Customer Experience Management: 4 Steps to Build Success

Blog
Posted by Dennis Grove on 21, June 2012

By Brad Banyas

The sale is a critical mistake companies often make, and one that could make the difference between success and failure in this challenging economic climate and competitive marketplace. Customers are the reason why companies grow and survive. As a result, routine customer communications are critical, and organizations must manage the customer experience in ways that improve and bolster that experience.

Embracing customer experience as a strategy is no longer a boardroom line item to review; it is the lifeblood of sustainability for your organization. Routine customer communications are a key element. Here are some steps to success:

 

Step 1: Define customer communication preferences and frequency of communications: email, print, mobile, social.

Customers should be able to opt in to communication venues at time of account set up, or change preferences throughout the customer lifecycle. Customer profile management is a key component to customer experience management. Make it part of your corporate culture to obtain these preferences from the customer anywhere they engage with your organization.

 

 

Step 2: Make content relevant for customers and personalize all communications to endure customer to the brand.

Policy, bills, statements, notices and renewals should reflect some additional offers or benefits to customers to drive more business. If a business is depositing money at your financial institution, what are you doing to drive capital loans? Do you offer special rates to the businesses employees to encourage personal deposits? Are checking accounts or loans available to individuals? The benefit are more deposits, credit cards, debit cards, loans etc.

 

Photo courtesy of Tax Credits

Step 3: Know your customer: demographics, buying habits, value of services current and future.

A key component to customer experience management involves socially engaging customers at a deeper level than sending routine or transactional information. The social revolution is occurring; engage in social channels Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other customer engagement platforms. Customers are not necessarily friends, but some affinity must be established to add value to the business relationship you have.

 

Step 4: Brand Consistency: Make your company a living entity

Brand is not just about colors, logos and website; customer experience drives a brand. It’s about the How, What, When and Where of every interaction you have with clients. From initial client discovery, pre-sales, support, operations and marketing your organization should move to a social enterprise that reflects affinity to your brand and always nurtures the viral propensities of great service, client appreciation, value perceived and an awesome experience!

 

 

Nurturing customers and relationships

Neglecting to take advantage of routine communications can be devastating in today’s marketplace, especially when considering the customer churn rate in Financial Services, Insurance, Telecommunications and other general service businesses. It is no longer enough to send routine communications such as policy renewals, statements, bills, letters and other customer communications and expect clients to not look elsewhere when the opportunity presents itself. Every customer interaction is an opportunity so it is important to consider every routine customer communication as an opportunity to improve brand loyalty…and revenue.

 

This blog was derived from Customer Experience Management – Sustainability Defined! by Brad Banyas. 

Brad Banyas is the CEO of OMI, a Customer Communications Management provider. OMI provides organizations a Cloud-based communication service to create, manage and measure online customer communications.

Dennis Grove