Even in the midst of the busyness of the retail holiday season, customer experience (CX) remains top-of-mind for businesses and sits atop several 2019 trend lists. In our previous blog about CX trends, we learned why having a consistent omnichannel strategy would help you exceed customer expectations, ultimately benefiting both parties—business and consumer. Now, let’s look into a couple more areas of opportunity to turn your focus toward that will foster strong customer experiences into 2019 and beyond.
Meet them where they are. Thank yourself later.
After developing and implementing a strong omnichannel strategy to combat the ever-changing retail landscape, consider consumers’ evolving expectations. Where is your shopper finding you—online or in-store? Consider during which part of the buying journey and on which platform your customers are searching for answers—answers you should provide. Focusing on a few simple, yet important, pieces of your strategy provides your consumers with the correct information, at the right time, giving them exactly what they desire—a sensational experience.
Consumers relentlessly crave more results but less fluff, wanting to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. Many consumers have in-depth knowledge about which products they want, before going in-store to buy them, so retail sales associates’ roles must shift to better assist the consumer. Always having your target audience in mind drives you to develop a strong CX, easily meeting—and soon, surpassing—their expectations. Remember, it’s not about what you like or what you’re interested in. Give your consumers what they want.
Invest in your people. Again, thank yourself later.
Your employees are your best resource for building rapport and establishing brand loyalty with your consumers. That is, as long as they believe in you and the business. Help them see their potential and the business goals through training and advocacy programs. Having properly trained sales reps boosts shoppers’ confidence in their purchasing decisions. The result? Happier, more loyal customers because you spent the necessary time on sales rep training. Proper sales training leads to more personalized experiences for shoppers and increased revenue for you.
About 50% of top-performing businesses have found mobile application training modules to be the most effective training tool, according to a recent article from McKinsey&Company. Properly training your sales reps with online modules and in-person coaching will unlock more opportunity for your business. When your reps are well trained and have cutting-edge technology, they feel empowered. When they feel empowered, they become strong brand advocates. When they become strong brand advocates, shoppers feel and experience things they didn’t see coming—expectations surpassed.
These experiences are entirely attainable, if you have the right strategy in place. Is it time to revisit yours? Take time to discover which areas need more attention and focus your efforts there. Uncover more CX tips so you can consistently exceed your customers’ expectations.
Continue to follow this blog series as we uncover another piece to the puzzle, which will help you continue to play and win in this industry. And, if you want to discuss how MarketSource can help you solve some of your biggest challenges, contact us today.