Solvvy, the AI and machine learning customer service platform, recently commissioned a survey and produced an infographic titled “The Building Blocks of Customer Experience.” In this infographic, Solvvy shows how four areas drive the customer experience: Brand Perception, Brand Interaction, CX Friction, and Issue Resolution. For each of these, Solvvy presented supporting information, summarized here:
Brand Perception
Perception is Reality, goes the old saying, and that is certainly true for CX. Brand perceptions influence your expectations about the CX, so it is critically important to understand those perceptions to make sure your CX is delivering on or exceeding consumer expectations. There are four ways that brand perceptions need to be reflected in your CX:
- 91% of consumers said they are more likely to buy from an “authentic” brand than from a “dishonest” one.
- 90% of consumers say they expect a consistent CX across platforms and devices.
- 77% make purchases based on brand name.
- 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for a guaranteed good CX.
It’s is important to note here that CX goes beyond customer service to include all interactions, across all modes and devices. A lousy in store experience will impact brand perceptions, which will impact consumer expectations of your brand in other modes. And of course, the opposite is true as well. The goal is to have an appropriately excellent CX for each mode your customer may be in.
Brand Interaction
CX is also influenced by the options you give consumers for interaction. Now only must they deliver an excellent experience, they must be the options that consumers want to use:
- 84% of consumers trust word of mouth suggestions over advertising.
- 31% of customer interactions are conducted via the internet.
- 60% of consumers prefer a brand with self-service options.
Today’s consumers want to complete their brand interactions in the way that is most natural and easiest for them. If you don’t have their preferred option, you won’t get their business.
CX Friction
This factor has never changed: you must deliver great customer experience. Period. Here’s why:
- 24% of consumers who had a good experience will continue to seek that brand for up to two more years.
- On the other hand, 39% of customers who had a bad experience will avoid that brand for two years.
- 78% of consumers have not completed an intended transaction or purchase because of a poor customer service experience.
- 51% of B2B customers avoid vendors after a bad customer service experience.
You spend a lot of time and money in new products, quality control, in training and development, in marketing and advertising. Don’t let that investment go down the drain because you neglected the last touchpoint with the customer.
Issue Resolution
However, you can recover (somewhat) from negative customer experience, if you make it right. Making it right means fixing the issue and more:
- Issue resolution should be as fast as possible – instantaneous, preferably.
- Customers want to do business with you their way, and they want to be able to resolve issues with you by any means available as well.
- Communication is key. Companies who are deemed by consumers to be better communicators deliver higher shareholder returns than companies who are judged as poor communicators.
Moreover, don’t forget the role of employee engagement in delivering excellent CX. Customer satisfaction and loyalty are nearly twice as strong when employees are satisfied with their jobs.
If, as has been reported in other sources, CX is THE brand imperative in creating competitive differentiation, this model is a great starting point for evaluating your CX model. What are you doing well, and what needs to improve? Are there any gaps in your model that you should be thinking about to remain competitive into the future? (Hint: Automation might be one of those.)
Delivering excellent customer service requires management commitment – and measurement. Make sure your CX surveys are aligned with the factors that deliver customer experience satisfaction and delight so that you can address your weaknesses most effectively. After all, this may be an existential issue for your brand!
