A great experience is grounded in empathy, and building a seamless experience for your customers requires first understanding their functional and emotional needs.
This approach applies to any sized company in any industry — whether it’s business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), a start-up or among the Fortune 500. However, it’s incredibly important for entrepreneurs and growth companies because the intangible magic that good experiences provide can be just the leg up needed to fuel growth.
But how can you best understand your customers’ needs? Start with user research to first identify a problem, then pinpoint solutions.
User research is a discipline rooted in design; however, its applications are farther reaching than an app or new product development. Any experience can and should benefit from user research.
While market research aims to quantify opinions at scale, user research focuses on uncovering problems. While most users might not experience a pain point, even a small inconvenience is worth investigating and fixing.
Here are five ways to build user research into your business. As you put these into action, remember the most important work is what follows: ensure action is taken to resolve issues that rise to the surface.
Start by being your own customer
When was the last time you acted as your own customer? It sounds simple, but it is an effective way to understand how people interact with your company.
To effectively do this requires a bit of honesty and the willingness for self-reflection. So, if you are too close to the process, ask a family member or a trusted friend to sign up, make a purchase, or fill in a lead form.
Take note of any missteps, gaps in communication, or places where the transaction can break down. Then, think about potential fixes.
Complete a competitive audit
The idea is simple, but the key is consistent execution and note-taking. Take an objective and detailed look at competitors and aspirational brands to learn what they do well and where your business can do better.
A competitive audit includes completing a predetermined list of competitive visits. You and your colleagues will explore the competition — and outside your industry — to learn where you are leading and where you lag.
Before starting, make a detailed plan for what businesses will be audited, who will complete each one, and what they will take note of and how. Without defining what you are looking for, it’s easy for folks to return with reports of “everything was great” versus details that help you better understand your customer’s experience needs.
Start an advisory panel
A list of existing and lapsed customers is all that is needed to start the process. The goal is to set up an ongoing dialog with your best customers and a follow-up/feedback loop with those who got away.
It’s essential to recognize that these two groups will not give you the same amount of attention. Therefore, the communication approach for each group should be different and tailored.
Your best customers might agree to quarterly round tables (or virtual ones at the moment). While your lapsed or non-converted customers might not answer your first email or phone call, be prepared to intercept them with a stronger incentive to encourage participation.
Review open-ended data
If you have a post-purchase survey, CX program, or customer service inquiry system, schedule time monthly to read open-ended comments. What better way to hear what your customers are struggling with than from their own words?
Don’t focus on looking for overall patterns; CX and research teams should be focused here. Instead, focus on hearing what they are struggling with.
Put yourself in their shoes and think about the resolution you would want. Ask yourself: if you set aside business constraints, what could make the experience better meet their needs? What action can you take within any constraints to meet those needs? What’s holding you back?
Don’t be afraid to step into the firing line
There is a great lesson to learn from the founders of The Home Depot. According to Business Insider, to hear directly from customers, they created a fictional executive, Ben Hill, who customers could call to share their frustrations.
Instead of speaking with a random customer service agent, disgruntled customers directly shared their concerns with the company’s executives. What better way to understand what is happening inside a company than taking feedback? While Ben Hill was fictional, customer concerns were not.
The Home Depot executives didn’t just listen to feedback; they took action. Sometimes, that action resulted in challenging conversations, the kind that no one wants to have.
Being a leader requires making difficult decisions or having an uncomfortable conversation. It’s not to be argumentative; instead, the goal is to drive organizational change and improve customer experience.
Too often, leadership isn’t willing to roll up their sleeves and dive into a situation. When it comes to customer experiences, they must take the lead. The success of their business could depend on it.
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