(instead of waiting for things to go back to normal)
It’s been a wild ride this year, and it’s not even over yet. As a brand leader, you know that customer engagement is critical.
How can you guarantee customer engagement?
Great customer experience. 74% of customers cite good CX as key to their loyalty. Even more important: brands with superior customer experience deliver 5.7 more revenue than those that don’t.1
And what does great CX look like in 2020? Hint: it’s more than just a pivot to at-home deliveries and endlessly publishing your cleaning procedures.
The top 8 things you should have on your to-do list
- If you still have a message on your site or at your call centre that Covid 19 may mean longer wait times, you’re already too late. Customers know that the pace and power of technology mean that you’ve had more than enough time to get your organisation working professionally, even if it is remotely.
- Have you updated your marketing strategy to reflect how customers are living and working these days? Pressure on budgets might mean that you are reluctant to invest, but communications and materials that don’t reflect current customer emotions won’t have cut-through. That doesn’t mean it has to be sentimental; after all, your brand might be the one they rely on for a laugh or an escape. It just needs to connect emotionally to your audience.
- Keeping customers engaged still means delivering a great experience. During the first wave of crisis meant swift and compassionate action. Now it means reacting to new customer needs and wants. Are they now more engaged with your brand? Is your current model working for them?
- How have your customers changed during this year? The pandemic has led many to reflect on what’s genuinely important to them. Have you updated your customer knowledge? Do your customer journey maps still reflect what they are thinking, feeling and doing now?
- Most of your customers have had their freedom of movement restricted due to lockdowns. This has fundamentally changed their ideas of their local area and the importance of travelling freely. How does your brand fit into their new view of what’s local and what’s worth travelling for?
- Limitations in delivery and stock may have meant that even your loyal customers have tried alternatives. Do you have a plan to keep your loyalists true?
- New customers may have used your brand for the first time for the same reason. Do you have a plan to convert these triallists to repeat customers?
- Have you measured the impact of your brand’s virtual experiences? You may have created them quickly to respond to this situation, but many have been astonishingly creative and even game changing. If you’ve helped educate, entertain or alleviate stress with virtual experiences, can you make them a permanent part of your brand?
- Bonus thought: if you are still using the word unprecedented, strike it from your style guide immediately. It may be apt, but surely is the most over-used and underappreciated word this year.
If your brand needs strategic support to improve your customer experience, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Green Gables.