The 10 Commandments of User Experience

Every entrepreneur knows this cardinal rule: The customer is number 1. So how do you show them that? Without customers, your business is just an expensive hobby. So the more customers, the better. Right? Well…kind of.

Look at it like this: Would you rather have (A) 100 customers once, or (B) 50 customers every month? If you don’t think (B) is a better option, would it change your mind knowing that it costs up to 7 times more to acquire a new customer than keep an existing one?

Customer experience is the secret ingredient in every winning eCommerce strategy. It’s all about producing happy and loyal customers through a stellar shopping experience, so that customer lifetime value (LTV) is higher, and everyone is happier as a result.

On the surface, there are three immediate benefits to providing a great customer experience:

More customer loyalty, positive word of mouth (i.e. more referral customers) and more revenue at less of an expense. So how do I create a great customer experience?

Don’t worry, because the team at Fetch and I have put together the 10 commandments of customer experience. Here they are:

1:  Keep Your Site on Par

This is an easy one. It’s the online equivalent of having a tidy and presentable brick-and-mortar store. We have two main suggestions for this:

• Make sure your site’s speed is on or above average. You can check your site’s speed for free at GT Metrix GT. If it’s running slowly, check out this article for some more information and tips: How to Optimize Themes for Performance. 
• Be sure there are no dead links or “404 errors”. The best way to really be sure of this is to scan your entire website manually, checking to make sure the links that are on every page (i.e. header and footer) are actually connected to live pages.

2: Keep Support Simple

Everybody loves shopping online because of the convenience. Browse a store from the comfort of your home, see a shop’s full inventory, and don’t be bothered by any pesky commission-based sales reps. Sign me up. But a lot of customers will inevitably have questions, comments, or concerns. When it comes to support, stick to the trend and keep it convenient.

• Have a FAQ page that you actually update with questions you get asked frequently!
• Offer live chat support, because a lot of customers can be deterred by the idea of waiting for email support.
• Don’t be afraid to put down a phone number. Even if it’s your personal cell phone. It adds a whole new level of credibility.

3: Delight Them

This is the backbone of customer experience. Keep the customer happy! Our best suggestion for this is threefold (AKA the Holy Trinity):

• Do everything you said you were going to do. Ship the right products, pack on time, and make sure it arrives on time.
• Go the extra mile. Whether it’s a hand-written thank you card, throwing in a free sample, or even putting your product in a nice bag. Every little detail matters.
• Build a relationship. Don’t be afraid to turn a customer into a friend; you’d be surprised at the good it can bring.

4: Be Proactive

This is what separates the pros from the amateurs, and really shows customers that you go the extra mile. Always act first. Great examples include:

• Ask them for feedback. This is what we at Fetch have dedicated ourselves to — we automatically ask every single customer for feedback in 1 tap, about whatever questions you want to ask. The 1 tap surveys are a great way to get 10x higher response rates, and learn and grow from what your customers say.
• Remind people they have an abandoned cart.
• Give customers advance notice that a sale or new product line is coming up.

5: Make Communication Personalized

When talking with a customer (email, social media, etc.), address them by their name. It makes them feel like the email was actually meant for them, and will do great things for your conversion rates. Tools like MailChimp make this very easy by using {{Name}} as an attribute, and automatically using it.

For  example, this is an email from a Shopify store, Carpediem, that I would have normally ignored, but  when I saw it in my inbox, my name immediately caught my eye.

And guess what? Just like the 4th Commandment said, they were notifying me of a new line they just came out with, and I happen to think it’s great. I would have never seen it if they didn’t use my name.

6: Use Apps; They’re There to Help

Running a store is a lot of work, and when you’re limited on time and staff, it can become a nightmare. We know you’re already stretched thin. That’s why we suggest using apps like they’re going out of style! It’s like having robot employees that cost next to nothing, never make a mistake, and do one thing incredibly well. When you put it like that, it’s hard to say no to.

To make it even easier, most of the leading eCommerce platforms have their own app market places. You can be fully installed, set-up, and running within minutes—often for free! Fetch, for example, is listed in Shopify’s App Store right now.

7: Surprise Them

Everyone loves surprises! Try doing something that will (in a good way) surprise your customers, show them you care about them, and make their experience that much better.

A perfect example is Fendrihan.ca.

I recently bought a safety razor set from them. At the checkout page, they told me that since I was spending over $100, I got to choose 6 free samples to ship with my order! I was thrilled. And to top it all off, the order arrived at my door 2 days later. That’s how you keep a customer happy.

8: Listen and Act

Let’s face it…none of us are perfect. But that’s a good thing! It means there’s always room to improve. So this is a two-step commandment.

• You need to listen to what your customers say and how they feel. Whether this is inbound emails, reading posts on your Facebook wall, or using surveys, this is a top priority. When you’re selling online, you never actually see your customers face-to-face, so it’s impossible to know how they feel. You need to keep your ears open; and if your customers aren’t naturally talking, you need to get them talking with tools like Fetch or SurveyMonkey.
• Take all of the data you’ve collected and actually read it. This should immediately reveal trends in what you’re doing poorly and what you’re doing well. Next, actually talk to your customers; the good ones and the bad ones. This will reveal what you’re doing right and wrong, so you can keep improving for your customers. Finally, make the changes you see that you need! It sounds simple, but that last step (“changing”) gets skipped more often than not.

9: Don’t Hide Your Efforts

Remember when we were (confused) teenagers, and it was often “cool” to not care? Well, this is the absolute opposite. Take every opportunity you can to show current and future customers that you care, as it’s never “not cool” to love your customers! This will help show potential customers that you’re trustworthy and awesome. Easy ways to do this are:

• Share success stories
• Publicize reviews on your website
• Have case studies readily available

A great example I found is  the footer of Well.ca. A current, short, positive review:

10: Experiment Often, Learn Quickly

If you think of any idea or method that could work, go ahead and try it! Maybe not with all your customers right away, but don’t be afraid to do a little sample. This can be as simple as writing somebody an email suggesting similar products that they might like, or as complicated as Facebook retargeting campaigns for people who have reached your checkout page to say thanks for being a customer. Whatever it is, we’re in the age of technology and running tests is simple, so just go for it!

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There you have it. The 10 commandments of customer experience. If you implement 1, some, or all 10 of these methods, I promise you will see a better customer experience forming. This can look like more revenue, better reviews, or ever a big inflow of referrals. In addition to the tangible/measurable results, never forget about the value of leaving customers happy with a golden impression of you and your store in the back of their mind.

Have questions? Reach out by commenting below or emailing me personally for one-on-one feedback at: Russell@GetFetch.ca Good luck everyone!

 

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