6 Reasons why we put Customer Experience at the top of the agenda.

Ideally, the first interaction a potential customer has with your business is through some slick piece of highly polished marketing collateral or presented by trained individuals well versed in sharing the benefits and values effectively and concisely… We all know the reality isn’t quite that ‘structured’. Contact can come from any channel and through various departments in your business.

Then there are the contacts that are unplanned but that you know are coming. The problem solving, the negotiations, the follow-ups you have with customers and colleagues. There is no saying what might come in on a day-to-day basis, but that is the regular communication on which relationships (and therefore brands) are built on.

Here at Enreach we see exceptional customer experience as something that differentiates us, improves our business and gives our teams a healthy benchmark to measure success.

We believe a great customer experience makes perfect business sense and not something that should be seen as being handled by a specific role in a specific department.

The data is out there to suggest a customer service driven strategy works. 73%¹ of business leaders report that there is a direct link between their customer service and overall business performance. In addition, 64%¹ of business leaders say that customer service has a positive impact on their growth.

On top of that, 70%² of consumers are highly likely to interact with businesses that understand them. Further, customers expect businesses to understand their needs and expectations, so do your research and use it –– keep your CRMs up to date, so teams have access to the right info to help.

But with businesses focusing on delivering great experiences, comes the escalation in expectation. It’s estimated 95%³ of customers will read reviews before making a purchase. The digital world we live in makes that feedback, whether on review platforms, forums or social media, accessible by all. So if your business isn’t keeping up, any complaints are likely to be amplified.

All for one.

Delivering great customer service is the responsibility of the whole business, not one department. Making your workplace a positive, inclusive environment for all is a fantastic platform to help your teams do their best work. It’s so important for all involved to be appreciated and educated so they can effectively represent your brand. It’s the contact your teams have day-in-day-out that represents the whole business, so don’t let a bad morning lead to a bad online review.

Here are 6 reasons why we place customer experience at the top of our business agenda.

Happy customers talk.

When your customers are happy, they are much more likely to share the love with family, friends, colleagues, in person and online. We all like to tell when the brands we have chosen have gone above and beyond, especially when hearing about other people who have had poor experiences. And that’s a thing too. People are more likely to write about negative experiences online rather than positives⁶ because they want to protect others from bad situations or to help them make a more informed buying decision. Once those experiences are out there, there is no going back.

Make lifetime customers.

For many businesses, understanding and growing customer lifetime value can be a crucial part of a business strategy. It represents total revenue from a single customer account for the life of that account. If this value increases, it means your customers are shopping more frequently and/or spending more money with you.

Investing in customer experience is one way to boost lifetime value. When customers have a great experience with your service/product/people they will be more likely to shop again (and as above, talk about that experience). Plus, if they are happy why would they look to leave?

Proactive customer contact.

Rather than waiting for customers to find faults or issues, a proactive approach reaches out to them before they know they exist. This works in two ways, customers know and appreciate that you are working to remove roadblocks from their experience but also it’s a great way to introduce new products and services.

If common problems are identified and ironed out, or features are updated that would improve the experience for multiple customers, they will appreciate that you are actively looking to improve your service and their experience.

Customer expectation.

Customers expect excellence. And on their terms, on their timelines. With digital solutions replacing face-to-face contact in many instances, customers expect that corridor of support to be open at all times. Customers have more options now than ever before and are more likely to seek out and research alternatives if they are unsatisfied with their experience. If they have had a great experience elsewhere (in any industry) that will become the new benchmark on which we are judged. A great incentive to strive for our best.

The experience difference.

It is estimated that 60% ⁴ of customers stop doing business with a brand after a poor service experience. But research also indicates that 67% ⁴ of that churn is preventable if you can solve a problem during a first interaction. So that translates as; if you can provide excellent customer service right from the start, you can retain your customers while picking up any that have left your competitors.

Experiencing the exception.

 Mistakes happen. It’s super unlikely anyone sets out to do a bad job, but things don’t always go to plan. However, 78%⁵ of customers will do business with a company again after a mistake IF they rate their customer experience as excellent overall. Clearly it’s no get out of jail free card, but where errors are seen as the exception, you will avoid the bad press and potential upset that causes.

So, it’s pretty obvious then –– when you treat customers well, your business can experience growth, positive marketing and retain goodwill. It can be an angle your business can use to differentiate against competition. We can all recall our own stand out experiences with brands, the wider data is out there to see just how critical great customer service can be.

Can Enreach help boost the customer experience we provide?

Absolutely, YES! A cloud phone system from Enreach can create time efficiencies and present your business in the most professional light. Here are just a few of the amazing features we’d love to share with you.

Enreach Contact, our telephony platform is loaded with time saving automation features like; virtual receptionist can manage and route calls to relevant places. That puts callers in control and in touch with the best people to help. If there was any delay, on hold advertising could promote relevant services presenting possible upsell opportunities. Presence states can indicate availability to reception staff so no additional time is wasted searching for team members.

Automate the simple tasks – so much of your team’s time can be taken up by common problem solving, locating the right personel to direct enquiries, answering everyday questions – all can steal valuable minutes away from your day.

Video support gives a face-to-face option. No longer confined to internal meetings, video calling has been thrust into the spotlight and has become a popular way for customers to stay in contact. One study suggested the preference for video calling in customer service has increased to 70%⁷.

Enreach Mobile – we provide flexible plans to suit your business needs. Super-fast 5g speeds keep you connected and productive wherever you are. Business mobiles maximise efficiency while provide users more control over where and when they work.  Building mobiles in to your operation mean customer calls are never missed and teams on the road are always in the loop.

More recognition

We’ve been shortlisted in the UK Customer Experience Awards 2022 (https://cxa.co.uk/finalists-announced)! It’s great that our hardworking team have been recognised alongside some of the biggest names in business. Well done us! It’s not the first time however (https://enreach.co.uk/awards/).  We’re always going over and above for our customers and love to hear the feedback. Can we do the same for you?

If there is any aspect of your business telecoms you want to give lift, we would love to have a chat and see where we can help. Get in contact via the chat icon in the corner of your browser, call us on 0800 097 6543 or fill in the contact form on our website.

Sources and references

1) https://www.zendesk.co.uk/customer-experience-trends/#georedirect

2)  https://www.redpointglobal.com/press-releases/70-percent-of-consumers-say-they-will-exclusively-shop-with-brands-that-personally-understand-them-this-holiday-season/

3) https://learn.g2.com/customer-reviews-statistics

4) https://success.qualtrics.com/rs/542-FMF-412/images/ROI%20of%20customer%20experience%202020.pdf

5) https://c1.sfdcstatic.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/salesforce-state-of-the-connected-customer-4th-ed.pdf

6) https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/learn-from-customers/bad-reviews-why-people-write-them-and-what-they-expect

7) https://webhelp.com/news/video-chat-for-customer-service-sees-70-growth-in-europe/