The Human Experience: How to Create Personal Connections in eCommerce with author John Sills
Oct 7, 2024
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John Sills, author of the acclaimed book "The Human Experience" and managing partner at The Foundation Growth Consultancy, shares his insights on elevating customer connections in eCommerce. He discusses the myths surrounding customer feedback and loyalty, stressing the importance of genuine engagement. Sills highlights how poor customer experiences can be costly and explains how businesses can improve efficiency through a focus on human elements. He also touches on the balance between digital solutions and personal connections to foster success.
True customer loyalty is built on continuous engagement and the consistent delivery of value, rather than complacency after initial acquisition.
Organizations must focus on understanding holistic customer experiences instead of superficial feedback, to genuinely connect and maintain customer loyalty.
Deep dives
The Misconception of Loyalty
Customer loyalty is often misunderstood in organizations, where it is mistakenly equated with customers remaining brand users. This leads to a dangerous complacency where businesses stop actively engaging with customers after acquisition, assuming loyalty is guaranteed. However, true customer loyalty is contingent upon continually providing value and usefulness; if a competitor offers a better alternative, customers will leave without hesitation. Organizations must shift their focus from simply gaining customers to actively maintaining their interest and engagement to foster a true sense of loyalty.
The Dangers of Over-relying on Feedback
Organizations currently face an overwhelming influx of customer feedback yet often fail to derive meaningful insights from it. Instead of focusing on broader customer experiences and life contexts, many businesses fixate on superficial data that reflects customer opinions on their specific services or products. This oversight creates a false sense of intimacy with customers, giving leaders the impression they understand customer needs when, in fact, they might be out of touch with what truly matters in customers' lives. To bridge this gap, businesses should delve deeper into understanding customers' holistic experiences rather than relying on feedback tools that yield limited insights.
Enhancing the Customer Experience
Creating a positive customer experience hinges on embodying certain human traits that resonate with customers. Leading organizations exemplify behaviors such as accessibility, consistency, and proactivity, forming the foundation of a memorable customer experience. Cultural enablers, such as establishing an ambitious and connected organizational culture, empower these behaviors to flourish organically, ensuring customers feel valued and understood. This alignment enables businesses to provide more than just transactional interactions and fosters lasting relationships with customers through thoughtful engagement.
Effective Problem Resolution Strategies
The ability to manage issues successfully plays a pivotal role in shaping customer perceptions of a brand. When problems arise, efficient resolution creates a reassuring sense of certainty for customers, encouraging their continued loyalty even in the face of challenges. However, with increasing reliance on digital customer service avenues, organizations often become less accessible, leading to frustration for customers when trying to resolve issues. Businesses must prioritize responsive and empathetic solutions by equipping staff with the tools and authority to resolve problems swiftly, reinforcing trust and keeping customers engaged.
John Sills is the Author of the ‘leadership book of the year 2023, “The Human Experience: How to make life better for your customers and create a more successful organization”, AND managing partner at The Foundation Growth Consultancy where they help organisations achieve customer led success.
Hit PLAY to hear:
The importance of human experience in eCommerce and what led John to write his book
The myths of customer feedback, customer loyalty, and return on investment
The cost of poor customer experience
How better customer experience can lower your business costs
Behaviors and enablers and why you should care about them
Key timestamps to dive straight in:
[05:28] eCommerce, retail, hospitality satisfy more than banking.
[07:39] COVID inspired a book about being human.
[11:11] Feedback surveys focus on superficial customer opinions.
[15:03] Customer loyalty to organizations is often fickle.
[19:04] NHS ensures transparency and engagement with donors.
[22:35] Digital experiences harder to resolve customer issues.