Blaire Nicole says, “It’s no secret that improving your customer experience game can help you reduce turnover and raise revenues. When it comes to the customer relationship, most businesses fall into one of two categories: transactional or experiential. Transactional customer relationships are nothing more than the exchange of money for products or services. There’s nothing extraordinary about these customer relationships, and they’re easily replaceable. Experiential customer relationships are a different story. In these relationships, the exchange of money buys more than just a product... [...]

Stefanie Flaxman says, “I know. I know. I know. “Viral” is an actual term people use to describe wildly popular content that has spread across a variety of distribution channels, landing in our Twitter feeds, Apple News updates, text messages, and emails from Uncle Sue. But I still don’t like the word. When “going viral” is a goal for a piece of content, it puts me a little on edge. Viral content may feed your ego, but it doesn’t necessarily feed your business. Business success without “going viral” I understand it’s frustrating if no one knows about your products or services.... [...]

Jeff Rajeck says, “Econsultancy recently surveyed nearly 1,000 marketing professionals about the progress they have made in understanding the customer journey.   In the resulting report, we found that there are five main steps toward doing so and nearly half of the marketers are stuck at one key stage. The results of cultivating a good understanding of customers and improving their experience are well understood. When excellent customer experience is achieved, marketers will better know how to engage with customers, consumers will be happier with our products and services, and, ideally,... [...]

Randy Antin says, “Few companies can connect the dots when managing their massive amounts of customer information. According to research by Econsultancy and Ensighten, only 10 percent of marketers have successfully aggregated data from social, web analytics, customer purchase history and in-store visits and sales. Even the necessary centralization of that data is becoming more difficult. In a recent CMO Council study, 44 percent of marketers said they believe data aggregation is crucial for completing their picture of the customer experience. Even if an organization stores, collects and... [...]

Annie Pilon says, “If you want your business to succeed online, you can’t just sell to customers — you have to actually connect with them. Luckily, there are tons of different ways you can do this. And members of our small business community are well versed in all of those different techniques. Check out some of their top tips below. Learn the Do’s and Don’ts of Connecting Through Instagram If you use Instagram for your business, then you have access to a great tool for connecting with customers and other members of your target audience. But there are some do’s and don’ts to... [...]

Kumail Hemani says, “We all know that social media is a great way to promote yourself and spread your business’ message across the web. For e-commerce stores, a few social shares can quickly snowball into unbelievable success. Unlike, brick and mortar stores, e-commerce has the benefit of being available 24/7. Whether your customers are shopping on a holiday or at 2 AM, the store is open for business. But this accessibility is a 2-way street; your customers can shop anytime, but they can also send feedback and share comments at all hours of the day. This problem is amplified if your e-commerce... [...]

Kate Leggett says, “Customers hold the power in their relationships with businesses. Today, it’s not enough for businesses to deliver products. Customers expect them to deliver outcomes and success. To do this, businesses must understand who the customer is, what their pain points are in achieving their business goals, and must help them choose the right products to meet their goals. The relationship does not stop there. Businesses must ensure that a new customer is properly onboarded, and is realizing ongoing value from their purchase. Forrester data backs these statements up. 68%... [...]

Rieva Lesonky says, “Positive emotions are vital to a good retail customer experience. But how can you ensure customers have a positive experience in your store? The Power of Emotion and Personalization, a survey of more than 20,000 people by InMoment, has some guidance about what emotions matter most to customer loyalty. Emotion has become the No. 1 driver of a great customer experience, InMoment reports — more important than ease or effectiveness. The study surveyed both customers and businesses about what emotions create positive brand experiences. Here’s what they said: Satisfaction... [...]

Jeff Shore says, “Check-up time. Park your ego outside, be honest and take some time to determine if your sales presentation suffers from any of these deal-killing strategies. 1. Forcing your customer to take the lead There is a very common question that gets asked in the sales world. And it drives customers up the flippin’ wall. The question? “How can I help you?” The request sounds innocent enough — almost friendly. But think of the implications. We are asking the customer to take the lead and describe both the situation and the solution. Yep, nothing like saying to a customer,... [...]

Megan Totka says, “Customers will say time and again that they are willing to pay more money for high quality customer service. When it comes to running and growing your business, it all boils down to the strength of your corporate philosophy and customer service. Customers will say time and again that they are willing to pay more money for high quality customer service. Many customers say they will stop doing business with a company if the customer service is poor. This shows that your retention rates and overall customer satisfaction rely heavily on your customer service and corporate... [...]