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How Focusing on Customer Experience Can Help Grow a Small Business

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While small companies have always had to give 110% just to survive, the business world has become more difficult as of late. With employee shortages, inflation, and increasing competition, you must stand out. While a good product and an online presence can help, you also need to provide an excellent customer experience.

There are many ways to tackle customer service and work towards a better overall experience. Below, we will talk about the importance of both and tactics you can try today to perform the best for your key demographic, so you can boost your sales and retain your customer base.

The Importance of Customer Experience

Your customers need to be happy if you want your company to survive. Poor reviews can quickly sink a business in this digital world, and you can’t afford to fall behind. Alternatively, creating a positive customer experience can encourage your customers to come back to spend more money. They could also spread the word that yours is a business that truly cares, so you can gain even more patrons.

Business owners that are not convinced need to look at the numbers. According to reports, 95% of customers who rated a company's customer experience as “very good” or above are more likely to refer your business to friends and family.

According to Startup Nation, 86% of customers said that they would be more willing to pay for a product if they were assured that they would be getting superior customer service.

That is why, if you know your customer experience is positive, you should use that to your advantage. Create a referral system where you offer customers incentives to buy from your business or refer their friends. An incentive can be as simple as a coupon for their next purchase. You can encourage participation in your referral system by sending emails to customers soon after purchasing a product. In it, thank them for their patronage, recommend similar products, and mention your referral program.

Customer Reviews Are Key

Business owners who need more confidence in their customer experience can improve by collecting customer reviews. There are many ways that you can acquire reviews. It can be as simple as requesting them with carefully placed fields and wording on your website. You can also create a “How did we do?” culture. When an associate assists a customer, they can ask how that individual would rate the service.

Suppose the customer says they were less than satisfied. In that case, the associate can ask what they could have done better and the parts of the interaction that they believe the associate did well. If the client is satisfied and boasts about your service, then take that as a win and post it on your website for other potential customers to see.

Companies that use chat applications like LiveAgent instead of live phone agents can also acquire customer reviews by sending out a survey and capturing customer feedback in real time.

The gathered information must then be reported to management and the trainers. These corporate leaders should use the data to improve the overall customer experience. If your company does not act upon the feedback and sticks with the same tactics, there is a chance the business could fall behind and earn less than competitors that are more willing to make the effort to create satisfied customers.

Show Customers That You Truly Care

As technology advances, more companies are turning to automation and bots to service their customers while preserving their bottom line. Customers aren’t always on board with that strategy. If your company focuses less on automation and instead provides a real customer experience with live agents, then patrons may be more willing to shop with your business. To provide better service, you must have employees who can relate to the customers.

When a customer comes to you with a problem or an issue with your service, your employees should be able to apologize and show empathy as they resolve the issue. Train your team to see the customer’s issue through their eyes so they can tackle the issue and turn a negative experience into something positive. While empathy is typically associated with complaints, it is also about how your employees build rapport and get to know the customers so that they can truly feel like the company cares about their needs. This type of experience will get them to refer your company to their friends.

Finally, make it a point to truly appreciate your customers. Thank them when they come into your store or make a purchase. Take the time to prioritize each customer and interact face-to-face. Also, consider the idea of first-time discounts for new customers. If a customer needs a slight discount to afford an item, consider giving in a bit. These small actions are what customers will remember.

Creating a positive customer experience needs to be the top priority of your small business. Train your team to make each customer their top priority, and you will see a return on your investment.