In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are challenged to meet their customers' expectations and provide a seamless digital experience. As the line between digital and physical experiences continues to blur, customers are hopping between channels with ease, expecting consistent and personalized service across all platforms. As businesses, how well we manage these digital expectations could determine our success in 2023 and beyond1.
Understanding digital customer experience is essential in this scenario. It refers to how customers engage with your brand online, whether it's through mobile or desktop platforms, apps, social media content, or IoT and voice-activated devices. Essentially, wherever your customers interact with your brand over the internet, it's part of their digital experience1.
Thus, managing digital expectations goes beyond just ensuring customer satisfaction. It's about creating an environment where customers can successfully achieve their goals, experience a smooth and effortless process, and leave the interaction feeling good1.
Global mobile app and tablet internet usage surpassed desktop use for the first time in 2016, revealing a shift towards mobile-centric consumer behavior. With 82% of consumers turning to mobile to make product decisions and more and more consumers relying on digital support, it is clear that an omnichannel approach to customer experience management is crucial. Businesses need to break down internal silos to ensure a seamless and cohesive cross-channel customer experience1.
However, not meeting customer expectations comes with a hefty price tag. It has been reported that businesses lose up to $4.7 trillion annually due to subpar experiences. With a growing number of customers adopting a multi-channel approach, businesses need to catch up and improve the end-to-end journey they offer. About 29% of consumers want to see major improvements to the online resources businesses provide, and 27% expect a significant upgrade in the buying process1.
From the business perspective, the number of digital channels and the speed at which a user moves between platforms during a single journey may seem daunting. However, for customers, it's not complex at all. What guides their journey is their own task or goal, and they expect to be able to navigate through the process smoothly, regardless of the platform or channel. Thus, shifting towards a customer-centric mindset and viewing the movement between touchpoints as incidental to user goals and needs is fundamental to developing an effective omnichannel experience1.
Ultimately, businesses should aim to create a recognizable and consistent presence across all channels, be it an in-store tablet, a third-party reseller's website, their own app, or a physical store. A seamless experience not only benefits customers but also businesses. Research has shown that customers who engage across multiple channels are the most valuable to businesses1.
In conclusion, managing digital expectations effectively is about understanding your customers' behaviors and preferences, creating a seamless and effortless customer journey, and ensuring a consistent brand presence across all platforms. With the right strategies in place, businesses can rise to the top in customer experience and set themselves up for success in 2023 and beyond.
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