Your prices are well researched and fair. Your product presentation, functionality and distribution strategies are flawless. You have very talented managers and associates who have been well trained in customer service, and your marketing team believes in the "customer is always right" philosophy. So now you feel you've addressed all of your customer experience issues and will surely impress, convert and retain customers, right?Hmmm...not so fast. In today's digital world far more consumers have their first interaction with a product, service or business online. They're visiting your website, Facebook page, mobile app, email newsletter or other digital platform before they ever step foot in your store or pick up the phone to call you. And if they have a bad experience online, it's probably the last interaction they ever have with you.
According to Neilson, 70% of online social network users shop online. Digby.com says, "67% of consumers will use their smartphones to find store locations, 59% to compare prices, 51% to obtain product information, 46% to check product availability, 45% to shop online, 41% to find and use coupons, and 40% to scan bar codes". And the figures are only growing.
Do you make it easy for customers to reach someone who can help them? Remember, online shoppers aren't confined by brick and mortar hours of operation. While this might seem elementary to most B2C retailers these days, many are still focused primarily on their websites, but haven't spent much time managing their social media and/or digital channels. Additionally, more B2B consumers are using social media to research products and services as well.
According to a recent study by Accenture, "only 8% of B2B companies would describe their social media usage as extensive. This is in contrast to the 65% of respondents who indicated that social media is extremely or very important."
Far too often, businesses still judge social media success purely by the direct and immediate impact it has on the bottom line, rather than looking at it as a customer service tool that helps ensure brand loyalty. It is a point of direct engagement with a consumer or customer and provides a powerful and unique opportunity to show them that you appreciate and value their input and feedback. Those who aren't viewing social media as a large part of the customer experience are still missing the boat. But they won't be for long, because if present trends continue, they'll either be forced to adopt or forced to close shop.
So, how is your online customer experience?
