Great Customer Experience is everything. Ace it!

Consider a scenario where you need to walk into a supermarket to buy a pack of cookies.

You would just go to the salesperson and say – “Pepperidge farm Montauk soft chewy cookies, pack of 6.”, and end of the conversation.

Now, consider the same scenario while you attempt to order the same pack of cookies from the web with a traditional BOT interface.

“What would you like to buy?”
– Cookies, <click>
“Any specific brand? Brittania, Chips Ahoy, Nabisca, Pepperidge farm, etc …. (10s of brands)
– Pepperidge farm <click>
“Which flavor? Oatmeal, dark chocolate, Orange, Coconut, chocolate chip, etc… (10s of flavors)
– dark chocolate <click>
“What size? pack of 6, pack of 12, family pack, double pack, etc …”
– Pack of 6 <click>
“Texture? – Chewy, Soft, hard”
. Chewy <click>

Finally!

Now, imagine if you could type or speak to the computer saying, ” I want a pack of 6 of the Pepperidge farm Montauk soft chewy cookies.”
And, in return, the computer smartly understanding the context, intent from what you just said and presenting you the exact product, immediately.

This is no more imagination, it’s very much of a reality. Thanks to advancements in new technology, like Conversational AI and ML.

But technology still takes a back seat, it’s just an enabler. When it comes to customer experience, people just wanted the great customer experience, they dont care about the tech behind it.

A great customer experience should minimize friction, maximize efficiency and maintain a human touch.

In this era of the new normal, where safe distancing, contactless shopping is there to remain for a long time, the above customer experience will help both online and in-store buyers.

The new era of customer interaction & engagement is defined by the consistency & seamlessness of when, where, and how the customer wants it. It should reduce the touchpoint for new customers and keep on attracting them again.

More than 88% of consumers prefer to buy from retailers who have both in-store and a robust online presence. They prefer the convenience of online shopping and also like to use the liberty to make easy returns and exchange at the physical store.

Modern and discerning customers choose a better customer experience over brand and cost. The streamlined BOPIS and curbside shopping experience make them more likely to become recurring customers and refer to others.

Bad customer experience is known to drive customers away, faster than we all think. In the U.S., even when people love a company or product, 59% will walk away after several bad experiences, 17% after just one bad experience.

How are you planning to deliver a better customer experience to your retail customers?