Companies across all industries share one common goal—to keep customers happy. So,why do so many struggle to make it happen?
Often it's due to a lack of focus on customer experience transformation. Rather than embracing customer experience strategy as an organizational priority, they're stuck using outdated methods that silo the customer experience with either customer service or sales teams.
Let's dig into why customer experience transformation matters and how it can revolutionize the way you interact with customers.
What is customer experience transformation?
Customer experience transformation is the process of reimagining and reinventing how your business engages with its customers. CX transformation is bigger than only customer-focused operations, it integrates customer experience into every corner of your operations—from marketing to sales to IT. It's your game plan to create an all-encompassing meaningful, and personalized customer experience that aligns with everything your brand does.
With CX transformation, you ditch the reactive approach to customer experience and instead embrace seamless experiences for your customers throughout all touchpoints with your brand. It sparks unforgettable interactions with customers no matter where or how they find you and connect.
Why You Need the Power of CX Transformation
Seeing a dip in sales or watching customers slowly drift away? These might be the red flags that your customer experience is missing the mark. Customer experience transformation can be a game-changing move to breathe life into your brand and help boost customer satisfaction and sales. Here are a few reasons you should throw out the old ways and invest in customer experience transformation.
Customers crave streamlined interactions.
A well-planned product can make big waves—but customers don't just want a good product—they want an entirely exclusive and personalized experience. A recent survey by Salesforce of over 15,600 consumers found that 80% consider the experience a company provides to be as important as its products and services.
But, often, companies limit the customer experience to just the sales department instead of leading with it across all departments. In the same survey, 76% also reported they expect consistent interactions across departments, yet 54% said it generally feels like marketing and sales teams don't share information.
Revenue is tied to customer experience.
Eighty-nine percent of brands with customer experience transformation on the brain and in their strategy financially outperform their competitors. The truth is, companies that lead with customer experience transformation see the bottom-line results. If you want to improve your returns, customer experience needs to be part of the core of your overall strategy.
Why does CX pay off?
CX keeps customers connected, loyal, and positively engaged with your brand. And if you create a beautiful, simple, addictive experience, customers are often willing to put their money on the line and show brand loyalty. Research shows that 43% of consumers are willing to pay more for greater convenience. So, if you want to unlock the key to tapping into the hearts and wallets of your customers—customer experience transformation key.
How to Improve Customer Experience Transformation
There are certain areas within an organization where change needs to happen to ensure the best experience in all customer engagements. Here's a simple framework for implementing CX transformation.
Vision and strategy. Set ambitious, measurable goals and align your organization's values with a customer-focused mindset.
Employees. Create a strong connection of collaboration between all teams and departments.
Optimize operations. Automate workflows to create a clear and efficient process. Take a hard look at your existing processes and identify opportunities to foster collaboration.
Leverage cutting-edge technology. Establish a technical framework that fosters inter-departmental cooperation that keeps the customer experience at the forefront.
Kickstart Your CX Transformation
Eager to embark on your own customer experience transformation journey? Let's explore the five steps to help take your CX strategy from tired to captivating.
01—Embrace an omnichannel mindset.
Giving customers multiple ways to reach your brand is a no-brainer. Turns out, 76% of companies say they're throwing money at new ways for customers to reach out. This means every conversation that your customers have with your brand across all channels should feel like a smooth, unbroken conversation. Whether customers grill your chatbot with questions or post comments on your social media, every touchpoint should be seamless.
02—Secure C-suite buy-in.
Customer experience transformation isn't an easy task without attention from the top. Senior leaders must be on board with CX strategy and commit to it through budget allocations and strategic planning.
By assembling a cross-functional coalition of executive stakeholders, you can align strategy into one voice. When everyone in the organization prioritizes CX, conflicting goals and metrics between different teams become a thing of the past.
03—Create an inspiring company culture.
Imagine a company culture that's so mindblowing that it transforms not just your team but your entire customer experience. Sounds unbelievable, right? It doesn't have to be a pipe dream. When you foster an environment where employees are energized, motivated, and feel like they're part of something bigger, it's contagious. Appreciated and excited employees can't help but share their energy with customers.
04—Use tech to revamp customer experience.
Want to shake off your competitors? Customer experience is one of the top ways to do so, but you'll need the right tools to pull it off. A recent study by IBM found that 60% of CEOs from the most financially successful organizations list "delivering better customer experiences" as one of their top priorities over the next few years.
Don't get stuck in the slow lane. Constantly evaluate what technology can help you move faster and drive better customer engagement. Think—AI-driven customer service, predictive analytics, and automation tools to move your CX initiatives forward. Find ways to expand your bandwidth to deliver better and more memorable experiences to your customers.
05—Personalize the customer experience.
Personalization is unavoidable if you want to win devoted customers. Customers expect you to know them inside out and deliver exactly what they want. Research from McKinsey found 71% of consumers expect companies to provide customized interactions.
Don't have psychic superpowers? You don't need a crystal ball to figure out what customers want. The data and analytics you've already got can help you better understand customer preferences and behaviors, so put that data to work. And if you're not collecting data, it's time to start.
The Path to CX Success
Customer experience transformation—think of it as a winding scenic journey, not a destination. It's an evolving process that requires continued commitment and investment. The key is to embrace this mindset and make sure customer experience runs deep throughout every inch of your organization. But don’t forget to stay in lock-step with your customer's needs while keeping your ear to the ground. Nail that, and you're destined for success.
Rebel is a market research and strategy firm. We analyze consumer journeys to find insights in places you wouldn't expect—to take you to places you never thought possible. Ready to start your CX transformation adventure? Let's go.
