The cost-of-living crisis means that UK retailers and online businesses will need to look more closely at how they operate over the coming months. In doing so it is hoped that they may sustain success during 2023, by encouraging existing customers to stay loyal as opposed to moving to their competition. Whilst the groundwork may be challenging, the outcome will be positive to a point that it can set the business into a new strategy for the coming year.
Keeping existing customers loyal and creating recommendations through them is the ultimate goal which all businesses should focus on. So, what are the tricks and tips that our Customer Services team can give UK companies to help them to achieve longevity and success?
It is so easy for a business to assume that their customer journey is smooth, just as it was from the day when it was set up. However, this isn’t necessarily the case and therefore the customer journey should be regularly reviewed to double check that the process is seamless. Not only is it important that Director’s test it to understand exactly how it operates, but also ask colleagues or friends who can give good feedback too.
Customer journey tricks and tips
- Understanding the website – Visit the website or app to buy a product and explore the information. Are the photos good enough, is there generous detailed information and are the variables such as colour and size easy to choose from? What does the basket look like and is it easy to go back and explore the site again whilst keeping the basket open? What postage options are there? Finally, how does the payment option work and does it provide more up-to-date easy to pay technology such as Apply Pay or Google Pay which is simple to use?
- Order Communication – What happens next? The customer will want to receive an order confirmation and know when their order is being delivered. This information should be easy to access, should the customer need to follow up at any point in the future.
- Delivery – To reduce ‘Where is my delivery? calls’ into the business, companies should provide up to date tracking / delivery information which means that customers fully understand as to when their parcel is dispatched and when they can expect it to be delivered.
- Returns – Return information should be easy to understand with clear guidance on return time-frame window, how to record a return and where the drop off points are to send back the goods. Payment claims should also be clear i.e a returned payment will be made once the goods are received by the business. It is equally important that a business carries out their own return to understand how the process works. Afterall, customers who receive successful returns which are not problematic, are more likely to consider and buy again from the business at a later date.
Finding Research Support
When WeAnswer take on new clients, we take the time to get to know the business, their brand, and their products. This means that when we speak to customers on their behalf, that we know exactly what to say and how to say it and how to meet their needs. We delve into the customer journey to understand how the business fully operates and to learn about the types of customer calls which we may receive. If you would like more support in understanding your own customer journey but just don’t have the time or resources to implement it, then why not let WeAnswer carry out the research on your behalf? To find out more please contact us.
