About the writer: Curiosity coupled with a natural talent for story-telling and a keen interest in technology and innovation, has led Claire Marshall's work to be published in places as diverse as the Huffington Post to millennial-focused global site Collectively (funded by the Future Forum). Claire has a background in economics and marketing and is an experienced content producer for film, television, online media and social channels.
Let’s face it, who wants an economy class experience? Not many of us. In fact, Companies that lead in customer experience outperform those that lagged behind by nearly 80%.
Today on the blog, we’ll look at the 5 ways to upgrade your customer’s experience from run of the mill to first class.
1. Mobile Optimisation
Gone are the days when travellers would be issued with paper tickets.
Today flying is a very digital experience with travellers having the ability to check in online, by swiping a mobile phone, or even by using a custom built app.
If your website doesn't offer a mobile-friendly web experience, not only are you not providing the best customer experience but you could be missing out on a huge potential customer base.
In a study published in the International Business Times it was reported that 1 in 5 millennials’ use their smart phones exclusively to access the internet. So if you haven’t already it’s time to get your site looking good on every device.
2. Upgrade Your User Interface
We’ve all had that airport experience of waiting in enormous lines as we watch the business and first class passengers effortlessly move to the front of the queue. Well, its time to make sure that your website site does the same by being fast to load and easy to use.
But a good user interface doesn’t just stop at your website, you also need to consider all of the touch points a customer may have with your company.
Are your social media channels current with engaging content? Do you reply regularly to posts? Do you have a telephone number that is easy to find and answered promptly? During the engagement stage potential customers could be looking for details about your brand and product, so make sure that they are quick and easy to find.
3. Personalise the Experience
“Window or aisle?”
As a first class customer you are rarely asked the question – why – because the airline already knows.
Each time a customer interacts with your brand they provide both explicit and implicit information about themselves. By utilising this information effectively you can make the customer feel like they are having a personalised experience.
So consider doing a content audit and looking for all of the points in the customer journey where you could be delivering a more tailored, personalised message and help convert prospects into customers.
4. Use Big Data
Rumours abound of big airlines testing everything, down to the flavours of the chocolates in the flight lounge.
In today’s data centric world you can also harvest the data of your potential customers thanks to a range of big data repositories like Google Analytics, Marketo, Hubspot an Microsoft.
Using the data gleaned from these tools in conjunction with analytics platforms that track interactions and behaviours, allow you to develop important customer insights and tweak your customer experience to perfection.
5. Customer Service is Key
At last you make it onto the plane, settle into your first class seat and sip on the complimentary champagne you have been given.
An ‘upgraded’ customer experience is ultimately about the ability to make your customers feel special. This feeling can be created in many different ways from well trained, friendly staff to a website that answers a customers questions before they even think to answer them.
Whichever way you choose to ‘upgrade’ your customer’s experience it’s worth the effort because we all love flying first class.
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