A Helpful Guide to Understanding Customer Experience Design for SMBs

ByAndrea Rickett

When shopping with Amazon, is your experience positive? You see their ads and place your orders, they send helpful messages and let you leave feedback about your purchase. This is all part of the customer experience.

McKinsey Research indicates that 70% of buying is based on how customers feel. Therefore, it’s important for businesses to connect with customers and their emotionsat all stages of buying.

How Customer Experience Works

Harvard Business Review found 23% of satisfied customers share their experiences with others. Customer experience (CX) and customer experience design include all points involving a business, customers, and interactions. CX explores the customer journey while CX designers map journeys through detailed timelines and include emotions or helpful insights in customer experiences.

When businesses send gift certificates in higher amounts than anticipated, the customer will be elated. Businesses will usually then email the customer comment requests about their experience because customers want toshare their positive experience.

On the other hand, when customers have negative experiences (anger) which could adversely affect business if shared, companies quickly follow-up, reassuring customers, rectifying matters, and making the experience positive.

How CX Design Fills Gaps in the Customer Experience for a Better Lifetime Value

Kissmetrics reports that 64% of businesses found that improving customer experience improves lifetime value (LTV). Lifetime value is the likelihood customers will return and how much they spend. It’s a static approach with multiple variables including customer behaviors, pricing, and policy adjustments.

CX designers ensure the customer experience is seamless and identify gaps in how products or services are purchased, used, and maintained. CX design focuses on marketing and advertising campaigns to cultivate positive shopping/user experiences.

Using the Customer Experience with Your Business

Kissmetrics stated about 47% of customers would take their business elsewhere after a bad experience. In targeting how to have a better customer experience, CX designers produce better ROI and increase brand equity. This elevates how customers perceive you. When they’re confident, they’ll spend more and share their experiences.

To enhance customer experiences:

  • Research Online

When customers shop, let them see reviews, details about products and services, features, and benefits.

  • In-Store Locations

At brick-and-mortar locations, have friendly and informative staff, short waiting lines, and helpful marketing that customers need for purchasing decisions.

With Starbucks’ racial profiling incident, the company’s subsequent actions let customers know they wouldn’t tolerate racism. Had they not set up corporate-wide training, they may have had further declines in sales and stock, boycotts, and negative press.

  • Purchases

Allowing returns and any money back guarantees, help customers feel good about their buying decisions. Follow-up emails confirm if they’re happy with purchases and services received.

  • Customer Service

When customers call, email, text, chat, or visit your business, make them feel special. Offer quick and helpful solutions to meet their needs. Kissmetrics found 88% of consumers won’t shop with brands where negative complaints aren’t followed-up with.

  • Memberships and Offers

Businesses that reward loyalty and offer exclusive membership rewards programs help customers have positive buying experiences. They will feel appreciated and important to the business. This can be done with product and service businesses.

  • Empower Your Team

Create customer experience strategies and equip your team with skills in the decision-making process to connect ROI with LTV (Life Time Value). Increase consumer insight and include customer experience design in product development and business services. Businesses like Nordstrom are known for their exceptional customer service and offer free gift-wrapping, have open return policies, and provide free personal shoppers.

In your own business, look for ways that you can enhance the customer experience which resonates with consumers. By personalizing the experience and rewarding customers, you can maximize LTV and ROI. For help with customer experience design, contact Salty Waffle.

Salty Waffle: Creating Better Customer Experiences

With SMB tools like customer service automation and customer experience design, Salty Waffle can assist with your customer journey mapping for maximizing customer experiences. Offering social media tools and support with social media automation, Salty can help with reputation management and designing awesome experiences that will keep you customers coming back.