How, when, and where we buy has changed dramatically in recent years. Winning companies in today's competitive marketplace are the ones that are fast and easy to do business with. In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS welcomes back author, speaker, and customer experience consultant and expert David Avrin for a conversation about the shift in customer expectations. David will be presenting at the upcoming FCCS Home Lending Conference in Salt Lake City, and has returned to the podcast to share key ways to create unforgettable customer experiences that can become your competitive advantage.

Episode Insights Include:

What the Customer Experience Isn't

• The customer experience is not customer service.

• The way a company does business with its customers is the customer experience.

• Just being friendly is not a sufficient customer experience.

• The customer experience measures how easy the business process is.

• Every person in a company is part of the customer experience.

A Snapshot of Today's Customers

• Expectations for speed, accommodation, and convenience have increased significantly.

• High quality and competence are the bare minimum expectations.

• Today's companies are judged by how easy it is to do business with them.

• The convenience factor is essential to a successful customer experience.

• Identify your own preferences to identify what your clients are looking for.

How to Improve the Customer Experience

• Make your process more visible to your customers.

• Turn setbacks into celebratory milestone announcements.

• Be proactive about status updates.

• Consider communications and relationship building opportunities.

• Take advantage of Zoom and other technologies to connect with clients.

Developing Better Customer Relationships

• The balance between technology and humanity is critical.

• Give your clients choices — don't force them to do business with you in only one way.

• Help people learn new processes as needed.

• Simplify processes and create solutions that make life easier all around.

• People want to know what to expect with no surprises.

Overcome common customer experience mistakes

• Don't be overly rigid or scripted — leave room for accommodation and conversation.

• Don't push clients to do the business the way you want them to do it — offer choices.

• Don't assume your customers know how you navigate your systems — eliminate points of friction by walking through the process through their eyes.

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

Resources

Learn more about the upcoming FCCS Home Lending Conference - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/conferences/home-lending-conference

Connect with David Avrin - https://www.davidavrin.com/

Get in touch

[email protected]