In the technology industry—and particularly in the application development sector—one of the hottest buzzwords is “user experience,” also known as UX. Professionals who work in UX help companies make sure their websites or applications are easy to navigate and use, run quickly, and function intuitively and reliably. In other words, they help ensure good service.
Organizations focus on UX not because they want to spend the money, but because a poor UX does more than reduce website or app usage. It impacts brand loyalty and tarnishes reputations.
Because we handle marketing and public relations for technology firms, among others, I spend a lot of time writing about technology topics. That’s how I learned about UX. Recently, I became curious as to how UX impacts other areas of our lives. Do humans place paramount importance on a good experience in the real world, or do other things, like price or selection, matter more?
Looking around the Internet for statistics, I found dozens that were enlightening. Two were especially eye-opening:
- The top two reasons customers stop patronizing a company are:
- Being poorly treated
- Not having a problem solved in a timely manner
(Customer Experience Impact Report, Harris Interactive/RightNow)
- Customers that have a bad experience will tell twice as many people as those who have a good one.
(White House Office of Consumer Affairs)
On top of that, consider this:
- 96 percent of unhappy customers don’t complain.
- 91 percent of unhappy customers will never return.
(S. Department of Labor)
The only conclusions one can draw from these statistics are that good customer service is vital to the health of an organization, and yet the majority of companies may never know if customers are happy or not. Often, when sales fall off, companies blame everything and everyone except their customer service approach.
Here at Michael Mackenzie Communications, our job is to help companies attract and communicate to prospects and customers. However, only a company and its staff can ensure customers have a positive experience with the firm.
How do you think your customers feel about you? Have you asked them?
If sales are brisk, that’s a good sign, but it isn’t definitive. Start talking to your customers and explore your firm through their eyes. You may be surprised at what you discover.
This post courtesy of Content Manager Jennifer Farwell.