Customer Experience Services

Quantitative behavioral data — for instance, website analytics that show where visitors are most likely to abandon the site, email response metrics, Net Promoter Scores and contact center records — helps map the existing customer journey. Qualitative data gleaned from focus groups, surveys and interviews provides insight into the reasons for customers’ behavior and pain points. 

It’s important to note that a brand might need to focus on different pain points for different audience segments. After determining which customer segments and personas to prioritize, an organization can pinpoint which changes will be most impactful for each. 

Satisfaction metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) offer snapshots of customer perceptions of their experience. Operational metrics such as average resolution time quantify aspects of the customer experience. And tracked over time, business metrics such as conversion, churn and retention rates indicate whether the customer experience and customer perceptions are improving or deteriorating.  

While organizations should track all these types, a business’s strategy and goals should determine which to prioritize. A company might accept a slight decline in NPS and resolution time, for instance, if it enables them to contain costs without increasing churn. 

The short answer is that engaged, motivated employees are more likely to provide a positive customer experience than disengaged, unhappy ones. But encouraging positive employee experiences goes beyond treating employees well. Employees need to be empowered to handle customer challenges on their own and coached for continual improvement.  

For instance, Material worked with Rent-A-Center to better understand the relationship between employee experience and customer experience. We then developed a system that translated customer comments into real-time insights and identified coaching experiences. As a result, Net Promoter Score improved 54% and customer growth per store increased an average of 20%. 

Organizations should continually track the customer experience, as markets and consumer preferences are always subject to change. Catching a downward trend in certain metrics, such as NPS or customer retention, early on makes implementing improvements easier and minimizes long-term damage to the brand. 

Quarterly or semi-annual reports synthesizing metrics can help determine whether a larger CX evaluation is needed. Organizations should also reevaluate their customer experience when their market, their business or their audience experiences major changes, such as new competitors or significant economic pressure. 

Part of the overall customer experience strategy, the digital CX strategy focuses on specifically on digital touchpoints. Many businesses assume these are limited to their websites and apps, but they also include social media platforms, chatbots, emails and SMS notifications. What’s more, a comprehensive digital customer experience strategy ensures that digital channels integrate productively with offline components in the customer journey to form a cohesive experience.