In a world where customer expectations are higher than ever before, what makes a ‘good’ digital experience – and is it enough to maintain customer loyalty, as well as continue to win a growing market share?
To be successful, the digital experience should be all about delivering value to customers, giving them the intuitive ‘modern’ experience they have come to expect – and that demands a constant focus on understanding their needs, motivations and contexts of use. Executed well, a superior digital experience attracts more customers and drives greater conversion rates – but it’s a challenge that’s become increasingly complex, as both the digital and wider business landscape has evolved. The era when digital was a siloed and tactical channel is fast disappearing, with digital channels and interactions now playing a central role in people’s lives – challenging businesses to put digital at the very heart of their strategies or risk losing out to more responsive and agile competitors.
“Delivering a good digital experience demands a constant focus on understanding customers needs, motivations and context of use”
With the pandemic accelerating digital adoption to a whole new level – cramming an estimated five years’ digital evolution into a matter of months – customers are now well used to the convenience and flexibility of digital channels in all facets of their lives. The result? An ever-rising baseline, where a ‘good’ digital presence – website, mobile app, social presence and e-newsletter – may not be good enough to retain your existing customer base, never mind winning new members to your community by standing out from the crowd.
Those businesses taking the lead have embraced innovations in areas such as multi-channel experiences and service design – as well as technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, voice interfaces and personalisation – making a sophisticated digital strategy a key pillar in their business performance and the core KPI for future success.
We have already shown in previous articles how many businesses still grapple with the fundamentals of digital – and how some enterprises with an uncompetitive ecommerce offering were left at a clear disadvantage when the pandemic hit – at a time when all generations and diverse demographics are increasingly ‘always on’ in their digital consumption (as we’ve also covered as we’ve also covered previously).
“We’re strong advocates of user-centred approach to digital design and development”
So how can all enterprises seize this moment and opportunity to maximise and continue to optimise their digital offering? A user-centred approach to digital design and development is a must for any business looking to either catch up or take the lead. At Box UK, we’re strong advocates of user research activities and feedback mechanisms – an approach that’s enabled our clients to feel a real-time pulse on their customers’ ever-changing needs, and map out customer journeys across both online and offline channels to make every transactional touchpoint as seamless and frictionless as possible.
This insight supports the delivery of a holistic and connected experience, with streamlined and cross-functional journeys providing users with timely, relevant information – guiding customers through tasks engagingly and efficiently. With these key elements in place, organisations are empowered to invest in value-add ‘delighters’ such as interactive tools or self-service areas that increase usability, engagement and ultimately satisfaction, taking a digital offering from ‘good’ to ‘great’. By using analytics, user feedback and many other tools, our customers can also benchmark where they’re at and where they’re going, as they continually improve their digital platforms, processes and touchpoints.
We’ll be exploring these journeys from ‘Good’ to ‘Great’, identifying what brilliant digital performance looks like, in our future articles – and if you want to learn more in the meantime, visit our website www.boxuk.com, call us on +44 (0) 29 2022 8822 or email [email protected].
