There are hundreds of definitions of customer experience but one of the more succinct is from McKinsey & Company: Customer experience encapsulates everything a business or an organization does to put customers first, managing their journeys and serving their needs.
Defining customer experience is just the initial step in mapping out a CX journey and a quick Google search can quickly render thousands of search pages offering strategies to move past that initial definition.
But no retailer or brand needs hundreds of customer experience strategies. And, as a CX strategy is never 'done,' given changing consumer behavior and CX technologies constantly coming into view, a good simple starting point involves three principles to build that strong CX foundation.
1. It starts with that very first customer interaction
The first customer experience strategy is understanding that, for the customer, a seamless, rewarding CX isn't just about finding an item, enjoying a quick checkout or experiencing an easy return interaction.
It's all that plus that very first initial brand interaction — the first time the customer steps into the store or launches a retailer's website or taps a brand's app to learn more about what they offer.
In fact all three of those potential interactions are fast morphing into one interaction in the consumer's mind. A majority of consumers, 73%, are blending online research, physical store visits and options such as buy-online and in-store pickup before making a purchase.
So the store must be welcoming, the online site must be easy to navigate and the app, besides working well, has to have an engaging approach. The best way to deliver is for a brand to take the customer journey — put itself in the new customer's shoes — and be as analytical as possible in identifying what the initial experience is for the new customer.
What happens when a new shopper walks into the store? How easy is it for a customer to find help in the store or online? What is the response when a customer can't find what they need on the shelf or online? How fast and easy is the checkout process whether at the register, online or on a mobile app?
Those are all questions a brand must experience and answer, and then initiate needed fixes and improvements. If a retailer doesn't experience that full omnichannel 'customer' journey they need to be well aware that the customer will be quick to jump to another retailer and brand.
2. Empower employees, passion play a role in customer experience
Retail store associates, call center staff, marketing teams, IT leaders — all these employees — every brand employee — has a role to play in delivering the rewarding customer experience and is critical when it comes to improving and enhancing customer experience.
Often, it's the store associate or the call center agent in a chat bot that the customer first interacts with so employee training is critical and the training goes well beyond just the initial 'welcome' words.
The store associate is a brand ambassador and should not only project the brand's values but also project the brand's inherent care for a customer. Consistent feedback from store employees is critical as are their ideas are invaluable when it comes to customer experience. They're on the front lines and have a valuable role.
Just consider this stat: Most consumers, three out of four, are more loyal to stores that show consistent customer service.
3. Customer experience falls across every department
The best customer-centric organizations put customer experience as a focal point at every organizational level, from the c-suite to the store maintenance team and integrate it with third-party partners such as call centers.
Every brand leader must model the importance of being customer-centric and set an example for peers and employees to follow.
By setting an example at the top of the organization every brand employee clearly understands it's a crucial strategy and brand leadership that takes time to investigate that level of understanding will learn much more than never venturing into a brand store, or jumping on the website or checking out the brand app.
One good example of how this was done was seen by Walt Disney, the founder of Disneyland destinations. It was said he would literally walk the parks consistently, as if he was a first-time visitor, and ensure the experience was in line with Disney's CX strategy.
Last, but never least, get personal
From the very start a CX strategy must be personal — and personalization whenever possible is a strong component of a rewarding customer experience.
When a customer knows that a retailer understands their needs and what they expect, the customer loyalty factor grows deep. Consider that just over half, 54%, of consumers would choose dealing with slow-moving traffic than having a poor customer experience. Over half of consumers said "nothing excuses a bad customer experience."
Nearly every shopper, 95%, has abandoned an e-commerce cart and half of shoppers are quick to break up with a retailer when dealing with incorrect online information, such as wrong store hours, inaccurate contact details and other inaccuracies.
By embracing the three customer experience strategy principles outlined retailers can easily avoid becoming part of such statistics and provide the best customer experience for every shopper.