Personalise your customer experience and deliver brand loyalty
Personalisation. Every customer experience (CX) study and survey has been pointing to it for years – personalised CX will drive how one brand stands out from the next; it will be the defining factor for building ever-more-critical brand loyalty in a crowded marketplace.
And now, in 2023, all the hypotheses have been proven true. Customers today do expect personalised experiences; they’ve become accustomed to them. And, in return, businesses that fail to meet those expectations risk losing customers to competitors who can provide that personalised, customer-centric experience they desire.
According to Gartner, over 66% of customer loyalty is now decided on customer experience – that’s more than price and brand reputation combined. In response, brands must get on the front foot with their CX strategy to drive loyalty (and, ultimately, their top line). But, far too often, they’re busy trouble-shooting customer dissatisfaction, which then becomes a vicious cycle of sorts – when customers only interact around ‘issues’ it’s highly likely they’ll go elsewhere.
To avoid that negative loop, CX consultant leaders need to embrace this new era of personalised CX that leverages technology, data, and analytics to – above all else – create a customer experience that’s effortless for the customer.
The gap in CX perception
The online publication CMSWire recently published an article about the gap in perception between the customer experiences brands believe they’re providing, and what customers actually perceive.
Their data comes from a survey by Acquia which says only 10% of customers agree that most brands meet their expectations of a good customer experience, whereas 82% of brands believe they are providing a good customer experience.
That’s a significant gap in perception! What’s missing? What are customers wanting that brands aren’t delivering? And what are brands delivering that’s not resonating for their customers?
Well, at TSA, we believe personalisation plays a large role in closing the gap.
Personalisation in a fast-paced world
At face value, personalisation has connotations of hours spent in direct contact with customers, but that’s actually the furthest thing from the truth in this new era of customer experience technology.
Personalisation, now, means giving customers the tools and support to solve their problems in real-time, around the clock, and via channels they feel comfortable with.
Customer journeys are then tracked, across channels, to draw a complete picture of their preferences and behaviours. And from there, CX leaders can use that information to get on the front foot: to connect better; to personalise experiences that delight and drive the loyalty that’s now so crucial for success.
In 2023, customers want CX to be effortless
The customer experience technology is there – whether it’s through chatbots, IVR systems, online communities and forums, self-service, or FAQ pages, customers increasingly expect immediate and uninterrupted access to support. Brands that can provide round-the-clock and seamless resolution are highly valued by customers because they’re providing a customer experience that translates to effortlessness and convenience.
It’s not to downplay the role of the customer support team member as part of a successful CX strategy. A human touch is absolutely vital when implemented at the right time and in the right context, but businesses that ignore the role that new tech – particularly self-service – has to play in the pursuit of effortlessness will be left behind.
Personalised CX for experience-led growth
In a fast-paced world full of busy people, a brand’s ability to build customer loyalty hinges on them being able to provide an effortless and convenient customer experience. Delighting customers is one thing, but it still doesn’t lead to the same level of brand loyalty as service that’s intuitive and efficient, and requires no additional input from the customer – that’s what really gets people in 2023.
The way forward for any business looking to improve their customer experience is to think holistically and embrace the technology that opens the door to a more personalised offering. According to BCG, brands with the highest customer satisfaction scores have witnessed better earnings, and have doubled their shareholder value across the last 10 years. Personalised CX, therefore, needs to be treated as a business imperative by brands who want to succeed.
TSA are Australia’s market leading specialists in CX Consultancy and Contact Centre Services. We are passionate about revolutionising the way brands connect with Australians. How? By combining our local expertise with the most sophisticated customer experience technology on earth, and delivering with an expert team of customer service consultants who know exactly how to help brands care for their customers.