For years, the common wisdom was that companies with a mixed physical and digital presence needed to focus on their Customer Experience (CX) to make interactions smooth and seamless across all outlets and touchpoints. As far as it went, this was good advice, since buyers can and will gravitate towards whichever company offers them the easiest or most enjoyable purchasing experience.
However, this is now creating a new problem – a lack of differentiation between different competitors in the same market. With CX becoming standardized, companies can no longer stand out by merely providing a good experience. Companies need to once again look towards ways to engage and excite buyers, giving them reason to care about the brand and their relationships with that brand.
Also, they need to keep expanding that “streamlined and easy” design philosophy to include all possible touch points, not just the most prominent interactions. For example, is the experience of contacting tech support as smooth and enjoyable as the sales process? These secondary and tertiary experiences cannot be overlooked.
When combined, the result is referred to as the Digital Experience (DX). This is the new battleground where companies are competing for hearts and minds.
There are several key aspects to great DX:
1. A unified Digital Experience Platform (DXP)
A DXP takes concepts like the Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) to the next level, fusing them together into a single centralized omni-channel platform that is accessible across every outlet and touch point a buyer might encounter. Centralization is key here. To have smooth interactions, the DXP needs to be central to every channel. Likewise, that DXP should be entirely under your own control. If it’s in the hands of a third party, an error on their part could be disastrous to you.
2. No organizational silos getting in the way
Organizational silos are antithetical to good DX. The flow of data around your business ecosystem must be uninhibited, with no pertinent information being bottled up within certain departments. Building good DX is a company-wide initiative, and if everyone isn’t on the same page, DX will suffer.
3. An experience playbook
The experience playbook could be seen as the next evolution in buyer personas. Rather than merely identifying buyers, thought should now be given specifically to the entire experience as seen through their eyes. The experience playbook is a map, or guide, to how leads will enter a digital ecosystem, what they’ll do once they’re there, and how those experiences will guide them towards conversion.
4. A focus on your brand and your story.
It’s not enough to simply make a sale. Buyers should, whenever possible, feel excited and happy about being involved with your brand. This level of engagement prevents them from becoming fickle buyers who hop from supplier to supplier. Focusing on your brand story and looking for ways to connect personally with your buyers is key here. Content automation systems and AI will go a long way towards achieving this, by customizing the materials presented to each lead or buyer, based on their data profile.
Creating a great digital experience isn’t easy, but it will be the next major way companies compete for business. In short, “delight or die.” Make customers love you through great DX, and they’ll be loyal.
LogicBay has the systems and software that make it easy to tie your ecosystem together, with advanced training and collaboration tools which simplify DX-focused initiatives. Contact us to learn more.
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