The Most Important Thing in Customer Experience

Kristina Evey reveals the one thing we must keep in mind when managing the customer experience.

We make decisions every day, every hour, about how to run our business – how to make it better, how to make it more efficient, how to motivate our staff, how to increase revenue, how to cut costs, etc. The daily decisions are endless.

But – there is one thing that is seldom considered in these decisions. And, unfortunately, it’s the most important thing:

The Customer Perspective

Do you  have to reduce staffing hours to cut costs? Okay, maybe that’s a possibility. But first – consider how will that impact customer accessibility to your phones, your storefront, having their questions answered?

If you limit phone hours, yet your data shows that after a phone call to your company, 75% of callers make a purchase within 2 hours at your designated “break-even” purchase price, that cost saving will likely cost you more than you believe you are saving.

When implementing a new process for billing – consider how this will be rolled out and explained to your customers. Will you spring it on them? Or will you give them 2 months of pre-notice and step by step instructions designed to help them through every step – and offer chat or phone help when needed? And… did you make sure your new process is as streamlined and easy as possible? If it’s too much of a hassle, customers will look for your product or service with a company that makes life easier for them.

Let’s look at another example – a late fee being assessed for late payment. If it’s the first time this has happened with this customer – do you stick to your “policy” and say “It’s after the 15th of the month, the fee stands as stated in our policy.” Or can you work with your customer to improve the experience and say “Because this is the first time we’ve run into this on your account, we can waive the  fee. There may be some ways to reduce the chances of this situation from happening again. We could set you up on automatic payment.”

Consider the news or information you need to convey from the customer perspective. Keep in mind they are likely not in your world or lingo nearly as often as you are. Are you going to confuse them, irritate them, or help them?

Just ask yourself – “How is this best explained or implemented to keep the customers’ loyalty?”

About the Author

Kristina Evey is improving the way companies connect with their customers and increase their profits, she is an accomplished speaker and trainer on Customer Satisfaction and Retention.

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