BACKCustomer Experience Lessons From Amazon, Apple, And FedEx
See that smile? That is the aim of businesses everywhere. But getting a smile of approval out of your customers isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Success can no longer hinge on product (or service) and pricing alone. Doing so is akin to building a two-legged stool, destined to fall.
Instead, delivering a unique, positive and consistent customer experience – the third leg of the stool – is a must, should they hope to succeed in today’s digital world. A research by Zendesk reaffirms this fact by revealing 95% of customers tell others about a bad experience, while 87% share good experiences. Simply put, the way your customers feel about your brand can either spell disaster or amount to a windfall.
Luckily, when it comes to enhancing the customer experience, there are three top brands that all businesses can look to for some guidance.
Amazon
Amazon doesn’t need to convince you that it’s winning at internet retailing, we already know. The largest online marketplace literally lives up to its corporate logo of providing its customers with everything from A to Z.
But with so many competitors in the space, Amazon knows that to set itself apart, it also needs to provide great customer satisfaction. Today, apart from being one of the most valuable brands in the world, Amazon can also boast that it’s an authentic, customer-centric business scoring 86 out of 100 for customer satisfaction according to the Foresee Experience Index report.
Amazon achieved this feat by cultivating a customer first culture. That is, putting their customers at the centre of everything they do and invent. They provide customers with:
Convenience: You can purchase anything online. And that is further enhanced with Amazon allowing its customers to complete their online transaction without interacting with customer support. Being transparent with their product reviews, Amazon instils buyer’s confidence and trust in their brand, which lends towards a great customer experience.
Customisation: As an adopter of small and big data, Amazon provides a customised shopping experience by recommending products that complements the products a customer has bought or is buying.
Value: Profits come second to customer experience at Amazon. It proactively reaches out to customers to help them save money – even if the savings amount to only 16 cents. This proactive approach shows its customers that Amazon is committed to providing value, building brand loyalty and trust.
Apple
You don’t boast the title of the most valuable business in the world without doing something right. When it comes to customer experience, Apple sure knows how to do it right. The secret, according go Gizmodo, is their focus on customer emotions and considering the psychological and emotional aspects of the customer experience.
Everything that Apple does is done with great attention to detail and that’s not just talking about their products and the packaging they come in. The brand’s product launches are never simply just product launches, but must-see events that double as a platform for creative branding, putting Apple in a top-of-mind position in the customer’s mind.
Then there’s the Apple retail stores that are testaments to modern design. Their clean, sleek and consistent look and feel across every store allows Apple to deliver customers the same premium experience no matter which store they walk into.
FedEx
There are many inherent challenges that can lead to poor customer experience in the shipping business. But a consumer study conducted by Temkin Group, revealed that when it comes to delivering exceptional customer experience, FedEx is leading the pack.
Corporate culture plays a huge role for FedEx – one that recognises great customer experience begins with its employees. Apart from providing dedicated training to equip its staff with the skills required to go above and beyond customer expectations, FedEx also champions open communication by encouraging employees to share success stories, feedback, ideas and strategies to improve customer experience.
All this lends towards creating an inclusive and empowering environment built on trust and respect for each other, which keeps its employees motivated and invested to build customer loyalty.
To prove the effectiveness of this approach, president of FedEx Express Canada, Lisa Lisson, proudly tells the story of a FedEx employee who sourced and bought special baby formula with her own credit card, have it arranged for expedited delivery to a customer’s home because the package had been lost.
While creating great customer experience may be a demanding task, there’s no doubt that the benefits outweigh the investment of time, money and manpower put into it. Indeed, there’s simply no other way to success than great customer experience.
