#16 | DCX Perspectives and insights on digital customer experience

5 Reasons Why All Employees Should Be On The Front Line At Least Once a Year; What Is The Ideal CX, And How To Create It; Links to Industry news, ideas, insights, and the DCX Thought Leader Profile

5 Reasons Why All Employees Should Be On The Front Line At Least Once a Year

Knowing your customer and understanding his or her experience with your product or service is crucial for improving it. That's why employees at every level of the company should spend some time on the front line.

There's a lot that goes into running a business, and people who work in different areas often don't understand what those other areas are like until they've experienced them firsthand. Even if you're not involved directly with customers or clients, experiencing direct customer interaction directly will aid in gaining empathy for the front line helping all to better understand the organization and customers.

There are huge benefits to everyone spending some time in the field.

The customer's experience should always be our top priority. That's why it's so important for all employees—not just those in customer-facing roles—to be on the front line at least once a year. Here are 6 reasons why all employees should be on the front line at least once a year:

1. You gain empathy and understanding of your customers.

When you're walking the floor or answering the phones in the call center, you become more aware of how difficult it is to be working directly with customers. You start to see things from the customer's perspective and learn what makes them frustrated and delighted. You can't solve problems unless you understand them, and in order for that to happen, all employees need to be on the front line at least once a year.

A lot of people think that being on the front line means being able to answer simple questions like "How much does this cost?" or "Where is my delivery?" But it means so much more than just knowing those answers; it means understanding why those questions need answering in the first place. For example: Why does my customer want this product? Can I provide something better for her? What else could make her life easier? If she has pain points or isn't happy with her current situation, how can I help solve those problems? These are all things that will occur while working on-site with customers and other employees who work directly with customers every day.

2. You gain empathy for the front line and build their trust.

• You gain empathy for the front line.

The first step to building empathy and trust is taking the time to understand their world. You need to know what it’s like to be on the front line, what motivates them and how they view their role in the business. Working side by side, you can better understand the pressures they’re under, which can help you know how to best support them. You gain a deeper understanding of the challenges they face on a daily basis and the opportunities that exist to improve those experiences.

• It helps build trust between employees and leaders.

When employees see their leaders working alongside them in such a hands-on way, it strengthens trust between them because they feel more confident that their leaders and fellow employees understand what they do every day and care about making things better for everyone involved in delivering products or services (including customers).

3. You see how your company works firsthand.

Going on the front line is a great way to see how your company works firsthand. You get to see how your company is run, what it stands for, and how it interacts with customers.

You’ll learn how everything fits together and why things are done a certain way. It’s like being in the trenches, but on the other side of the frontline—a position that gives you the best view of how things work.

You will also learn how customers think and feel. The front line isn’t just where the action is—it’s also where customer insights are born. You get to see how people interact with your company, and that gives you a unique perspective on what they want, need and expect from it. These insights can be used to improve products or services, enhance customer experience and build better strategies for the future.

4. You can compare what you're hearing to what's actually going on.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a story from an employee so far removed from the action that they have no idea what's actually going on. This is especially true for employees who work in an office, where there's no direct line to customer service or sales. Hearing firsthand accounts of what customers are saying gives you valuable insights into how your business operates and the areas where it needs improvement.

To get the most out of these conversations, you should always be asking questions. Instead of just sitting back and listening, ask your employees about their experience with customers. What did they like? What didn't they like? Why do you think that is? Focus groups are a great way to gather actionable feedback.

5. You answer questions you didn't even know you had.

When you're not in the trenches with your employees, it's easy to lose sight of what they do day in and day out. But when you get out there with them, you can see firsthand how things are running behind the scenes—and you may find yourself answering questions that never occurred to you otherwise.

• What is our company culture really like?

• How does this affect our customers?

• Which products are most popular and why?

• Who should we hire next year (or maybe even today)?

In the end, the customer experience should always be our top priority—no matter what role we play within the company. That's why it's so important for all employees to be on the front line at least once a year. By doing so, we're able to stay connected to the customer's journey, gain valuable insights, address issues quickly and efficiently, show our appreciation, offer a personal touch, and promote positive company culture.

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What Is The Ideal Customer Experience, And How To Create It

How do you create memorable customer experiences that drive loyalty and word of mouth? It’s not easy, but it starts with focusing on the customer. You need to listen to what they want, understand what they need, and meet those needs in a way that feels natural and authentic.

The ideal customer experience is one where customers enjoy interacting with your business from start to finish. Here are some ways you can begin creating an ideal customer experience.

Plan for the ideal customer experience

The first step toward an amazing customer experience is to create a vision and plan for it.

Start by asking,

• Who are your ideal customers?

• And what do they want and need?

Then, consider the customer journey.

• What are the crucial moments in the journey?

• What can you do to enhance those moments?

The ideal customer journey is one that allows customers to accomplish their goals easily and efficiently. If your customers aren’t getting what they want, it’s going to be hard to create brand loyalty.

There are many elements of the ideal customer experience, including ease of interaction, trustworthiness, positive feelings, and more. If you want to create an amazing experience for your customers, you need to start by thinking about what that experience will look like. Then, you can work toward making it a reality.

Create an amazing first impression

It’s estimated that it takes about seven seconds for someone to form an impression about your business. Create a great first impression by focusing on the basics of design and content. Make sure your design is clean, clear, and easy to navigate. Make sure that your content is helpful and interesting.

It’s also important to optimize your website and social media pages for search engines. While you want to focus on creating a great user experience, you also want to make sure that customers can find you. And don’t forget to engage with your customers in social media. Respond to questions, build relationships and make connections.

Be transparent and trustworthy

High-quality products or services don’t guarantee customer loyalty. It’s important to be transparent and trustworthy so that customers can trust that you are providing a quality experience.

There are a few ways to do this — one is through content marketing. Offer valuable information that your customers can use. Be sure to include information on your products and services, but be sure to focus more on how your business can help your customers.

Another way to increase transparency and trustworthiness is through your customer service. Provide support and respond to customer inquiries promptly and honestly. Be careful about making promises, but do what you can to follow through on what you say you’ll do. Be sure to respond to negative feedback as well as positive feedback.

Use customer feedback as an opportunity to improve your business and strengthen relationships. It’s important to remember that even if you’re doing everything right now, you’ll need to keep doing it in the future.

Offer a seamless experience

A seamless customer experience happens when the customer doesn’t even realize they’re interacting with your business. When it feels natural and effortless, it’s seamless. You can create a seamless experience through consistent service and product. For example, make sure that your employees are knowledgeable and offer consistent customer service.

Make sure that each customer receives the same product that they would expect to receive if they visited one of your brick-and-mortar locations. Make sure that your employees know the product and are able to answer questions. Offer product guarantees and make sure that faulty products are replaced quickly and easily.

Make sure that the customer experience is consistent across all of your customer touchpoints. Make sure that your branding is consistent across your website, social media channels, and even emails.

Provide value and make your customers feel good

Achieving all of the above elements is great, but they won’t mean much unless you make your customers feel good. As a business owner or marketer, it’s important to remember that customers don’t just want to be satisfied. They want to feel important, valued, and appreciated.

Make sure that your customers know that you appreciate their business. Give them special deals and discounts for being loyal customers. Thank them for their comments and feedback. Be a positive presence on social media, and regularly engage with businesses in your industry. Be a positive force in the world and make sure your customers know how much you appreciate them.

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Links to Industry news, ideas, insights, and the DCX Thought Leader Linkedin Profile of the week

Customer Experience Statistics You Should Be Aware Of In 2022 | Squaretalk

Customers spend 140% more with companies with great experience than those who had unsatisfactory ones.

86% of consumers are willing to spend up to 25% extra for better customer service.

Customers are 2.4x more likely to keep doing business with a brand if they receive prompt or quick support with their problems.

100+ Customer Experience Stats To Prepare For 2023 – Lumoa

Meta’s Make-A-Video AI achieves a new, nightmarish state of the art | TechCrunch

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DCX Thought Leader Linkedin Profile of the week

Each week, I share the profile of someone I am connected to on Linkedin that I think will bring value to your life and career.

This week’s feature is on Jim Tincher Founder, CEO & Journey Mapper-In-Chief of Heart of the Customer.

Jim is a firm believer in the power of Journey Mapping in order to uncover the most actionable CX enhancing opportunities. In addition, he champions empathy and change management as keys to successful CX transformation throughout organizations.

Prior to starting Heart of the Customer, he led customer experience efforts at Best Buy and UnitedHealth Group, two very complex (and very different) organizations, and learned the importance of change management to ensure the new behaviors stick.

Also, he co-authored “How Hard Is It to Be Your Customer? Using Journey Mapping to Drive Customer-Focused Change” With Nicole Newton last spring.

Currently he’s busy preparing for the Do Better B2B conference coming up October 18 in Minneapolis. Register & Learn More Here: www.dob2bbetter.com/2022conference

Reach out and connect with Jim!

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