Give me a reason and I will | Why customer experience matters

Nicholas Griffin
Sep 18, 2015
2 min read

We all talk about customer experience being the difference between a success business and and ordinary business, but what does a great customer experience look like, and why are Banks in particular needing to ‘think outside of the box’ if they are going to win?

None of us have time for anything these days, family, travel, work and ‘life’ fill our every waking moment. We try to fit our commitments into what seems to be an ever shortening day. So it is no surprise to see banks chasing after ‘convenience banking’ to keep customers happy. Digital this and digital that are appearing all over the world making customers lives easier and making banking more convenient. Ever more sophisticated offers are being used to entice customers to remain with banks as they drift towards a lifestyle offer.

Those of you who read my blog will know I do not believe digital is the whole offer, it is an ingredient in the pie, and not the pie. So, what else should companies do - and come to think of it, retailers, be doing to improve their customer experience. Here are some tips:

Think about the whole customer experience and develop a strong, ‘golden thread’ - brand - that binds everything together
Craft your experience in digital so that it compliments what is happening in your physical outlets - and vice-versa.
Check your customers are ready for innovation and avoid leaping too far ahead of where you are with your master offer unless you are certain your customers will move with you
Remember, research is not the only answer, sprinkle a little magic into everything you do
Focus on people. Great design and powerful technology is great, but if your people can’t deliver a positive experience at the coal-face, it will never work
Think omni-channel - an expression I loathe - but leveraging customer experience is all about consistency in every channel
Be prepared to adapt - remember, one size does not fit all. What works in a metropolis will not necessarily work in tier two cities or elsewhere in your market
Be authentic - to your brand and your culture
Be flexible - the days of dictating how your customer uses your service are over. Allow customers to adapt the customer experience to suit their personal needs
Be personal - no two customers are the same. Watch behaviours and patterns closely and try to make the customer experience personal and relevant to every customer
Don’t forget the basics - a smile and a helping hand go a very long way to winning the hearts and minds of customers no matter where you are in the world