With two thirds of businesses competing on customer experience, what part does digital transformation play? When firms are looking for a deeper relationship with the people they serve, isn’t digital technology heading in the wrong direction?
Rogan Hounsell-Roberts was a founder of a successful scale-up; has helped organisations across many sectors achieve success; a founder of KR5 Consulting; and passionate to help ambitious business leaders succeed.
Why Customer Experience is Important
Most people can be on their best behaviour on a first date yet spending more time with them can reveal a different picture. It’s much the same for customers forming a relationship with a business. In the short term the business can look amazing, yet time reveals the true picture.
We’re more likely to have a long-term relationship with a person or business we trust and that’s got our best interest at heart. They treat us as human beings and care about what we care about. There’s a bond of trust, they’re reliable and we feel we can turn to them for help. This is at the heart of better customer experience.
Deeper long-term relationships matter to business because overall those customers spend more with them. There’s a lower cost of sale, so retaining loyal customers is more profitable. Customers want those firms too, so that’s why there’s competition for better customer experience.
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What’s it got to do with digital
There are many ways we use digital in our personal and business life that help us with deeper relationships. Here’s three examples:
- Treating people as individuals. You might record birthdays and anniversaries so you can send a card or text to show you care. You might make a note of a specific need so you can help them out.
- Being organised. If you plan to meet a friend in the future, you’ll put that in your diary, so you don’t forget. Your diary helps you to be organised and keep your promises.
- Being there for them. We can use phones, video, or messaging to be there for our friends when they need us.
In short, digital helps us to create deeper relationships with people. That might be to remember important details, keep promises or stay in touch. We need more help in business, because it tends to involve more people and customers have higher expectations.
Why is customer experience driving digital transformation?
In brief, our expectations change as leaders innovate. For example, Amazon and online purchasing; British Airways with global online check-in; and LinkedIn for business social media. With innovation and customer adoption, a new bar is set. This in turn creates a driver for using digital for better customer experience. For example:
- Treating customers as individuals with their own specific needs. It’s not only about collecting preferences; it’s creating a deep understanding of needs; and making recommendations that can really help them.
- Following an effective process consistently without dropping the ball.
- Fast processes to avoid delays. For example, placing orders or for support.
- Online services that are there whenever a customer needs them.
We have to look beyond our closest rivals. Customers begin to expect the same experience across the board. Digital transformation helps close the customer experience gap.
Finally
Customer expectation of digital experience evolves as leaders innovate. Customers expect an increasingly digital experience as well as a fast and reliable service. Business transformation is a constant to keep up with digital innovation and avoid gaps in customer experience. Many find a structured approach to planning changes and the use of technology helpful. If you’d like to have a chat about your requirements, give me a call on 01344 266567 or contact me on rhounsell@kr5consulting.com or DM on LinkedIn to arrange a meeting.
KR5 Consulting helps senior leaders to transform & refine their business for profitable growth. We work closely with leaders to assist them in their Digital Transformation; refining their Business System; and applying Digital Technology.
If you’d like to explore the ideas in this article further or need help and advice, please contact Rogan at rhounsell@kr5consulting.com – to arrange an informal chat.
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