How to use customer experience to differentiate your business

Want to stand out from other businesses? Customer Experience is the secret sauce!

Advances in technology have helped to make the world a much smaller place. With the internet at our fingertips at any time of the day or night, the whole world can be our shopping centre. So, with so much choice, how can you make your business stand out from the crowd?

Customers are looking beyond the product they want to buy and demanding more from businesses. More than just the purchase, they are looking for positive experiences from the brands they interact with.

What is customer experience?

Not to be confused with customer service, customer experience (CX) is about looking at the bigger picture, with your customer placed in the centre of all your operations. This holistic approach lets you understand your customers’ journey with your brand and purchasing interaction from end to end.

The hope is that by providing a continuously positive CX, your potential customer becomes satisfied and loyal to your brand, increasing your reputation and, eventually, your revenue.

Why is customer experience important?

In some markets, it’s difficult to differentiate your products or service. You can find a prime example in the telco industry; a market flooded with similar products such as the SmartPhone. Apple has been able to enhance its product differentiation further with its CX.

They have honed aspects of CX such as anticipation of product launches, the layout of the stores, support from the “Apple Geniuses”, right down to the pleasing simplicity of the packaging. By placing high importance on CX, they are at the top of their industry and enjoy placing a premium price on their product.

Most importantly, their brand loyalty is at a staggering 92%. Their focus on customer experience means happy customers continue to buy from them and willingly promote their brand to others.

How to use customer experience to differentiate your business

Enhancing your customers’ interaction with your business may take time, but the rewards could be plentiful. While your product or service may be excellent, providing an equally amazing customer experience alongside it will give you ways to differentiate your business from your competitors.

But it’s not a cookie-cutter, “one-size-fits-all” solution. It’s about knowing your customer and what they want from your business.  

Know your customers

A thorough understanding of your customers will help you find out what they need, what they expect and what they get. Keep their interactions with you as personal as possible. For example, send a follow-up email to ensure they are happy with their product or suggest other products based on their purchase. Just make sure you get the balance right between a helpful follow-up and constant, repetitive emails. 

Map out a customer journey

A customer journey is the path of interactions a customer has with your business from the start of the buying process to after they convert. Mapping this out lets you visualise the milestones in their journey and find ways to improve it. This could be looking at how a customer navigates your website, when they might reach out to the customer service team or how the customer feels when they finally convert. 

Taking note of these will allow you to find parts of the customer journey that could cause friction, reduce them, and improve your customer experience. Remember, a happy customer is more likely to become a repeat customer and more likely to become an advocate for your brand.

Align your brand

A brand is so much more than a logo. While a consistent visual representation of your brand is essential, your brand’s unique mission, vision, and values should be evident when a customer is interacting with your business. Do this well enough, and your brand’s experience will become recognisable and a competitive difference.

Create a connection

Potential customers want to connect with a brand before making any purchases. One way of doing this is by providing content they can connect with. This could be via the blog on your website or posts on your social media platforms. Posting engaging content that resonates with or speaks to their pain points can build the connection they seek and create a positive experience in their mind.

Grow your business with customer experience

A brand will stand out if it delivers on its brand and customer promise through its customer experience. If you want to improve customer retention, revenue and business growth, customer experience is well worth investing in.

With bespoke branding and marketing services in Geelong, I can create an authentic brand experience that resonates with your ideal customer and contributes to your business growth.

Get in touch if you’re ready to stand out from the crowd or have more questions about how customer experience can help your business grow!