom without suggestion.
Many successful brands disguise how digitally switched on and technically complex they are by presenting a simple image to their customers - the front end of their business. Behind their branding and user-friendly websites are sophisticated data platforms that capture analyse demographics and track online activity, but with simple customer experience, the customer is focused completely on their purchase and nothing else.
Companies like Tesco are famed for their loyalty card schemes that capture thousands of rows of customer insight data every time a customer makes a purchase. They will track product types, groups, values, collections, locations, age, gender, spend and many other meta groups. This knowledge is used to target offers and qualify buying habits to understand the interdependencies between product lines. Using data to drive the simplification of the shopping experience helps brands to gain a competitive edge.
