3.02 – Using Personal Relevance To Create Experiences
Consumers now expect brands to behave like their friends and family. Friendships last longer with people who care about us, listen to us, and proactively support our personal goals. This desire for meaningful interactions extends to consumer experiences as well.
Key Attributes of Customer Service
Several consumer polls reveal that 91 percent of consumers believe listening and understanding their individual goals is the most important aspect of customer service for earning repeat business. According to a report by Genesys, other critical attributes include:
- Listening and genuinely trying to understand needs
- Knowing account history and current activities
- Avoiding making customers repeat themselves when transferred
- Understanding intentions and proactively offering solutions
- Acknowledging frustrations and emotions
- Greeting customers by name
With an affordable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and a customer communications platform like live chat, small businesses can deliver high-quality customer experiences similar to big brands. Often, interactions that spark purchases and long-term loyalty require nothing more than the human touch and small gestures of kindness.
Building Customer Experiences
Customer experiences can be enhanced using sophisticated data mapping and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to understand customers’ purchasing intent, shopping patterns, product interests, and more. Alternatively, they can be built upon touchpoints designed to deliver the experiences customers desire, as highlighted in the Genesys report.
Competing with Bigger Brands
When competing with bigger brands for top satisfaction rates, repeat purchases, and lifetime loyalty, consider these insights from the Genesys 2021 State of Customer Experience report. Genesys asked consumers and customer experience leaders, “Which of these do you/your company value the most in a customer service interaction?” The gaps between what customers want and what they receive create opportunities for small businesses.
Affordable Interaction Methods
Voice interaction, email, and live chat are listed by consumers as the most valuable methods of brand interaction. These methods are now more affordable for small and midsize businesses. For example, some CRM systems include free live chat functions with email and data management services. The cost is then determined by staff wages for interacting online with website visitors.
Consumers also state that Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are among the most popular social media apps for customer service interactions. Both apps are easy to use and affordable, making them excellent tools for small businesses.
Conclusion
By leveraging personal relevance and understanding individual customer needs, small businesses can create exceptional customer experiences. Whether through sophisticated AI systems or simple human touches, the key is to deliver meaningful interactions that foster loyalty and satisfaction.
