3 Reasons Why Customer Experience is Essential
To be successful in a competitive market like the U.S, it takes more than simply providing a good product or satisfactory customer service. In fact, when you look closely at the most successful companies in the world (e.g. Starbucks, Apple, Ritz-Carlton), it’s not just the stellar customer service that these companies focus on providing to their customers; it’s the entire customer experience.
Customer Service Vs. Customer Experience
Every savvy business owner knows that no matter the size of your business, providing excellent customer service is absolutely vital to your company’s success. But in a market with infinite choices, fierce competition and intense pricing, gaining a competitive edge means you need to know the difference between customer service and customer experience.
It’s easy to confuse the difference between the two, but simply put, customer service is a part of your customer’s overall experience. Customer service is the delivery of a service to a customer before, during and after a purchase. Meanwhile, customer experience is the perception a customer has of your company, his or her interaction with your company and most importantly, the recollection of those experiences from start to finish. To better illustrate, here are 3 reasons why customer experience is important:
1. Customer Loyalty. When you provide quality customer experience, you are giving your customers a reason to continue doing business with you instead of your competitors.
2. Advocacy and Referrals. When you exceed your customers’ expectations, you are helping them encourage their friends and families to also purchase your products/services.
3. Competitive Advantage. Price isn’t the sole determining factor that American customers base their purchase decision on. Almost 9 out of 10 U.S. consumers say they would pay more to ensure a superior customer experience [1].
Acquiring new customers is a challenging task and knowing how to keep them is even more difficult. A consistent customer experience won’t just lure prospects to your business but can build customer loyalty, referrals, revenue, and give you a competitive edge. If you are looking to expand a company in the competitive U.S. market, ReachOut Business Solutions is committed to offering effective business strategies and providing avenues you can explore to further distinguish your product or service.
[1] According to Oracle
