Digital customer experiences on various platforms.

What is a good customer experience, and what examples do we have of good customer experience? Amazon is undoubtedly at the forefront of e-commerce, so the marketing world paid close attention when they announced their first entry into the grocery industry with the launch of Amazon Go. Their grocery store prototype allows you to pay and go with no queues or checkouts, and looks set to revolutionize the way we shop in physical stores while creating the best customer experiences.

Amazon wrote the rulebook on creating customer experiences, and their online store has literally changed the way the world shops. Despite the great ambitions of this radical new store concept, however, the rollout has been a longer process than expected. It seemed that their "walk-out only" technology cannot handle more than 20 people in the store at the same time, but which they have further developed over a longer period of time to handle more extensive amount of customer visits.

The e-commerce giant is just one example of the many brands struggling to develop a seamless customer experience, both in the real world and in the digital one. The trend so far has been for traditional retailers to recreate the store experience the customer gets online.

However, the saturation of the e-commerce space is so immense, that online brands are now creating physical stores to boost their exposure to customers. The move is proving successful, as it creates greater awareness and a tactile opportunity for shoppers to experience their brand.

The trend reflects the overall move for brands to become “omni-channel,” providing a consistent experience online, via desktop or mobile, working with social media platforms, as well as a traditional retail presence. Whether you’re an online brand looking to go physical, or a shop about to become digital, the key to success is not getting caught up with the latest technology, but to focus on customer experience. You would imagine that the two worlds demand different approaches, but they both share one common element - human beings.

E-book on the evolution of retail and how to create great customer experiences.

We as people have evolved to think, learn and behave with some hardwired, common habits. Consequently, some proven standard practices have formed, which will help create better customer experiences, wherever the customer meets your brand.

It was way back in 1992 when the word “surfing” was documented for the first time. The article wasn’t talking about speeding down a wave in harmony with nature; it was referring to how people were changing the way they absorb information.

The sheer volume of information online was too much to take in, so we developed the habit of skimming down the page, until something caught our eye, now commonly referred to as “surfing.” Who would have guessed back then, that this was to become a new skill we’ve all adopted, to navigate the complicated world we now live in?

Mass communication has forever changed us - “human beings.” We’re more keyed into what is going on in the world, we’re time-starved, and we want our needs met instantly. The real world and the virtual world co-exist side by side in our lives, our mobile devices have helped us become profound multi-taskers, on two planes of existence. You might be meeting a friend for coffee, but at the same time checking your bank statement. You could be flying on a plane, while simultaneously buying the kid’s birthday presents. This dependency on the virtual world, means that our online experiences have a considerable impact on how we judge brands.

Ironically, the empowerment that the digital world provides, has made us even busier, our time is a vital resource, and we hate to waste it. Consequently, we expect the brands we engage in to ease our burden. Speed, convenience and easiness, or a lack thereof, can make or break a customer’s relationship with a brand, with a simple swipe.

So, for brands looking to attract and maintain customers, the user experience is business-critical. In the digital services world, this is commonly referred to as UX. But as brands become more omni-channel, they can’t afford to prioritise one form of media. The customer is in control, so the “UX” is every touchpoint where the customer meets the brand. Whether it’s mobile, apps, social media, customer services, a shop or an office, ultimately, they are all part of the overall experience, that modern day brand managers must contend with to succeed.

Customer experience definition

One definition of customer experience can be to add up the impressions and experiences a user has of a company's services or products. You look at the entire customer journey the user has with the given company, but can also describe a single experience in the form of a transaction or a contact point. There are several tools a company can use to create a good customer experience, it will be different for what the company offers in terms of services and products.

Neglecting Customer Experience is a Risk

It's a mistake for anybody managing a brand to get swept up in the promise of technology. The PC has been the dominant platform for e-commerce for some time, however mobile devices are rapidly becoming the platform of choice. And while the rapid take-up in mobile use is phenomenal, many mobile users claim that, despite its convenience, the mobile experience offers inferior functionality.

On the other hand, many brands are reducing their physical presence, especially in the banking sector. This has alienated older customers, who are more uncertain about new technology. In fact, Barclays in the UK has set up a technical team - "Digital Eagles" - to help seniors become familiar with the use of online banking. While this is a generous gesture, it does not fully recognise the unique needs of the elderly who use the bank as a point of contact to connect with other people, face to face.

The actual reality and the virtual will soon coexist in what is often called Augmented Reality (AR) - "augmented reality". AR is a real-time display of a real environment, whose elements are expanded by data-generated changes via a device. IKEA has already created a kitchen table that suggests recipes based on the ingredients placed on it. This is a typical example of how technology is in continuous development and thus constantly moves on the idea of what is possible. Which touchpoints will work for you? What will customers expect? Where do you invest?

Brand managers must accept that their brand exists in an integrated eco-system of touchpoints, where the customer chooses how they use it. It’s not one, or the other, it’s both, an more. Failing to provide a consistent brand experience, will undermine what you stand for in the eyes of the customer. Inconsistency implies that you haven’t gotten your act together, or at worst alienates a customer who can easily find an alternative through a simple Google search.

The optimal customer experience is user-friendly, it provides streamlined navigation, whether it’s on your phone, or in a store with several departments. The content is targeted, dynamic, appealing, and easy to digest. Staff are always on hand, ready to catch the customer when they need that bit of extra help. Combing these touchpoints, in one integrated experience, is appreciated by customers, they can see that you relate to their needs and are more likely to adopt you as part of their preferred list of brands.

Regardless of which channels you use, there are some fundamental rules to creating an effective customer experience, all of which are common to the physical and digital world.

Banner of the book Point of Purpose written by Bård Annweiler

Six Universal Principles That Will Help You Improve Your Customer Experience

1. Know Yourselves

With a proliferation of brands around, you have to stand out to succeed. This might seem obvious, but there’s a proliferation of generic companies out there shouting for attention. The only way you’ll stand a part, is if you do something different. The best way to differentiate, is to have a deep understanding of yourself, why you do what you do, and what value it genuinely brings - essentially, what’s your purpose? This is the starting point, where true differentiation begins.

Read more about: Purpose (purpose)

So how does this relate to customer experience? By concentrating on what’s true to you, you will sharpen your focus, helping you decide what fits the brand you are trying to build, and equally what doesn’t. This will influence the customer experience you build going forward, defining your attitude, your agenda, as well as your look and feel.

Read more about: Not enough to be genuine: Brands need to be personal

Take fashion brands, for example. Every shop stocks a standard white shirt, but the product and surrounding store experience is different. A Ralph Lauren store offers preppy elegance, while an Alexander McQueen store provides subversive tailoring. Each designer creates their own white shirt, but their specific world-view influences its design, the choice of buttons, the surrounding store design, or the photography online. By being true to themselves, fashion brands create customer experiences, which help them to stand out and connect with their target audience.

2. Consistency

Repetition is the way we learn and become familiar with something. If the experience is positive, we seek it out again and tune into what we recognise from before. Many brands use consistency to great effect.

Go to any IKEA store around the world, and you will have exactly the same experience, even down to the little pencils. It reassures us that what we expect is what we’ll get with no unwelcome surprises. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Australian beauty brand Aesop famously has completely different store designs, in every branch around the world, but this is a carefully managed lifestyle brand, where new stimulus is a key element of their offer.

Consistency is also a key factor in processes, whether it's finding a product on a website, or finding your room in a hotel, to paying at a self-service kiosk. These are all processes that come with preconceived notions of how they should work. We learn these routines through our day-to-day lives, depending on them to go about our business. Make the routine inconsistent with what we’ve learned, and customers will quickly become frustrated.

Retailer M&S, would regularly reshuffle the location of their products around the store, believing it would stimulate new discoveries, as customers searched for their weekly groceries. This created a strong backlash, as customers had become accustomed to the previous layout, and could no longer navigate the shop. Consistency is crucial to a successful customer experience, which is becoming increasingly important, as brands adopt an Omni-channel strategy.

3. First Impressions Count

The entry point to any experience, creates a strong impression of what lies within. The first page of a website, the entrance to a store or the label on a product all trigger expectations of the subsequent experience beyond. For example, if you enter a site and the page is heavy to load, and then you’ve got to click away the pop ups and ads, only to find that the site didn’t have what it promised, it’s unlikely that you would engage in the brand again. Smart brands think hard about reducing the barriers to entry, and the forthcoming steps, to ensure a transparent customer experience.

Apple stores are a case in point. Their facades are consciously open, light and welcoming, free from noisy promotions, or overly keen staff. Their interiors provide open site lines, where your choices are easily identifiable, with clear walkways to get there. Large product images often surround the stores, providing lures to draw you in, and acclimatise you to the environment. Apple’s website can be looked upon as the digital equivalent, following the same principles as the store, helping visitors enter, learn and explore with similar techniques.

4. Information Architecture

Guiding the customer through your offering, is the discipline of information architecture. It defines the structure of a site, a product range, or a building, helping you interact with the information within. It's a far-reaching topic, too big to cover here, but one useful aspect of information architecture is Chunking. No, this isn’t a town in China, but an extremely valuable technique for organising information.

Many clients make the mistake of being so proud of their offer that they want to explain everything to the world, confident in their belief that the world will surely fall in love with everything they have to say. Sadly, this is never the case; we humans only have the capacity to take in 3 to 5 items of information, at once. For example, most people can remember five words for 30 seconds, but would struggle to remember ten words for that duration. Our brains are simply not made to receive information, without it being broken down into smaller manageable parts. For example, here’s Mission’s phone number +4724103500, by simply breaking the numbers into three chunks +47 2410 3500, you stand a better chance of remembering it.

Chunking applies to the customer experience in many ways. An online fashion store has thousands of fast selling products. To help the customer find what they are looking for, they’ll chunk information into gender: male, female > item: tops, trousers, shoes etc. > colour: black, blue, grey > size: small, medium, large. This path helps people navigate a complex range, quickly and easily. The same principle can be found in the real world, from the structure of books, to the organisation of a department store, (even this article is written with the principle of chunking). It’s a simple, but effective way to guide customers through your range, demonstrating your empathy for their situation, and creating a welcoming customer experience.

5. Hick’s Law

Hick’s Law declares that the time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of alternative choices grows. This principle comes into play as more brands expand their range. Very often, choice is a good thing. Part of the appeal of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is the forty flavours we can indulge in. Choice within services implies a deep range of competence and negates the need for the customer to go anywhere else. But within the context of customer experience, when choice meets a desire for speed, problems occur.

Our clients often grow their range of products with line extensions, to provide a new talking point, or accommodate new demand. Over time, the offer expands to a point where it can become overwhelming and frustrating to search through. Similarly, some businesses grow through acquisition, offering an ever-expanding range of services, with no thought to how the value chain is communicated. Every brand is obliged to steward its range. Be hard on yourself and edit your offer to provide genuine value. Make it easy for customers to select from, with minimum confusion, and you’ll attract and retain customers.

6. Forgiveness in Design

We’re all human, and therefore mistakes are inevitable. The principle of introducing forgiveness in a customer experience, allows you to minimise the errors that can occur. This provides a greater sense of trust, and creates a willingness in customers to proceed.

Take booking a flight online for example. Its fraught with many decisions about destination, dates, pricing and insurance, before you even begin the payment.

A Good Airline Site will Employ the Forgiveness Principle by Including:

Reversible actions - if you click the wrong date, you have the option to retrace your steps by back-clicking
Summary - before you press the purchase button, you’re provided with a summary of what you think you’re buying, to review
Prompts - if you don’t fill in the correct passport details, you are prompted to review with a prompt
Confirmation - when you’ve made a purchase, a pop up, followed by an email, arrives to reassure that the transaction is complete
Safety nets - if you book the wrong date by mistake, you’re allowed 24 hours to change your ticket

Forgiveness is regularly found in the real world, from no-entry signs to product instructions, and is crucial to providing a positive customer experience.

Providing a Strong Customer Experience has Many Benefits:

It helps to yield the original investment
It upholds your hard earned reputation
It maintains the revenue stream by keeping customers happy

Mission has customers who are primarily digital , and we have customers who have store chains with a history of over 100 years. Everyone has their own unique challenges related to multi-channel thinking. But the best place to start is always to put the customer first, dig deep, think beyond the customers' expectations, in order to create a valuable customer experience.

Further reading: What is branding, and how to work with purpose?