Today’s business world is all for automation, getting machines to take care of all the nitty gritty so you can focus on the more important stuff. This trend has also spread into the customer experience area, where we now have chatbots and online forms playing a larger role in how companies are perceived by customers. Creating a delightful online experience that meets the needs and expectations of your target audience has become increasingly important, especially in a dynamic industry like International Education.

So if you don’t have a Digital Customer Experience strategy yet or you are looking to improve it, here’s how to get started:

Know your Audience

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, knowing your audience is key to any strategy. After all, without customers our business would be obsolete. Learn who is buying your products or services and why; building these personas allows you a clearer vision of what needs your digital customer experience should cater for. Map out your customer journey to determine which touchpoints are most important for your clients.

Go for a Multiple Channel Experience

Give your audience the option to communicate with you on the medium that is most to their liking, that way they are more comfortable and not forced to use something else. This strategy is sure to make for happier customers. The important thing here is to have all the channels aligned so you give a seamless experience.

Consider Mobile Experience

90% of the global internet population uses their smartphone for anything and everything, giving customers the possibility to compare companies, right at their fingertips. When designing your digital customer experience, make sure it's mobile responsive, meaning that when it's displayed on a tablet or phone, the interface automatically adjusts to the smaller screen. 

Analytics are Essential

In any part of your business, analytics give you essential data to help you improve. This is ever present when it comes to improving your customer experience. Tools like google analytics can help you track which features and pages your customers use most and identify where customers are experiencing more difficulties. Social media platforms have their own analytics that help you track engagement and monitor brand sentiment in order to create more optimized content. Constantly monitoring this data allows your team to better fine tune your digital customer experience.

Gain Customer Feedback

For the best and most accurate results there is no better way of getting it than straight from the horse’s mouth. Set up surveys on your website or app and ask your customers, what their experience was like, and whether they would recommend it to others. This should give you a clear idea of how your customers are reacting to your services and content. Go a step further and conduct some user testing, pick a group of customers and ask them to test out a particular service or aspect of your company and give you feedback on a more specific level.

The digital world is ever changing, the key to not fall behind is to not remain complacent. What works today might not necessarily work in the future, so these exercises should be a part of your strategy  and revisited regularly to make sure your digital customer experience is still as fluid and seamless as it should be.