From Metrics to Meaning: 4 Tips to Getting the Most From Customer Experience Numbers
The limitation of these frequently used CX metrics is that they’re only a surface-level look into past customer experiences. They don’t delve into details, such as why a customer chooses to make a purchase, or the issues that lead customers to leave less-than-favorable ratings. And most importantly, basic customer experience scores fail to uncover how brands can adjust their customer experience strategies to maximize long-term sales.
Measuring customer experience (CX) has always been a numbers and metrics game. And while standard CX metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS®), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES) provide some insights into customer experience, they don’t tell the whole story.
The limitation of these frequently used customer experience metrics is that they’re only a surface-level look into past customer experiences. They don’t delve into details, such as why a customer chooses to make a purchase, or the issues that lead customers to leave less-than-favorable ratings. And most importantly, basic customer experience scores fail to uncover how brands can adjust their customer experience strategies to maximize long-term sales.
4 Customer Experience Strategies to Get More From Your Metrics
Pearl-Plaza believes that by going beyond basic customer experience metrics to seek out customer stories, you gain customer intelligence that allows you to understand and identify the actions to take based on what creates meaningful, memorable customer experiences.
Take a closer look at our customer experience methodology, including four key steps you can take to extract more meaning and value from your customer experience metrics:
#1 Listen
Customers likely have qualitative stories to share about their experiences—both positive and negative. Pay attention to what customers say in comment boxes, and consider providing more opportunities for them to provide details about their experiences—beyond providing you with scores on a scale of 1-10. With more information at your disposal, your brand is equipped to make CX strategy adjustments based on the in-depth feedback you receive.
#2 Understand
Use the CX data you gather to gain a deeper understanding of who your customers are, what they’re saying, and what they want. For even deeper insights, consider taking a step beyond standard text analytics with predictive intelligence and anomaly detection. These technologies allow you to create profiles based on customer behavior so you can anticipate their needs and actions, and communicate with them accordingly.
#3 Improve
Armed with in-depth data and a better understanding of your customers, you can share this knowledge across your organization to impact and improve customer experience strategies. Whether it’s small, targeted changes or sweeping strategy improvements, you can make these changes knowing they were directly influenced by first-hand customer intelligence.
#4 Monetize
Turn data into action, and action into profits. It’s no secret that better customer experiences translate into greater profit opportunities. Adding more meaning behind CX metrics can help you recover—and discover—revenue streams that may have previously suffered due to lackluster customer experiences.
Customers are more than numbers. They are the people who fuel your business success. When you go beyond simple, static customer experience metrics to uncover buyer stories, you extract valuable meaning that drives action and fosters long-lasting customer relationships.