How To Improve Customer Experience Through Digital Platforms

Posted on by

It’s no longer news that the digital landscape is rapidly changing. You have seen various dramatic shifts in communication, as well as how you buy products and services. Brands must embrace digital transformation, which includes using digital platforms to keep up with the ever-changing digital world. Already, 90% of companies have some kind of digital initiative. 

One way of optimizing your digitalization is by employing content marketing services. Both big and small firms need a good content strategy and only a professional content marketing agency can provide such. Content marketing for start-ups and small businesses is especially important since they need the most exposure.

In this article, we will explore how companies can prepare for these changes by using various digital platforms to improve customer experience. Let’s get started!

But First, What are Digital Platforms?

In simple terms, digital platforms are software-based online infrastructure that facilitates transactions and interactions between users. Generally, these platforms act as data aggregators, helping users navigate a massive amount of information.

These platforms are mainly used by content marketing agencies. However, as a startup, you can include it in your startup marketing strategies.

It is noteworthy that digital platforms can be more or less decentralized in their data architecture. Furthermore, they can be governed based on more or less distributed decision-making. 

The use of digital platforms is an example of digital transformation. Hence, the concept of digital platforms is incomplete if we don’t examine what digital transformation is.

So, What is Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation is necessary for online visibility. It involves overhauling your business processes and systems to meet the demands of a digitally connected world. These demands include changes in how you operate internally and externally.

The digital transformation process also requires unending online business ideas. So you must deliver continually.

The four key components involved in digital transformation are:

  • Product and service innovation
  • Culture change
  • Technology integration
  • Customer experience

For your business to successfully undergo digital transformation, you must identify what’s vital to your customers and how you can best meet their needs. 

Another major way of achieving digital transformation is by content optimization. Content optimization improves user experience as it makes your webpage appealing and seamless.  It ensures that your content reaches the largest possible and prospective audience.

For content optimization, your content strategy must be solid. As earlier stated it’s best to outsource this to a professional content marketing agency.

The possibilities that digital transformation opens up are endless. It is all about exploring how your business can increase customer experience. Some of the most common examples of companies that have successfully undergone digital transformation include Apple, Amazon, Uber, Airbnb, etc. 

It is important to note that these companies started as brick-and-mortar businesses. However, they transformed into digital companies with access to digital platforms.

This said, let’s discuss how you can increase your customer experience through digital platforms.

Top 9 Ways to Increase Your Customer Experience Through Digital platforms

Below are a few digital tips that are helping brands enhance their customer experience.

#1. Personalize the Digital Customer Experience 

A perfect way to personalize the digital customer experience is through content optimization, which changes based on individual preferences or past behaviours.

Regardless of the platform, every customer expects a personalized experience. They want to feel as though you are speaking directly to them, not just another faceless customer in a long line.

#2. Study Your Customers’ Actions

To understand how your digital experience should look, you must first recognize who your customers are and what they do. The best way to accomplish this is to build a customer journey map for each of your buyer personas.

It is much easier to understand what your customers demand from a digital experience if you first understand their various behaviours. Creating customer journey maps can assist you in managing and outlining the digital experience.

#3. Implement Automation

Automation is yet another way to improve customer experience through digital platforms. With automated processes, you can reduce wait times and provide instant responses, which are essential for customers with little patience and high expectations.

An example of an automated process that improves customer experience is chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs that imitate human conversation, and they’re becoming increasingly popular for customer service interactions. So clearly, customers prefer automation as part of a customer satisfaction strategy. 

#4. Seamless Customer Onboarding Experiences

New customers are crucial for your business growth, as they bring knowledge, money, and connections that benefit your brand for years. However, there’s a catch. Most companies have terrible “onboarding experiences” when new customers first sign up or join their community.

See also  American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Finance and Insurance Report 2016 (Highlights)

More often than not, this leads to high customer churn rates due to a complicated onboarding process. With digital platforms, you can improve onboarding experiences through simplified processes and more helpful guidance.

#5. Data Transparency

Over the years, how companies collect and use data has been a controversial topic. While some organizations take critical steps to protect customer information, others do not put enough effort into it. 

This leads to different things, including identity theft or worse! However, digital platforms make it easier for users to see what kind of data is being collected and how it’s being used.

This transparency improves customer experience since customers can see with whom they share their information. This does a good job in building customer trust and long-term relationships. Simultaneously, businesses have to take the necessary steps to gain consumer trust, which will help them grow their business more quickly.

#6. Share Information with Your Customers 

Constantly keeping customers in the loop is another effective way to improve and increase their experience with your brand. When customers are carried along, they’re less likely to feel frustrated or anxious.

Digital platforms can help you share information with customers in various ways. For instance, you can send out post updates on social media, regular email newsletters, or create an interactive customer portal where they can access information on their schedule.

However, ensure the information is easily accessible and easy to understand. A great example of a company that does this well is Amazon. Customers easily get informed about the latest products, services, and deals.

#7. Omnichannel Interactions

Customers want to get in touch with you on their own terms. Your customers will have a unified purchasing and support experience from your company if you use omnichannel.

To contact a specific company, a customer can use three to five different communication channels. As a result, it is in your best interests to connect and interact with your clients at various touchpoints.

#8. Optimize for Mobile

Nowadays, users live through their smartphones. The majority of online purchases are made via phones. With that in mind, it makes sense to ensure that your website, app, or other online materials are mobile-friendly. As a result, the user experience meets their expectations.

When it comes to mobile optimization, the two most important factors to consider are website load time and ease of navigation. Customers will leave if a page takes too long to load. Mobile users will prefer to do business with companies that have mobile sites or apps that facilitate better purchases.

#9. After-purchase Bonuses 

Follow up on every sale to grow your list of satisfied and loyal customers. You could send videos demonstrating how to use the purchased item. Alternatively, you could provide a free gift in exchange for completing a survey about their experience. Make your digital customer experience seamless and never-ending.

Best Digital Platforms for You to Improve Customer Experience

Your customers’ experience is paramount in any business. Happy customers make more purchases. Improving user experience takes more than a simple wish. You have to put in the effort and employ the right tools. 

Here are some digital platforms that you need to improve the customer experience:

1. Customer Experience Management Platforms

Customer experience management platforms encompass a wide range of functionality under a single umbrella, with the overarching goal of assessing the overall quality of customer experiences. 

Platforms use scoring mechanisms to better comprehend particular moments and interactions in the customer experience, highlighting experiences that need to be improved.

2. Platforms for Frontend Experience

Frontend experience platforms, by acting as a centralized content hub, aid in the creation and delivery of tailored experiences across e-commerce channels. On top of online shop systems, the platform adds a flexible and efficient frontend layer as well as a commerce CMS. 

As a result, the e-retailer can provide a more seamless, interactive e-commerce experience with faster page loads and shorter time-to-market. This means that shop webpages will be more agile and controllable. Thus allowing marketers and designers to deploy immediate site changes.

3. Helpdesk Platform

It acts as a key repository for any and all helpdesk interactions in a single, searchable database. Modern helpdesk solutions, when integrated with CRM platforms, enable real-time tracking of user satisfaction on an interpersonal basis.

These platforms assign tickets to each dialogue and use analytics and dashboards to track resolution. Integration with call centre software, as well as automated survey functionality at the end of each interaction, is common.

See also  6 Tips On Managing Customer Expectations [Slideshow]

4. Personalization Platforms

These are powered by marketing-specific AI and machine learning. They turn rich customer data sets into personalized engagements.

Also, they use predictive modelling and AI to create product recommendations based on previous customer feedback or real-time behaviour. This engages customers on their preferred channels and at their preferred times.

5. Post-Purchase Platforms

The e-commerce journey does not end when a sale is made. To begin with, it’s easier for customers to receive an e-receipt following an online transaction. Also, most of them are willing to receive extra content and offers in their receipt messages.

Post-purchase platforms keep the conversation going by providing details like delivery tracking or shipment updates via email, push, and text messages.

6. Customer Feedback Management Tools

Tools for managing customer feedback make a centralized and automated environment for gathering customer feedback available. They allow for the creation, scheduling, and execution of customer surveys, polls, and questionnaires. They also aid in the compilation of survey results reports. 

The tool automatically generates quantifiable data from customer comments, reviews, emails, or chats. This allows for the identification of dissatisfaction and churn risk.

When advanced solutions detect negative feedback, they automatically generate helpdesk tickets.

7. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platforms

CRM platforms integrate customer data capture with a wide variety of advertising automation and analysis tools. Contact management, interaction tracking, and scheduling/reminders are all standard features.

AI-powered sales assistance and help desk integration are advanced tools, with a trend toward covering a broad array of functions within a single CRM system.

8. Social Media Platforms

Social media tools utilize customer profile data to provide customized interaction across social media channels. Social media software allows brands to create, manage, and share content across multiple channels in a single application.

It promotes collaborative workflows while optimizing content impact through adapted reuse across channels. Also, it supports social media listening, measuring, and managing customer data based on social behaviour.

9. Customer Engagement Platforms

Let’s take a step further than conversion and sales. Customer engagement platforms manage interactions throughout the customer lifecycle. They give marketers from various teams a unified solution to manage all customer touchpoints. 

Calendars, CRM, social media, and email marketing are all examples of this. Again, the emphasis is holistic and includes activities such as selling, retention, reactivation, and expansion.

Bottom Line 

Of course, the use of digital platforms and transformation is a way forward for most companies. Particularly when companies are increasingly focusing on providing a great customer experience.

With both, businesses can improve the overall customer experience by making it more convenient and personalized. However, it is inadvisable to leverage digital platforms just for the sake of it. First and most importantly, define your goals and be sure of the processes you want.

Also, think and restructure such that while these platforms can help in engaging customers and increase online visibility, it also helps you realize your business goals and improve content analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions on Ways to Increase Your Customer Experience Through Digital platforms

  • Why must I transform my business digitally?  

Digital transformation ensures business growth and helps you stay ahead of your competitors. Furthermore, it increases the flexibility of your end-to-end business processes. 

Most importantly, it is important to transform digitally if you’re looking to increase and improve your customer experience.

  • What should be a priority when considering the use of digital platforms?

Your priority should be ensuring you have data of high quality that you can constantly iterate and improve.

  • What are the key components of a digital platform?

The top three key components include broad integrative functionality, customer experience, and technology innovation.

  • Do B2B and B2C organizations use the same digital customer experience?

B2C users are part of an organized market and frequently rely on conformity forces. On the other hand, a single customer may represent the entire target sector of a B2B. B2B digital customer experience can be undervalued. But businesses want the same smooth, reliable, and seamless service as a B2C consumer, so set similarly strict standards.

Daniel Martin
Latest posts by Daniel Martin (see all)