As business owners, we often focus the majority of our attention on our product or service. We want to make sure the product or service delivered meets (or exceeds) the standard of what the client is expecting in exchange for their money.
But client experience is one of the BEST ways to build a trusted brand that people will not only buy from again but they will recommend to others and organically share about. As we all know, a poor client experience can ruin an entire customer journey. It can tarnish not only that client’s individual experience but it can cause them to share with friends and others around them that they didn’t like your service or product.
Essentially, if you have a great product or service but poor customer experience, then you have a business that is destined for failure. Customers are what keep you in business therefore their experience should be one of the biggest priorities in your business.
There are a NUMBER of things you can do to help improve your client experience. Items that involve minor changes and items that involve major changes. Our client journey is where we often have blind spots in our business. Blind spots are the areas we can’t see and don’t even know exist. Finding and improving blind spots is one of my favorite ways to help provide immediate improvement for small businesses.
Let’s talk about 3 things you can implement today to improve your customer journey. I call them the “Three T’s”.
Touch Points: Touch points are the areas of communication or contact that you have with your customer. If you are a wedding vendor, you are likely not communicating daily with your couples. Does this mean you should only contact them the month of their wedding? NO. Absolutely not. What about a service provider like a hair salon? Should you be constantly emailing your clients so they have touchpoints? Again, no. We don’t want to have so many touch points that we aggravate OR have so little that customers are aggravated with us for lack of communication.
If you are thinking that touch points are only formal communication like emails, meetings, or phone calls, you are missing an opportunity to enhance your client experience. We have a device in our hands that connect us with thousands of people and your clients are included in that. So, use it to your advantage. Post on Instagram. Share your daily routine with IG stories. Create a TikTok account sharing your favorite tips. Record a YouTube “how-to” video. Do you see the pattern? YOU are providing VALUE as a way to CONNECT. If you don’t feel like you have time to create one of those items today, go to your client’s social media and see what they have been up to. Maybe you direct message them if they post or share something relevant to a conversation you have had with them or the work you are doing together. Social media allows us to have casual touch points that remind clients that we care, we are present, and we are excited to serve that (or grateful to have served them in the past) and it helps them see the care and loyalty your business values.
Transparency: Ah, the dream question of whether am I sharing too much or too little. I believe you can have a balance of sharing who you are without sharing the private details of your life. I do it myself both on social and on my website. I am happy to share who I am, what I value, what I believe in, and the things I love to do. But I leave out items that are detailed around my personal life and keep moments from my life like photos day to day with my husband or trips private.
So, how does this relate to client experience? Take a look at your socials, communication, and your website. AKA the three biggest places people will get to know you and your business. Are there personal touches for people to connect with? Likeness and trust are some of the pillars of a customer journey. Take a birdseye view of what you are sharing and see how you can open up about your values and what your business stands for.
Time: This is a more logistical way to show up for your clients but it is equally important. Check-in on your time. One of the fastest ways to grow a group of disappointed customers is to spend more time doing what you said you would do quickly. Be sure all your communication is up to speed. From email response time to product or service delivery, be sure you are meeting or exceeding the customer’s expectations. If you are behind on a deadline, communicate it.
There are numerous ways to enhance your customer journey and this is just the start. Reach out here to inquire about creating a stand-out customer experience for your business!
December 28, 2022
Morgan