Customer expectations have continued to rise as customers have great experiences across brands and industries. In fact, 81% of CMO’s believe they are competing solely on the customer experience (Gartner) – more than products, services, and even price. Companies who can meet customers’ expectations will create customer loyalty and an increase revenue through acquisition and recurring transactions.

While it is vital that companies design great products and services, they must also focus on customer experience (CX). CX is the sum of all interactions a customer has with a company – from website use to call center experiences. It’s important for businesses to understand how their customers experience their brand, so they can incorporate what they learn into product design.

When companies prioritize CX over products, this is called UX – or user experience. UX focuses on the design of interactions between a company and its customers. While it may be true that UX cannot directly increase revenue, it does have an indirect effect by influencing the customer experience, which can impact revenue and brand loyalty.

Companies must focus on both product, service, and customer experience to truly satisfy their customers. Companies who prioritize CX over product – or those who incorporate UX into their design process – will ultimately win out as they will be better equipped to meet market demands – and as a result generate enhanced revenue opportunities through new purchase, increase premiums, and expanded loyalty (Nasdaq).

Elevated customer experiences lead to a lasting relationship with a brand because customers feel appreciated and respected. They will become loyal customers, who tell others about their great experience, thus leading to more business for the brand.

Another way to increase company revenue is by elevating customer experiences through UX opportunities. By incorporating UX into the customer service process, companies can increase loyalty, reduce costs by reducing customer service calls, and save time which allows for increased efficiency.

In order to elevate your brand’s CX, you need to focus on UX. The experience of using a website or product can make all the difference in how customers feel about your company and whether they’ll come back again. Here are some ways that UX design could be hurting your customer experience.

• Poorly designed interfaces make it difficult for people who aren’t tech savvy to complete tasks without encountering errors or delays
•  Too many clicks required can actually create anxiety for users by making them think something is wrong with their computer when nothing is wrong at all – Confusing navigation systems lead people astray, which not only frustrates users but also makes them less likely to return because they don’t know where anything is located.
• When a website isn’t compatible with all devices, users have to deal with a non-responsive or slow interface
• The more obstacles a user has to go through in order to complete a task, the higher their blood pressure will get and the more likely they are to abandon the site entirely.

 To create a truly excellent experience for your customers, you need to avoid these UX pitfalls. Make sure that any platform you use is compatible with all devices and well-maintained so users aren’t stuck in endless loops of error messages. Navigation should be intuitive and simple so users can easily find what they want or need without getting frustrated about not being able to figure it out.

Another factor that can elevate your user experience is getting feedback from people who have used the site or product before, so take advantage of how easy it is to ask them questions through email or social media. Asking for feedback allows you to expand on ways you already know are effective and fix aspects of your UX that are currently frustrating users.

You can also do research to find out what your customers want and need, and how they interpret the brand image you’re trying to project. This allows you to identify problem areas and fix them before users notice the difference, which makes for a better user experience overall. 

By paying close attention to UX and improving where necessary, you can create a customer experience that will keep people coming back for years. 

UX design is about making sure that users can easily find what they’re looking for throughout their customer journey. For example, when searching a website, and having a clear path to the action you want them to take which takes into account their current point in the customer journey. It’s not just about how something looks, but also how it functions and fits together with other interactions and touchpoints. UX can also leverage AI and Machine Learning to deliver a more automated and personalized experience for the customer (Icreon).

• UX can minimize the distance between you and your customers.
• UX can make your customers feel like they are part of a community which values them and their input.
• UX makes it easy for customers to contact you with feedback which you could use to create an action plan.
• UX focuses on users – What are their demographics, behaviors, needs? What makes them tick? What are their goals?
• UX can help you decide which content to create for your customers.
• UX can improve the way that you show up so consumers know what they are really getting with your brand.

People are always looking to buy products that make their life easier, more convenient, and better. But the customer’s expectations for a seamless experience don’t end with product features; they also include how easy it is to use your website or mobile app. A user’s first impressions of your company come from these interactions – so if you want to elevate your CX through UX, follow these tips:

• Offer clear instructions on what steps users should take when using your site for the first time (e.g., “Sign up now”).
•  Clearly label buttons and links to avoid confusion about where people can find certain content or functionality (e.g., “Start Chatting Now!”).
• Provide useful visual cues and information to communicate the status of each transaction (e.g., “Your chat has been sent!”).
• Make it obvious that your site or app sends notifications when transactions take place (e.g., “10 new messages”) – just be sure not to overwhelm people with too many updates.

 Make your site easy to navigate, both on mobile and desktop.

About the Author

Paul Miser is the Chief Strategy Officer of Icreon, a customer experience transformation agency and Acceleration Studio. He is also the author of Digital Transformation: The Infinite Loop – Building Experience Brands for the Journey Economy.