In today’s hyper-competitive business scene, any business, no matter the industry, can find themselves facing down multiple competitors. These competitors can pop up overnight and may even match them in terms of pricing and product and service quality. This leaves customer experience as the last bastion in which businesses can set themselves apart from the rest.
There are a few basic practices that every business can apply to enhance customer experience, but doing these alone may not be enough. Besides, if every business does just the bare minimum, then there would truly be no way to differentiate one customer experience from another.
One thing that can provide a truly unique customer experience is big data, that huge pool of both structures and unstructured information that a business usually collects and accumulates from its day-to-day operations. By analyzing and sorting through big data, businesses can find ways to enhance customer experience. Here are a few examples.
Identifying Specific Pain Points
Big data analysis for improving customer experience doesn’t just involve poring through customer feedback emails and to see what is the most common customer complaint. Rather, it takes those pieces of data together with other customer information – text messages, call center notes, tweets, and even social media posts and comments – to form a more fleshed-out and detailed conclusion about customer pain points. This makes them much more actionable for the business owner.
Using additional data solutions such as data replication software may also prove useful in addressing various issues. Because all users have access to the same level of information, they can review the data from other departments that may be relevant to their own concerns without having to interfere with the work of the other group. This also creates a smoother, more streamlined flow of data, as well as sharing and analysis. For example, the sales managers can review the data from the customer relations department to develop a training module to enhance certain skills of the sales personnel based on customer feedback.
Creating Targeted, Fine-Tuned Solutions
With the help of big data, business owners can also figure out the customers’ specific likes and dislikes regardingtheir experience and thus provide tailor-made solutions. This helps businesses avoid the mistake of developing “blanket”fixes.
For example, a pet grooming service may frequently receive complaints from owners of the same dog breeds. With the help of big data, the business owner can then invest on solutions that will help address those specific problems, such as hiring an expert to provide care training for that particular kind of dog. This not only helps to improve the customer experience but also make it cost-effective for the business owner as well.
Big data can also help further improve positive customer experiences. For example, if a certain service from the same pet grooming business — say, a doggie massage — receives good reviews but doesn’t get as many customers, the business owner can bundle this service with a more popular one to increase revenue while at the same time promoting an under-performing yet satisfactory product.
Fostering Learning and Quick Thinking
Big data helps businesses analyze customer experiences and feedback almost as soon as they are received. With the almost constant flow of data, your personnel are always on their toes, anticipating and analyzing the incoming information, which can then be used not just for the immediate resolution of customer complaints but also to encourage creativity and quick thinking in looking for and developing solutions.
Historic data can also be bumped side-by-side with current data to compare and contrast the effects of certain implementations. This, in turn, can be used to refine newly introduced processes or even bring back old methods (albeit with a few tweaks) that worked extremely well. These details can also be used to plan for future projects, especially since there is already statistical proof of what works and what doesn’t.
The high level of competition in the business landscape today demands that companies not only compete in pricing and service quality, but customer experience as well. This also means that they cannot rely on traditional methods alone to succeed. With the help of technology like big data and software solutions, businesses can provide more helpful services and meaningful experiences to their customers.
