New Year, Better Customer Experience: 6 CX Resolutions to Make in 2023

2023 is here and it's time to make your New Year's resolutions. As an eCommerce business leader, you are probably already thinking about what changes you need to make for your brand this year. CX is one of the most important aspects of any online brand and should be top of mind when considering resolutions for the new year.  

1. Use video content to engage customers and explain your products

Video content is an incredibly effective way to deliver great customer support in e-commerce. By utilizing video content, customers can visually understand the product offerings of your brand and have a better sense of satisfaction with their purchase. Video can also help build trust with customers as they are able to see the product in action, making them more likely to continue shopping with your brand in the future.

Video is quickly becoming a key tool in enabling great product technical support and troubleshooting. In fact, according to a recent survey from Salesforce, 21% of consumers cited video chat as their preferred method for customer support communication.

This preference makes a lot of sense. Video allows customers to receive immediate, real-time assistance from experts without having to leave their homes or offices. These video interactions can take place over desktop, mobile, web conferencing tools, and even virtual reality applications. And, of course, videos can be exceptionally more detailed and easy to follow than written or voice instructions.

There are two types of video support communication: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous communication is when your CX agent and your customer speak with each other "live" in real-time. Asynchronous communication is when people talk to each other, but not in real time.

Asynchronous is likely the easiest and cheapest way to get started with video chat. Tools like CloudApp and Loom allow you to record a video and send it via email or a similar channel. Asynchronous video tools like these allow the customer to view your CX agent's video instructions whenever and wherever convenient.

Asynchronous customer support videos can be recorded in advance to address known issues, making it as easy as sending the customer a link to a video from a pre-recorded library of videos.

Or, if you have a couple camera-friendly CX agents, use customized videos where the agent addresses the customer by name and specifically tackles their issue. These fully customized videos, again using cost effective tools like CloudApp or Loom, often require just a few minutes to create and send. Imagine, as a customer, receiving a personal customized video message. Only a great brand would do this, and that is the perception you are leaving with your customer.

Speaking of cost-effective, outsourced CX solutions like Rush Order already possess these video technologies and they come included as part of our service.

Live / synchronous video sessions can also be extremely valuable because your CX agent can answer the customer's questions in real time. However, scheduling a time to chat, dealing with rescheduling when customers do not show up to the appointment, and investments in technology can make synchronous video customer support difficult and/or inefficient for you and your customers. That said, it can be a perfect fit in some instances such as supporting highly complex and/or expensive products where the investments in time and technology are worthwhile.

With both synchronous and asynchronous video support, you're creating a high level of personalization and customization for your customers. Customers will receive a much more finely tailored interaction and will directly experience your agent's personality. Rather than supporting customers via a nameless email address, video adds a human touch that greatly enhances the overall customer experience, helps you stand out from competitors (without any real incremental expense on your part), and creates a longer term attachment to your brand.

If you start with the easiest path of creating a small video library explaining how to troubleshoot your customers' most common issues, make sure you are indeed targeting the issues that will benefit the most. Looking at your helpdesk ticket data is the most obvious source for finding popular topics or issues. Leveraging data gathered from CX surveys to identify areas where video can augment your agent's support efforts is also a great place to start.

2. Invest in AI and chatbots for a better customer experience

Technology plays an integral role in delivering an exceptional customer experience today, so don't skimp on investing in the right technology solutions for your brand. Whether it's an all-in-one CRM / helpdesk system, or specialized software solutions that focus on particular areas like chatbots or AI technology, these investments will pay off in the long run by helping streamline processes, increase efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction. 

Check out our article with everything you need to know about chatbots to understand how they can drive better customer experience outcomes at a lower cost to you.

3. Prioritize Customer Service Performance

The basic blocking and tackling of customer service is often overlooked or neglected for too long when it comes to developing a CX strategy... But it shouldn't be! The New Year is a great time to perform a checkup on your CX team's speed and quality. Customers simply want fast responses from knowledgeable agents when they reach out with questions or issues—so invest in refresher training for agents and ensure they have access to the necessary tools to do their job effectively. Look for weak links in basic metrics such as agents’ CSAT scores and average reply times.

Similar to the point above, look for opportunities where automated tools like chatbots can shoulder some of the load to give customers speedier and more consistent responses.

Also, now is a great time to perform an annual audit of your FAQs and knowledge base. Do any of the answers or articles need a refresher? Should any be removed or added? Providing relevant FAQs and knowledge base articles is one of the best way to give customers the quick answers they are looking for. At Rush Order, these annual or semi-annual audits are included as part of our outsourced CX solutions. We find them to be that impactful to our clients.

4. Give Customers Every Payment Option Possible

No, we're not talking about accepting the latest volatile cryptocurrency. Taking every reasonable payment option possible may seem obvious, but the online payments and fintech industry is evolving quickly. Take a quick look to see if there are more doors you can open for customers to pay you.

For example, no matter how big or small the price tag of your product(s) may be, "buy now pay later" and other creative payment options are proven to help boost conversion rates. Believe it or not, 51% of consumers reported having used a BNPL service during the pandemic. 59% say they purchased an item they otherwise couldn't afford.

5. Measure Your Progress

Measurement is key when it comes to evaluating CX progress over time—so make sure you have analytics tools in place that allow you to track customer feedback, engagement metrics, sales figures, and more. In fact, here is the CX Balanced Scorecard every ecommerce brand should be using to measure the success of their CX efforts.

This data will help give you insight into what’s working well and where there may be room for improvement so you can adjust accordingly throughout the year. 

Performing an annual metric "wrap up" is a great way to assess how the year went and, assuming it went well, provide an update with the metrics to your broader organization. Trumpet your successes from 2022 and include an overview of initiatives and improvements coming to CX in 2023!

6. Prioritize customer feedback to improve your product and your customers' overall experience

Listening to customers is essential if you want to provide them with the best possible experience with your brand—so take advantage of review sites like Amazon, Yelp, Trustpilot and always encourage customers to leave reviews after purchases or interactions with your CX team. Not only will this help build trust between customers and your company but also provide valuable insights into what works well (or not) with your current CX strategy so that you can make improvements going forward into 2023! 

CSAT Surveys and a CX Balanced Scorecard, again, are great ways to prioritize and action customer feedback as well.

Parting Thoughts

As we enter 2023, there are many changes businesses must consider making in order to succeed - but don't forget about customer experience! Implementing these six CX resolutions will set up any eCommerce brand for success this year. From developing a customer-focused strategy to investing in technology solutions and listening closely to customer feedback, create an unbeatable foundation for success in 2023!

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To learn more about Rush Order’s outsourced CX solutions, please get in touch and schedule a time to chat.