Providing an excellent customer experience is also vital for SMEs. But what are the customer touchpoints to look out for in different industries? Written by Krisztina Szabó, Customer Experience Expert and Managing Director at Publicity SmileRate.
Basics of the customer experience
The customer experience includes all interactions between the enquirer, the customer and the business. These interactions determine whether the customer will return later or recommend you to friends.
In a restaurant, for example, there are 98 customer experience points, each of which determines the guest's impression and overall image. Of course, it's worth prioritising the list, but if a business wants to be truly successful, it needs to meet expectations on most customer experience points.
Surveys have shown that it is the beginning and the end of the purchase process that matter most. It's also worth paying attention to these points because statistics show that a well-planned customer experience can increase referrals by up to 30%, which is key for SMEs where marketing budgets are often limited.
Customer Experience Points
Let's look at some concrete examples! In hospitality, first impressions can be crucial. An attentive greeting, an aesthetic table setting, the right lighting, the smile of the waiter, the style and volume of the music, the photos on the menu all contribute to the customer experience, and then there is the quality of the food.
In retail, the layout of the shop, the positioning of the products and the helpfulness of the sales staff are essential. A well-designed store layout that is attractive and easy to navigate can encourage people to buy more products.
In the case of online services, the speed of the website, ease of navigation and availability of customer service directly affect customer satisfaction and loyalty.
The role of marketing
The customer experience starts with the webshop, the online presence and the advertising materials, which often give the first impression. But customer experience is not just a marketing function, all departments need to work together to deliver the best customer experience.
Continuously measuring customer reactions is key to effective customer experience management. Gathering feedback, customer satisfaction surveys and regular market research can help businesses to continuously refine their customer touchpoints. However, customer feedback is often only received by employees in a particular area, and sharing feedback more widely, even with all employees, can lead to better customer experiences. This is an area that can be well automated. An email requesting feedback can be sent immediately after purchase, followed by a few days later asking the customer to report back on their experience and rate us.
From disadvantage to advantage
It is also advisable to pay attention if a customer or client is not satisfied, which should be dealt with at management level. The most outrageous thing is when someone signals their dissatisfaction and then there is no reaction. But in such cases, offering a coupon or a gift can improve the situation a lot, because the complaining customer will tell his friends that he was compensated in a fair way, so the disadvantage can become an advantage instead of a disadvantage.
As we have seen, for SMEs, customer experience is not just an extra service, it is a fundamental requirement. A well-designed customer experience not only increases customer satisfaction, but also leads to significant revenue growth in the long run. In other words, by consciously managing customer experience points, SMEs can maintain and increase their market position in an increasingly competitive market.