Tipsheet: Three Ways to Boost Your Customer Experience Level

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SHREVEPORT, La. (PRWEB) October 23, 2013

Current trends are changing the way businesses think about marketing and customer service. “Customer experience marketing” is the emerging concept of focusing an entire organization on creating a positive experience for each customer.

“Regardless of what department you work in, customer service is no longer someone else’s problem,” On Hold Company CEO Bryant Wilson said. “Companies that once focused on ‘closing the deal’ now must adapt to higher customer expectations, like better service, better communication, and a seamless cross-channel shopping experience.”

Wilson added that employees in every department should understand the company's marketing strategy, be committed to customer satisfaction, and empowered to deliver excellent service.

Some risks do exist in taking this sort of “all-in” approach if it isn’t sincere, Wilson warns.

“You have to be careful,” he said. “If your customers feel as though their ‘experience’ is just a gimmick, then you are creating entirely the wrong experience.”

Wilson offers these tips to keep in mind when coordinating messages and services across multiple channels:

1.    Don’t force customers into one channel. Even when customers prefer to contact a business initially by online chat, email, or even Twitter, they quickly pick up the telephone when there's a problem. And if they are frustrated already, they will become even angrier if the telephone service is poor or even non-existent.
2.    Enhance the in-store shopping experience with a multi-sensory approach. Everything needs to reflect the marketing focus: from in-store displays to overhead music to scents.
3.    Be helpful, personal, and above all, professional. Businesses don’t let just anybody design their Web sites or appear in TV commercials. Likewise, a company should keep its on-hold music appropriate and use professionals to develop and record its on-hold messages.

Wilson said that creating a great experience for customers pays off in the form of long-term relationships.

“It’s true that consumers have more choices than ever today,” Wilson said. “And that’s why it’s so important to create the right experience for them. Disappoint someone one time, and you risk losing that business permanently. But if you reward customers with a great experience with your brand, they will reward you with their loyalty.”

About On Hold Company
On Hold Company (http://www.onholdcompany.com) is a leading provider of custom telephone on-hold music and messages. The company has been in business since 1994 and provides on-hold marketing for more than 13,000 clients across North America. On Hold Company also provides digital signage solutions, telephone voice prompts and overhead music and messaging services.

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