With retail going on the web, and global consumerism on the rise, delivering outstanding experiences consistently on a wider platform has become a challenge as well as an opportunity for retailers. Customer experience is now the new brand differentiator among competition in the retail/eCommerce industry. Awareness and an increased choice in products and prices have led to an increase in customer expectations.
Consumers now have access to multiple communication channels that are selling 24/7 (bricks & mortar, internet, call centers, catalog, kiosks, etc.). Delivering a consistent customer experience across all these channels is more challenging than ever. The pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase touch points at each of the channels have to be mapped, measured, and managed in order to understand customer behavior and deliver a customized "you got me" experience. I believe that the following list, however short, is a crucial checklist for creating a consistent experience for customers across multiple retail channels:
Pre-Purchase Experience – Is the website working, and is the message clear? Customer interaction is created as soon as a customer becomes aware of your company. Generating impressive pre-purchase experiences is important for visitor-to-customer conversion. Since a majority of retail customers depend on the Internet for information prior purchase, it is important that companies are supported by a strong online presence.
In-Store Experience – Is your store clean, crisp, colorful and "feel" good? If it is online or brick and mortar, a store experience is important to persuade your customer to make a purchase. Online or offline store design that allows for easy location of products, store aesthetics, quick billing, personnel assistance, easy parking, all constitute in-store experience.
Product Experience – Do you need an PhD to use it? Obviously, the quality of the product matters. Complementing this with variety, without going overboard, enhances customer’s product experience. Make the product experience easy, simple and sweet.
Service Experience – Can you communicate and connect? A cup of coffee at Starbucks enlivens not only your taste buds but your spirits as well, thanks to its cheery employees. Amazon is reputed for its speedy and customer-focused problem resolution even in cases where the customer dissatisfaction is a result of an outside merchant.
Don't tell me that you care about me and have me wait! An irate customer following a long hold time in the queue is a common call center agent experience. WestJet Airlines, Canada, makes both its customers and agents happy by filling the wait-time with jokes and trivia. Your service reflects your attitude toward your customers. Enhance it with innovation, technology, and an empowered workforce.
Multi-Channel Experience Alignment – Is it a 360' experience? Customers expect the same type of merchandising from multi-channel retailers. So, your products, pricing, and regulations, should be uniform online and offline. Equally important is the seamless functioning of each of these channels.
Ensuring customer satisfaction on all these afore-mentioned levels requires a clear vision that is infused across the organization. Your vision should be based on deep insights into your customer expectations and your company’s strengths and weaknesses. This should be followed by the resonance of the vision across all levels through such resources as newsletters, emails, intranet, employee training, and staff meetings. This cascading is important as it enables each employee understand his/her contribution to realization of the vision. Task prioritization, and problem identification and resolution, are also made easier this way.
A complete brand experience results from a consistent delivery of the above experiences, which translates into loyal customer relationships, and consequently, a great brand.
