Brightly’s best customer experience (CX) blogs of 2022

The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s the most wonderful time of the year to prioritize giving your customers the gift of a seamless and meaningful CX. While it’s important to work on improving your CX throughout the rest of the year as well, holiday-related supply shortages, shipping delays, and clunky return processes should serve as a reminder to keep this vital element of a successful business top of mind as we head into a new year. For business leaders thinking ahead to the improvements they can make in 2023, it’s critical to remember the importance of getting it right the first time. That’s why we’ve rounded up our best customer experience (CX) blogs of 2022 to help pave the path to a brighter holiday season.

In recent years, delays have become an expected and inevitable part of the supply chain. However, in a guest post from Ascension Group International CEO Duane Tursi, he explores the reasons why low customer expectations don’t have to be part of the equation. According to Salesforce, 66% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. This means businesses must become customer-centric or risk losing out to competitors who are going above and beyond to provide great experiences by doing things like overcommunicating when delays occur, setting realistic expectations, and simplifying the return process. 

Gone are the days of good design being just a “bonus” feature of the overall customer experience. Design thinking is founded on creativity and innovation and provides immediate solutions to both common and complex business challenges. When you lead with design, you can more easily determine the best starting point to address those issues and build your experience through an empathetic lens, keeping your customers’ needs in mind throughout the process. According to a PWC report, one in three consumers will walk away from a brand they love after just one bad experience; that’s 33% of consumers — and 54% of them already feel that most companies need improvement. Design-led methodologies are flexible and allow your software/solutions to go through an iterative process in which they are tested and updated as needed, and built to evolve with the ever-changing market, producing the best possible outcome(s) for your business.

The ebbs and flows of customer needs are constantly shifting, but one thing remains constant — consumers prefer a human-centered experience and working with brands they can trust. Despite a landscape increasingly saturated with artificial intelligence and chatbots (which are also great tools when used in the right context), consumers have made it clear that they prefer to see the face behind the brand and know that someone will be there for them when they encounter a problem. By establishing human touch points throughout the buying journey, you’re letting customers know that your team is available and eager to help when issues arise. Spending time getting to know your customers and being transparent in your processes are invaluable components when building and maintaining strong customer relationships. While they might seem like small pieces of a much larger puzzle, things like making it easy for customers to opt in or out of your content or letting them know their data is secure have the power to make or break your customer experience. 

As you begin, continue, or finish strategizing for the upcoming year, don’t forget the importance of an effective CX. Position your business as a trusted resource for your customers by positively reframing supply chain issues as they occur, offering tools designed specifically for them, and providing dedicated human interactions along the way. Brightly wishes you and yours a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season. 

Click the button below to start the conversation and explore the ways in which Brightly can help you achieve your CX goals in 2023.