“Customer experience” has become one of the hottest marketing buzzwords of 2020. And for good reason…
- 84% of companies who prioritize customer experience are reporting an increase in revenue. (Source)
- 73% of consumers say a good experience is key in influencing their brand loyalties.
- Customers switching companies due to poor service costs U.S. companies a total of $1.6 trillion. (Source)
The bottom line is that customer experience impacts your bottom line.
4 Factors Every Business Needs to Create a Customer-Centric Culture
So, how do you go about creating a culture within your business or organization that values the customer experience? While the specific tactics or strategies may evolve, here are four key factors that you need to create a customer-centric culture:
1. Leadership Buy-In Across the Organization
You can’t simply silo customer experience to your customer support or client success department. Why? Because every department in your organization has a role in creating the experience customers have with your brand.
If you want to create a customer-centric culture, you must get buy-in from the leaders and stakeholders across every department. Your CFO should recognize the impact that his or her team has on customer experience. Your marketing leader should push his or her team to think creatively about the ways they can impact customer experience.
Leaders across your organization should embrace the importance of customer experience and constantly be thinking about how their departments can lead customers into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your brand.
2. Compelling Brand Values that Are Lived Out
Saying you value customer experience as a core value is one thing. Creating systems and structures within your organization that support customer experience is another. One of my favorite examples of this is the way Zappos tries to stay away from strict policies and ask their reps to do whatever they feel is the right thing to do for the customer and the company.
If you say you value customer experience, make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep that promise.
3. Engaged Employees Who Care About Their Work
It might sound counter-intuitive, but if you want to improve customer experience, you might want to start investing more in your employees. Engaged employees are more likely to work hard, care about your brand’s reputation, and make recommendations for improving the overall customer experience.
4. An Understanding of What Customers Want
If you want to improve your customer experience, taking time to gather insights about what customers care about and desire from your brand should be a priority. Take time to listen to customers. Be intentional about the customer journey and onboarding experience you’re creating. Find ways to create emotional connections with customers. Have a clear set of customers in mind when you’re making important business decisions.
Every company likes to think (and say) that they’re customer-centric. Considering how to embrace these four factors will help you create a customer-centric culture and ensure you deliver on your brand promises.