“What should I do to improve my customer experience?” The rules of marketing have dramatically changed in the last decade. Developing a unique competitive advantage is still crucial for business success, but you can’t rely on tactics and tools that were useful only a few years ago. If you're still trying to figure out how to break away from competitors and attract customers, here are 3 good ideas to improve your overall digital customer experience strategies in 2015.
Too many entrepreneurs still believe that their company’s success relies solely on offering a superior product or service. Simply investing big budgets in R&D, advertising and ineffective marketing activities won't help you in an hyper-connected ecosystem. In the Age of the Customer, the key to success is not product-based: it is concealed in the connection between your brand and the empowered customer. A connection shaped by mobile technology.
The client - not the product - is the most valuable asset you have. One lesson we have learned in the digital era is that sales pass but loyalty stays (potentially) forever. What do customers want? People consider a well designed customer journey more important than price when it comes to make purchases. Thus, delivering enthralling personalized contents into an omni-channel strategy is crucial to build engagement and foster loyalty.
A new world brings challenging questions and new solutions to old problems. To hit the ground running, and achieve a competitive advantage with an amazing digital customer experience, get ready to:
- Listen - Even with all the data companies collect about customers, marketers often fail to understand what they really want. To turn your statistics into opportunities for meaningful connections, you need to wear your customer’s hat and look at your customer journey from a different point of view. Despite the fact that we are in an age where everything seems to be automated, customers demand a more human relation with your brand.
- Learn - In an ever-changing scenario, where disruptive technologies constantly shift the limits of the possible, to live is to learn. You need to remain watchful and learn from the environment to adapt your strategies for new markets, devices and customers. The bridge between people and brands is built by technology and evolves with it. When you plan your customer journey map, don’t forget to include social media, wearables, virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, widgets and games.
- Automate - Internet connects people, Internet will connect things. In 2015 the interconnection between devices will start delivering special experiences. The automation made possible by the Internet of Things will change the way people relate with brands and products digitally and at the point of sale. The secret is to let machines do the job, taking advantage of new technologies - push notifications, iBeacons - to create an amazing experience across all touch points, relying on data mining and analytics to improve efficiency. The ‘mobile-everything’ involves all stages of the marketing funnel, from awareness to post-conversion, but the challenge won’t change: become more relevant in the physical and in the digital world.
The road to digital transformation is paved with good intentions: only if you are able to make that further step from useful insights and ideas to the implementation of high-quality customer experience, then you will gain a competitive edge and retain loyalty.
To help you provide a strategic advantage to your organization, Neosperience has crafted the first DCX 7-Steps Checklist, with requirements and insights for a successful digital transformation.