Happy customers help your business grow, and when you’re launching a brand, nothing is more important than making an amazing first impression. The initial interactions people have with your company will lay the foundation for its reputation.

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So, you want to have everything in place before launch to ensure that customers walk away satisfied.

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We’ve put together a guide to what we consider 3 of the most important elements of CX (customer experience) new brands can’t miss. In this post, we’ll cover:

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1. Planning your customer service

2. Building a tech stack that supports your business

3. Creating a consistent brand

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Your business may be entirely online, but that doesn’t mean your customer experience can’t leave a lasting impression. In fact, more attention than ever is being placed on digital customer experiences, where virtual touch points are considered hallmarks of the buyer’s journey.

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Salesforce reveals that 66% of customers expect brands to understand both their needs and expectations. As a business owner, this means you need to perform some in-depth research before your launch. You want the first experience with your brand to feel relevant and responsive.

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These CX elements will help ensure your company has the strongest start by concentrating on the customers from day one.

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3 Features of an Unforgettable Customer Experience

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Today’s shoppers hold all the power. They know what they want, and they won’t settle for anything below outstanding. This means companies have to go all-out when it comes to crafting a personalized, memorable experience.

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By focusing on these three core areas, you can ensure that your first buyers (and many more) are completely delighted by their encounter.

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1. Excellent Customer Service

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Customer service starts before a buyer has a problem. It extends an offer to help them, no matter where they are in their journey. For example, friendly, custom chatbots are there to answer FAQs, help people find products, track orders, and more at a moment’s notice.

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They ensure your business is there to provide 24-hour assistance, 365 days a year. Even when your live reps aren’t available, chatbots help guide customers toward desired outcomes.

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Then, we can look at automated email workflows that reach customers at pivotal moments in their buyer’s journey. These include email for:

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- Newsletter opt-ins

- New accounts

- Lead generation

- Upselling

- Cart abandonment

- Purchase confirmation

Finally, make sure that you have good ticket management in place before you even have your first customer. Why? Because ticket management helps you keep impeccable records about your customers’ transactions, and it ensures you’ll always be able to help them at a moment’s notice.

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Ticket management software is often built into customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. You can use this to quickly document any problems someone has, and attach it to their broader profile. That way, whenever they reach out to your company, customer service can easily review their entire history with your company, and provide personal support.

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2. A Solid Tech Stack

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Now, let’s talk tech. It’s something every business needs to thrive, especially if you’re launching a company online. A tech stack is the combination of software, applications, and solutions a company uses to deliver its products and user experience.

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Think about what tools and solutions you’ll need to deliver the highest quality of service to your customers. The goal is to equip them with everything they need to find the right products as quickly as possible.

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Your industry will influence which services are right for your business. If you’re a marketing agency selling digital products, then you’ll likely need a website that’s highly optimized for quick response times, easy navigation, and fast downloads.

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On the other hand, a DTC business selling apparel or other products online will want to focus on presentation and value-driven navigation.All of your site’s details, such as its layout, key features, menus, and catalog, will be built into its tech stack.

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Having a professional build your tech stack is the best way to ensure a seamless launch and fantastic CX.

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You can break down your tech stack down into four categories:

1. Users
2. Front-end
3. Back-end
4. Database

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The users are your customers. You need to consider their perspectives, needs, and expectations as you craft a professional website or engaging ecommerce store. What are they going to compare it to? What features will they intuitively look for, and how will they know that they’ve found them?

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These questions are important as you construct a layout that suits your target audience. Along with branding, site navigation and features play a large role in the digital customer experience.

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Next, we have front-end and back-end applications. The front-end of your tech stack refers to its visual-based coding, like HTML and CSS. The front-end is like your storefront. It’s what all your visitors will see when they land on a page, scroll through your collections, or read your blog.

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The back-end focuses more on technical aspects of the site. How will it function? What features need to be built into it? For example, if you want users to be able to create accounts and make purchases through a secure payment system, these elements are all controlled by your back-end programming.

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Lastly, there’s the database.This is what hosts your website and user information. It’s the “home” of your business and all its data online. You want to make sure that you choose a database that is secure and scalable. This helps avoid data breaches, as well as crashes from heavy volume or data accumulation.

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3. Consistent Branding

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Last but not least, it’s time to look closely at branding.What makes a good brand? A lot of people might say it’s recognizability. You want a look, tone, and style that’s immediately identifiable. It should speak directly to your audience, and make your company feel relatable and approachable from the start.

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When we talk about branding, we really do mean every facet of your business. It’s not just it’s name and logo; it’s its color schemes, social media feeds, blog posts, emails, SMS messaging, Facebook Ads, and even your packaging.

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Creating a consistent brand image is the most important way to establish a reputable, authoritative position. People will automatically be inclined to trust a well-branded company over one that still seems unsure about how to even speak to its customers, let alone present itself online.

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Below are some tips for building a consistent brand:

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●       Make sure you create a company style guide and stick to it

●       Leave your social media to one or two people to ensure consistency

●       Always ask, “Does this suit our image?” before posting content

●       Consider the entire customer experience as you brand your products

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Let’s imagine that you just bought a nice water bottle from a new fitness company. Their upbeat, energetic website really drew you in. Reading their product descriptions, you felt like you were being recommended a great product from a trusted friend.

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The images on the site were equally enticing; they showed you the water bottle from all angles, and you saw it in real-life settings that felt authentic. As soon as you placed your order, a celebratory message with confetti appeared on your screen.

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Your order was being packed! And you quickly received an email thanking you for your purchase, and encouraging you to reach out if you had any questions.

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A few days later, your package arrives. It’s wrapped in packaging that matches the brand’s colors, and it includes a thank-you card.The company isn’t only happy you’ve gotten your order — they’re eager to help you out if you need them.

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From start to finish, branding played a crucial role in your experience. The visuals, writing, packaging, and tone of voice all shaped how you felt before, during, and after becoming a customer.

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Creating a Customer Experience: What to Remember

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Here are some key takeaways about CX to remember:

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-        Customer experience should underscore everything your business does

-        Excellent customer service is the cornerstone of a positive experience

-        A good tech stack sets you up for success

-        Consistent branding makes you more trustworthy, and improves customers’ experiences every step of the way

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The bottom line is this: Your customers always have an experience.

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You can decide whether that’s a good or bad one.

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Companies that are hands-off or self-centered don’t tend to leave the greatest impressions on their customers. Even if they wind up liking what they buy (should they convert at all), they feel underwhelmed by their entire experience. And they usually don’t go on to become repeat customers.

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CX takes effort, thought, and planning on your behalf. It’s an ongoing process that’s built into your company culture.

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And good customer experiences can occur at any point of a buyer’s journey. Think about the difference between a compassionate, empathetic customer service rep and one who hangs up on you when you can’t figure something out.

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Focus on being present and authentic. Rather than trying to show customers you’re a good company, be one. Listen to them, understand their needs, and go out of your way to meet their expectations.