Elevating customer experience excellence for business recovery
Although great customer experience (CX) is a real team-effort, most businesses will rely on their marketing leaders to guide the way in elevating it. Re-evaluating and reigniting the relationships formed pre-Brexit and the pandemic will be a crucial element of your business recovery, as will developing new routes into new clients as well.
But chances are, it is not only your organisation that is busy laying the foundations for your onward and upward recovery, and your customers will be equally as focussed on their own strategies for recuperation and improvement following the past couple of years.
That is why CX has possibly never been more important. At a time when very few businesses have emerged unscathed from the backwash of Brexit and COVID, consumers are needing more nurturing and reassurance than ever. Here
1. Rebuilding trust and customer loyalty
Whether on a personal or professional level, we have all been shaken by recent events. With a rise in mental health awareness and reminders to ‘be kind’ promoted frequently, this mindset can be extended into the commercial world too.
The best marketing teams will have already or will currently be in the process of simply reaching out and ‘checking in’ on existing, and even potential, clients. One of the most widely used marketing techniques is identifying customer ‘pain-points’, and there will have been no shortage of those in recent times!
Even if you don’t have an immediate solution for your clients’ problems, being visible, interested, and empathetic is a sure-fire course to re-establishing client trust and loyalty.
With most companies re-evaluating their processes and suppliers, you want to remain firmly on your customers’ radar. Your marketing team can advise you on how to reach out, but whatever means you choose, make sure to communicate authentically and stay in touch.
2. Carry-out research
Much like things have changed for your business, things have changed for your clients’ as well. Identify specific areas by having your marketing team conduct in depth research on what your customers require in 2021 and beyond. It is probable that they have a different focus now and elevating your CX will rely heavily on leveraging this information.
It doesn’t end with simply gathering data though. In creating the best possible CX, your marketing team will need to be proactive in sharing client insight across your entire business. It needs to be acted upon too - information gleaned by marketing leaders should be used by every department to set strategies and objectives that drive your recovery activities.
Whether you send out questionnaires, social media polls or simply pick up the phone, increase your touch points to re-engage clients and to gather insightful feedback on how businesses are adapting to the new normal.
3. Be agile and adaptable
Recent research carried out suggests that ‘companies that adapt to changing needs of customers will recover more rapidly and be better positioned to sustain growth than competitors.”
Once you have thoroughly explored your clients’ business needs, revisit every area of your business, and determine how you can amend your activities in response to your clients’ current priorities.
If you produce products, do they need to be modified? If you provide a service, do processes need to be adjusted? Do you need to increase your online services, produce an app, or deal with certain customers remotely in place of previous face-to-face interactions?
The reality may even be that you have lost customers because of Brexit and/or COVID, meaning the best possible route into new consumers is to now take an innovative and reimagined approach to your offering(s). To retain existing business and attract new trade, adaptability is key.
4. Collaboration
A joined-up approach is imperative to elevating CX. There is no value in marketing leaders alone planning and executing a strategy to add value for your customers if internal departments are not aligned.
Consistency and continuity are essential for an outstanding overall customer journey, and while marketing will lead on CX initiatives it takes company-wide collaboration to elevate your CX, and especially for business recovery.
Are you looking for top marketing professionals to elevate your CX? We are actively helping lots of businesses on their road to recovery through introducing them to some of the best marketing and CX candidates available. Get in touch to start a conversation about how a marketing specialist could help you.
Are you looking for top marketing professionals to elevate your CX? We are actively helping lots of businesses on their road to recovery through introducing them to some of the best marketing and CX candidates available. Get in touch to start a conversation about how a marketing specialist could help you.
