Why You Need a Proven Digital Marketing Strategy that Works
Digital customer experience strategy is becoming the most effective way to measure customer engagement and satisfaction with a company and its online service. In a world of instant gratification—Prime Now and Starbucks Mobile Orders come to mind—responding to customer inquiries and requests quickly and efficiently are often the difference between return business and losing potential long-term clients.
Why is a Digital Customer Experience Strategy Vital to Success?
It’s the 21st century, and the easiest way for customers to find what they want is right at their fingertips. Most communication is now done through a mobile device, so if your website is not optimized to be mobile friendly, quick, and responsive, your customers will easily find one that is.
For those that want their share of the 2 billion consumers online every single day, a strong digital customer experience strategy is key. It’s the digital age version of, “If you build it, they will come.”
Fast loading websites optimized for both desktop and mobile devices have become the bare minimum concerning what consumers now expect. Handheld technology has raised the bar for what constitutes an effective DCX. Creating a streamlined customer journey will only keep you in the game. It does not get you ahead.
Consumers have become accustomed to effective digital experiences. What they want is something innovative and memorable. Wow them and make them feel like they’re experiencing something unique. Something special.
What is the Best Way to Create an Effective Digital Customer Experience Strategy?
According to NGDATA, one of the best strategies for creating a great digital experience for customers is to ensure the process is simple and user-friendly. This includes focusing on digital touchpoints, listening to feedback from customers to understand what they want, and responding to leads and inquiries within minutes rather than days.
The instant gratification culture that dominates online strategy requires equally responsive strategies. Research from the Harvard Business Review indicates many firms are too slow to follow up on web-generated leads. Customers now expect to have the option to either schedule a call back at their convenience, to immediately open a chat with a representative, or to have their email responded to within the hour.
This evolving expectation requires designers to optimize contact options within the digital platform. Contact buttons should be obvious and on every page. Make it straightforward so that anyone opening any page of your site will immediately find a way to contact you with just one click.
Too often, digital strategies are focused on what we think our customers want. The truth is, the emphasis should be on creating a streamlined and positive journey for the customer from the moment your website opens to the completion of their transaction. Developing smarter customer experience strategies is a team effort that requires interdepartmental cooperation, including CMOs, CIOs, and CTOs.
How are Touchpoints Used to Improve the Digital Customer Experience?
Customers are growing more technologically savvy every day and demanding smarter customer experiences. McorpCX asserts that digital customer experience strategy should be a top priority for all businesses.
Customers want to deal with companies that offer solutions and that don’t add to their concern. Having solution-oriented assistance readily available to them at each touchpoint is paramount to a better customer experience.
The number of digital touchpoints in the customer journey is increasing. These touchpoints must be consistent across all platforms to avoid delivering incorrect information.
So, What is the Nature of a Great Digital Customer Experience Strategy?
The best digital customer experience strategy will be the one that best suits your particular clients’ needs. For Accelingo, it’s focused on providing quick, comprehensive, and customer-specific solutions for international expansion that meets or exceeds our customers’ expectations. The focus for your company and your customer’s need may be entirely different.
Below is the first in a video series created by Acquia, a software-as-a-service company, who provide support for CMS Drupal. They have created a series of digital strategy sessions on YouTube designed to help businesses focus on foundational elements of the customer experience. The first video will address critical thinking and strategic planning when creating your digital customer experience strategy.
What is the Best Way to Ensure Sustained Success and Relevance?
First, make sure it’s organic. Strategies are only as good as their ability to grow and adapt. What works best for your customers today may not be the best strategy for them, or you, next year.
Appointing one person to oversee and guide the strategy’s development provides the leadership necessary for it to remain relevant and valuable.
This trailblazer should be knowledgeable without having to be an expert. They should also possess an interest in learning more as the strategy develops, feel empowered to make decisions, and be allowed the opportunity for increased resources as the value of the strategy increases.
