I needed a new fence in my yard, so I reached out to six different companies. Two of them never bothered to respond, two set up appointments but ghosted me when the time came, and two actually showed up to provide a quote. Those two companies made the entire process a breeze. They understood the value of my time and effortlessly guided me through the steps. Needless to say, I was willing to pay a premium for their services because they removed the friction from a potentially tedious process.
This scenario isn’t unique. Many of us have encountered businesses that either make our lives easier, leave us frustrated with unnecessary hurdles, or don’t even bother showing up. These poor customer experiences present a golden opportunity for small business owners to eliminate any friction their customers might face in the process of interacting with them, from the first contact to post-purchase support. Ease of working with your business makes for a great customer experience, in large part because so many other companies fail at it!
What is a frictionless customer experience?
A frictionless customer experience minimizes interruptions and obstacles to buying a product. A simple example is reducing the number of fields on online forms: eliminating just one field can increase conversions by a massive 50%.
Let’s take a moment to applaud the giant in frictionless experiences—Amazon Prime. Sure, they’re a huge mega-corporation that can throw as much money as they want at any problem they have. But their success isn’t solely attributed to their size. Consider Prime against its competitors. While most grocery stores lure you in with loyalty points, Prime charges you a fee just to be a member. Yet we pay it, because we know that Amazon makes it super easy for us to get what we need, when we need it. From finding products on their app, to making the purchase, to picking the package up off the front porch, the process is largely frictionless.
As a small business, you don’t have Amazon’s resources, but you can adopt the mindset of understanding your customer’s journey and iron out any wrinkles that might cause frustration—whether it’s in the process of becoming a customer, interacting during a service, paying a bill, getting help with customer support needs, etc.
Need more convincing? These numbers underscore the importance of creating a smooth, frictionless journey for your customers.
- 68% of customers are willing to pay a premium for products and services from companies known for excellent customer service (I’m one of them!)
- 73% of companies excelling in customer experience outperform their competitors financially
- 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services
The role of marketing in frictionless customer experiences
Removing friction applies to all business departments, and marketing has an important role to play when it comes to setting the tone for customer interactions and experiences. It’s not just about creating a compelling value proposition; it’s about ensuring that every aspect of your business aligns with it. Are your employees living the brand promise? This is where marketing can get involved with the rest of the business to ensure that every touchpoint along the customer journey is aligned, cohesive, and smooth.
Here are some practical steps to help marketing teams remove friction and enhance the customer experience:
- Ensure your website is intuitive, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly (here are our top tips for a user-friendly website design)
- Have systems in place to respond promptly to customer inquiries and provide clear communication throughout the purchasing process
- Simplify the checkout process on your online platforms to reduce the risk of cart abandonment
- Align your marketing messages across various channels to create a cohesive brand experience
- Offer exceptional after-sales support to build long-term relationships and foster customer loyalty
- Ensure that every touchpoint is seamless, leaving customers delighted instead of discouraged
Want your customers to experience smooth sailing?
Remember, small business success is not just about your product or service; it’s about the entire customer journey. By acknowledging and eliminating friction along the way, you can create an environment where customers feel valued, understood—and happy to buy.
If you need help, Brighter Messaging can step in to help you streamline your marketing efforts, weave a consistent brand narrative across all customer touchpoints, and provide a seamless (and profitable) customer experience. Get in touch to book a free consultation.
