Digital is the backbone of your customer experience (CX), ensuring information and opportunity is readily available:
- 90% of consumers have had one or more deal-breaking digital experiences when using a mobile device to search for information[1]
- An overwhelming majority of customers (79%) have made a purchase using a mobile device in the last six months[2]
- More than half (53%) of customers will give up and leave if they have to wait for three seconds for a page to load[3]
With new digital technologies, platforms, and capabilities constantly emerging, these numbers will likely increase in the years ahead. So much of digital customer experience comes down to perception and expectation. When it comes to digital, people expect their experience to be simple, seamless, and easy. With this in mind, the bar is high for brands to attract and retain a meaningful customer base.
To help you breakthrough in digital customer experience, we’ve highlighted the seven key stages to consider in the customer lifecycle:
eBook: The Digital Experience Playbook
Instant Download1. Awareness
You need to make it as easy as possible for new customers to find you. When they do, it’s important they are hearing good things. Engaging media and influencers with the aim of generating authentic social reviews and social mentions will help you achieve this. Furthermore, optimising your web pages for SEO will also push your brand up search rankings.
2. Discovery
It’s crucial you make it easy and simple for consumers to navigate and access your digital channels. This could simply be by delivering a great user experience online or potentially offering up in-app trials of your product or service.
To deliver a great digital CX in the discovery phase, you must be able to understand how customers engage with you, what is their intention or purpose when they arrive at your site or apps there a specific point where customers leave your website or app? Are they looking for inspiration with no intention of buying? Is there a particular part of your site that is highly efficient and another that is cumbersome? Inspired by these insights you can take meaningful action that improves frequent customer journeys or engagements and solves common pain points.
3. Evaluate
Consumers have unprecedented choice and will likely be reviewing products and services from your competitors. To rise above the competition make sure you understand what aspects of your offering and experience customers favour. Make sure you profile your points of differentiation across digital channels, and act in a way customers value and expect from your brand. It is also essential that you monitor and respond to reviews that are posted about the experience you’re providing. This is a huge source of guiding information for people as they navigate an often endless stream of options.
4. Conversion
Using secure payment platforms are the minimum requirement in the purchase phase, but a great digital CX goes way beyond this. Capture experience data to understand why customers fail to convert – such as hidden shipping fees, delivery times, or poor site navigation, and then course correct to reduce your volume of lost sales. Don’t forget the physical delivery of your product either. Make sure it’s delivered safely, securely, and on time. If it’s going to be late, simply manage those expectations with meaningful lines of communication.
5. Experience
The best CX does not stop at the purchase phase. Now is the time to turn customers into advocates increasing awareness of your offering. Digital channels are a great platform for fostering customer loyalty and advocacy. Social media channels keep customers updated on new updates and features, while web and mobile apps can host how-to guides or use case ideas helping consumers get more from their purchase. For example, a food manufacturer will benefit greatly from sharing recipe ideas.
6. Support
Similar to the awareness phase, consumers will turn to digital channels to resolve any challenges they encounter. And they expect brands to offer this capability too – 90% of our consumers say they expect brands and organisations to offer an online portal for self-service.[4] Harnessing the value of AI-powered chatbots and digital contact centres will ensure you continue to deliver experiences the customer will value in these moments. Enabling customers to self serve and solve common challenges or rapidly escalate others drives satisfaction and loyalty to give consumers another reason to shop with you.
7. Buy Again
As part of your post-purchase, follow up encourage happy customers to share reviews online. This will influence other potential customers in the awareness and discovery phase. Alongside this, use your understanding of your customer’s preferences and previous behaviour to recommend personalised products or special deals they might be interested in.
To delight customers at each of these stages it’s essential that you are able to hear their voice and understand their preferences and behaviours. Simply collecting this information, however, is not enough. Enabling a system of action within your organisation by getting the right information to the right person at the right time is absolutely essential. Bringing together experience data (X-data), like CSAT and Ease of Use, with operational data (O-data), such as conversions and bounce rates, on a single platform of action provides a holistic view of your customer.
The approach of integrating X-data and O-data ensures any changes to your digital CX are based on tangible facts and primed for maximum success.
For more information on how to succeed in digital CX download the free ebook The Digital Experience Playbook.
Learn more about digital customer experience with our guides:
Free eBook: 16 ways to capture and capitalise on customer insights
[1] https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/improve-cx-with-mobile-support/
[2] https://www.outerboxdesign.com/web-design-articles/mobile-ecommerce-statistics
[3] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/data-measurement/mobile-page-speed-new-industry-benchmarks/
[4] https://info.microsoft.com/rs/157-GQE-382/images/EN-CNTNT-Report-DynService-2017-global-state-customer-service-en-au.pdf