As we continue to witness a rapid transformation of consumer behavior, it has become increasingly evident that the online customer experience is just as important as the in-person one.
More and more consumers are turning to websites and digital channels to make purchases. Improving the online customer experience can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher conversion rates, and ultimately, boosted sales. You must prioritize the online customer experience if you want your business to stand a fighting chance.
In this article, we’ll explore practical ways to enhance the online customer experience and take a more customer-centric approach to the way you do business. From optimizing website design to implementing innovative technologies, we’ll teach you how to create an outstanding online customer experience that will keep your customers coming back for more.
What is Online Experience and Why is it Important?
Online customer experience refers to the overall experience that customers have when interacting with a business’s website, social media platforms, email campaigns, or any other digital touchpoint. It encompasses various elements, such as website usability, the quality of customer service, the speed of response, and personalized recommendations. A positive online customer experience can help establish a sense of trust and credibility with your brand and increase the likelihood of customer loyalty and advocacy.
The importance of online customer experience cannot be overstated. First and foremost, a positive online experience can significantly improve conversion rates. When customers encounter a website that is easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and informative, they are more likely to stay on the site longer and make a purchase. Additionally, a strong online customer experience can improve brand visibility, as customers are more likely to share their positive experiences with others, both online and offline. This can ultimately help attract new audiences and increase brand awareness.
Furthermore, a focus on online customer experience can help businesses better understand their customers and their needs. By gathering data on customer behavior and preferences, you can tailor your digital interactions to better meet those needs and create loyal customers. Additionally, prioritizing online customer experience will help you stay ahead of the competition, as a positive experience can serve as a key differentiator in a crowded digital marketplace.
10 Ways to Improve Online & Website Customer Experience
1. Consider omnichannel communication.
Customers expect an easy-to-use, multi-channel experience that allows them to interact with a business through various platforms. This means you must have a presence on multiple platforms—social media, instant messaging, chatbots, email, phone, etc.
However, simply having a presence on multiple platforms is not enough. To provide a truly seamless experience, you need to integrate all communication channels and provide a consistent experience on all of them.
For instance, if a customer initiates a chat conversation with your brand via your website, but then later decides to continue the conversation on social media, your customer service team should be able to pick up the conversation without losing context. This shows that your company is prepared to serve the customer wherever they choose to engage. Making communication easier not only delights customers but also streamlines communication, which ultimately boosts efficiency and productivity.
2. Improve your customer service team’s skills.
As an online business, your customer support team is the face of your company. Their ability to handle queries with knowledge, efficiency, and professionalism will determine how satisfied your customers are with your brand. As such, investing in your customer service team’s training, education, and support will lead to a significant improvement in your online customer experience.
To illustrate, providing your customer team with a comprehensive knowledge base that’s easily accessible to them can help improve their response time and effectively answer queries. Additionally, training your customer service team on communication tactics such as active listening, problem-solving, and empathy, can make the difference between a happy customer and a disgruntled one. Lastly, ensuring that your customer support team is equipped to handle inquiries across multiple channels—as mentioned above—will empower them to deliver a seamless customer experience, no matter the situation.
3. Collect customer feedback.
Collecting feedback from your customers is a critical aspect of providing a great online customer experience. Your customers’ feedback is a direct reflection of their experience with your brand. No one knows your business better than the people who use it and collecting their feedback can help you identify flaws in your customer experience and improve it.
Providing online surveys, asking for feedback on social media, or direct emails are among the methods to gather feedback. Upon collecting customer feedback, ensure that you have a system in place to analyze, process, and use this feedback. The insights gathered from customer feedback can be used to improve your business processes, products, and overall customer experience. For instance, you might identify a recurring issue in your customer service queries that can be rectified by creating a Frequently Asked Questions section on your website or creating a tutorial video to answer the queries.
4. Embed customer reviews on your site.
Today’s consumers are savvy shoppers who rely heavily on customer reviews when making purchasing decisions. Adding customer reviews to your website can help to build consumer trust and confidence in your products and services.
Positive reviews can also serve as free advertising, attracting new customers to your site and convincing them to do business with you. Reviews influence 88% of consumers who are looking for a local businesses—it’s important that people are able to find your business on popular review platforms, sure, but you should also take advantage of the social proof by proudly displaying it on your site.
5. Make it easy for customers to contact you.
Providing multiple channels for customers to contact you can help to increase customer satisfaction, reduce friction, and ultimately drive sales. Offering options such as phone, email, and web chat can make it easy for customers to get in touch with you, no matter their preferred method of communication.
When customers have quick access to support, it shows that you value their patronage and are committed to providing excellent service. Making your contact information easy to find and readily available can go a long way in building trust and loyalty with your customers.
6. Add a web chat tool to your website.
Adding a web chat feature to your site can provide customers with real-time support and help to improve their overall experience. Live chat allows customers to ask questions and receive answers quickly, which can help to reduce frustration and improve satisfaction. In fact, a study from eConsultancy found that live chat has the highest satisfaction levels for any customer service channel, with 73% of customers reporting satisfaction with their experience. Additionally, web chat can help to reduce work load for your customer service team, allowing them to handle multiple inquiries simultaneously.
Podium’s Webchat tool allows you to move conversations from your website to text seamlessly. This not only allows customers to get help from your team more quickly, but also allows you to keep the conversation going even after a person has left your site.
7. Implement self-service options.
More and more customers prefer self-service options over traditional customer service methods, which means businesses must adapt to meet these preferences. One effective way to do this is by implementing self-service options such as knowledge bases, chatbots, and interactive tools that enable customers to find answers to their questions and solve problems on their own. Self-service options can greatly improve the customer experience by saving customers time and effort, while also reducing the workload of your customer service team.
For example, a knowledge base can provide customers with a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers, while a chatbot can offer personalized solutions to issues in real-time. Implementing these tools not only enhances the online customer experience, but it also reduces costs and increases efficiency by automating repetitive tasks.
8. Answer frequently asked questions.
One of the biggest sources of frustration for online customers is not being able to find the answers they need quickly and easily. This is where answering FAQs can be incredibly helpful. By anticipating customers’ common inquiries about products, services, and policies, businesses can answer these questions in a user-friendly way on their website or in their app, improving the customer experience.
For example, a clothing retailer could create a FAQ section that includes information about shipping times, return policies, and sizing charts. This can help reduce the likelihood of customers abandoning their shopping carts or reaching out to customer service for basic information. Answering FAQs demonstrates a commitment to customer service and provides customers with the information they need to make informed decisions about purchasing from your business.
Pro tip: Create templated responses to FAQs so that when people text you with questions, you can respond immediately without putting extra stress on your team.
9. Simplify the purchase process.
One of the main reasons for cart abandonment is a complex and lengthy purchase process. Customers want a hassle-free checkout experience, with easy payment options that suit their preferences.
One solution is to implement text-to-pay options, which allow customers to make a purchase simply by sending a text message. Another option is to offer touchless pay options, such as mobile payment apps or contactless card terminals. Finally, buy now, pay later options are becoming increasingly popular, especially among millennials and Gen Z consumers.
By giving customers the flexibility to pay over time, you can increase the chances of completing a sale. Ultimately, simplifying the purchase process leads to a smoother customer experience and a higher conversion rate.
10. Invest in a CRM software.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software helps companies manage their relationships with their customers more efficiently. Investing in this kind of tool can be a major game changer for you and your customers.
Podium offers a variety of features that can enhance the online customer experience, such as messaging features that allow customers to reach out to businesses directly. With Podium, businesses can respond to customers in real-time, providing timely and personalized customer service. In addition, Podium offers tools that make it easy for businesses to monitor and manage customer feedback and reviews, which can help businesses improve their overall reputation.
All-in-One Customer Experience and Growth Solution
There is no overnight fix that will improve the customer experience. There are steps you’ll have to take and you’ll need to put in consistent effort. That being said, there is a secret weapon that will make the process smooth for everyone involved—Podium.
With Podium, you can easily communicate with your clients through various channels such as text messaging, Google Business Profile, email and even website chat. You can also process payments quickly and securely, all within the same platform. No more juggling multiple systems and software to manage your customer interactions and finances. Podium streamlines it all for you.
Still not convinced? Podium has already helped thousands of businesses like yours improve their online customer experience and grow their revenue. Check out there stories here.
Don’t let the complexity of managing your customer experience and growth hold you back any longer. Try Podium today and see how it can transform your business.
FAQs
1. What is the best way to improve customer experience?
The answer to this question may vary depending on the industry you are in and the type of customers you are serving. However, some general tips for improving online customer experience include improving website design and navigation, providing clear product information, offering personalized recommendations, and providing excellent customer service.
2. How can I improve my online buyer experience?
Creating a positive online buyer experience involves a number of different factors. Firstly, it’s important to have a user-friendly website with easy navigation and clear product information. It’s also important to offer a range of payment and delivery options to cater to different customer preferences. Another key factor is providing excellent customer support and assistance throughout the purchasing process, such as through live chat or email support.
3. How can you improve the quality of online customer service?
To improve the quality of online customer service, it’s important to first ensure that you have a reliable system in place for responding to customer inquiries or complaints. This may involve setting up a dedicated customer service team or outsourcing to an external provider. It’s also important to provide training to customer service staff to ensure they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to provide effective support. Additionally, gathering customer feedback through surveys or other methods can provide valuable insight into areas for improvement.
