February 2025 - Get Ahead VA

When you outsource website development, it’s a great opportunity to tap into expertise and improve customer experience (CX). In this blog, we look at three ways you can use your website and other tech to take your CX to the next level.

1. Use analytics software to track customer activity

Reporting tools like Google Analytics and social media analytics can give you fantastic insights about your customers. Used correctly, analytics software can help you identify who is visiting your website or social media pages, how old they are and where they live. The software can also show you how they found your website. Did they look on Google, for example, or did they click on a link they saw on social media? What web pages were they interested in? What element of your content marketing appealed most to your customers?

You can use this information to strengthen your customer experience strategy. If you notice that most of your customers are coming to your website via social media channels, you might decide to focus your energy on great Instagram posts rather than SEO. Or if you see that your videos get more views than your blogs, consider sharing future information in video format.

2. Embrace automation

It can be very easy to hide behind “tradition” and “we’ve always done it this way.” But automation can give us some great tools to improve CX. For example, creating an app to help your customers access your products or services might give them a smoother experience. An app allows them to use your services without having to make a phone call or visit your premises. It will probably speed up your processes, reduce staff costs and minimise the risk of human error.

Booking software has revolutionised the way customers plan nights out! You can link to platforms like Eventbrite and OpenTable so your guests can make bookings quickly and smoothly from their phones.

Whatever service you offer, consider offering automation to help your customers access it. If you’re stuck, give Get Ahead a shout! Our resourceful web development experts have a wide variety of experience and might know the perfect platform for your business.

3. Use automation alongside human interactions

While automated services and AI do bring many advantages, it’s important work how much human interaction to balance it with. There is no formula for this – it depends on your business and your customers. For example, customers might not feel the need of an in-person interaction with a utility company, but might feel more welcome in a restaurant if staff take them to the table. Think about your customers and what a good experience looks like to them. If you need help pinning this down, our business development experts can help. Check out our page on customer segmentation analysis for more information.

You can also improve customer experience by aligning automation with human interactions. For example, a common customer frustration is putting details into an automated platform or app at the beginning of a transaction and then having to repeat those details to the employee they then speak to. You can avoid this by giving your team access to the information the customers have already inputted. This will speed up the process, keep everyone informed and the interactions positive.

Outsource website development with Get Ahead

If you think your customers deserve a better experience, our experienced web developers can help. They’ll review your website, ask pertinent questions and suggest ways to adapt it and improve CX at the same time. Explore our website services pages to find out more, or contact your local regional director.

When you outsource business development, it’s a good idea to bring customer experience (CX) into the mix too. If you’re already familiar with the term then you’re on track for successful business development. But if it’s new to you, or it’s not something you’d considered before, now is the time for you to find out more about it so you can take your business to the next level.

In this blog, regional director Sarah Yandell explains customer experience and shares her knowledge of the 80/20 rule too.

What is customer experience?

Sarah: Customer experience, sometimes abbreviated to CX, is the whole experience that a customer has of your business. Customer service is part of it, but CX is broader. For example, standards like answering a phone call in five rings or sending communications promptly are good customer service. But customer experience covers things like how easy it was to find the phone number, and whether good FAQs removed the need for the call completely.

The choices you make about your CX should reflect your customer base. For example, if you hear from most of your customers via social media, prompt replies to direct messages are more important for CX than manning the office phoneline.

Why does customer experience matter?

Sarah: CX is an important part of business development. In order to grow your business, you need to ensure that every one of your customers has the best experience possible. This is because your customers are your greatest asset. They are the ones who will buy your products and services; they’re also the people who will recommend you to their wider network. If a customer has a good experience, they are more likely to buy from you again.

I’ve run a number of businesses over the years, including heading up the Suffolk and Essex office for Get Ahead. One of the most valuable ideas I’ve picked up is the 80/20 rule, which we can apply in a variety of different situations.

In the case of customer experience, we need to remember that 80% of our business comes from 20% of our customers. It’s important to look after all of our customers, but place our biggest focus on the top 20%. This is because the top 20% are the ones who will help our businesses to grow.

Who makes up the top 20% of customers?

Sarah: Who these customers are depends on your business. A good CRM (customer relationship management) system will usually show you who your best customers are and how much they spend with you. However, it’s important to remember that CRM is only an enabler. Your CRM system will show you who your best customers are but it’s up to you to use that information in the correct way. This will help you make any customer interaction as personal as it needs to be.

For example, if you offer business coaching, your CRM might show you that your top 20% are employed by big organisations. Their individual coaching sessions might grow into all-day workshops for whole teams, bringing you more work. In this example, you would tailor your customer experience to meet the needs of people in the corporate world.

Or you might run a café at a leisure centre, and note that your top 20% are parents bringing their children to after-school clubs. While a leisure centre setting suggests you’d be making money from bottled water and bananas, this is not the reality. Instead, comfy seats, good coffee and staff who like a chat will create the right experience for your best customers.

What does CX mean for business development?

Sarah: Once you’ve identified your 20%, you can use your knowledge of them to improve CX and develop your business. You might like to think about what customers expect from your website and how they like to communicate with you. Think about what their overall goals are and how you can help them achieve them. This information will help you come up with the business development strategy that most likely to work.

For example, networking is an important part of my own business development. I’ve seen that this is where I meet clients who end up using services from Get Ahead in a regular, ongoing way. I believe it’s because they get to meet me face to face – an important customer experience that helps us both build trust and establish a strong working relationship.

Outsource business development to Get Ahead

If reading Sarah’s insights have got you thinking about how you could improve customer experience and develop your business, Get Ahead can help. Our experienced business development managers will delve deep into your operation, finding out what makes it tick so they can find the best way to move it forward. They might also make suggestions for how you can strengthen your CX, boosting your business at the same time.

Month: February 2025