How customer experience became the new B2B battleground
Here’s a sobering stat for B2B brands to chew on: 58% of B2B buyers don’t trust vendor claims – even the ones they buy from.
What’s with all the cynicism?
Simply put, for too long the reality hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Too much marketing spin.
Too many empty promises.
Too much time and energy spent acquiring new customers, not enough spent looking after existing ones.
We’ve all been there – the sales manager wines and dines you, then loses all interest once the deal’s sealed and the commission made.
It makes you feel like you’ve been taken for a ride.
Something you won’t forget the next time you’re drawing up a short-list.
Brands aren’t cashing in on the honeymoon period
Once a buyer has signed on the dotted line, they’re in the honeymoon period – a marketing sweet-spot.
They’ve put their neck on the block, choosing you over your competitors – now they’re looking for validation that they made the right decision.
In a nutshell, they’re looking for that great experience they were sold (not least so they look good among their peers).
Get it right from the get-go and they’ll be one of your biggest advocates – within their company and beyond.
Trouble is, many brands fail to hit the ground running, and friction builds from the moment the deal is signed.
All too often, poor CX plays out something like this:
You’ve just signed a big contract with Corporate Inc and are all raring to go…then nothing.
No carefully considered on-boarding process.
No warm welcome.
No personal touches, recognising you’re a valued individual not a customer number.
No clarity about what’s going to happen and when.
No resources or tools to help you get the most out of the product.
Which prompts you to get in touch with customer support – which proves way harder than it should be.
Because you’re no longer dealing with the salespeople who bent over backwards before you signed.
Now you’re dealing with a whole new support team, who know nothing about you (and are reachable only via a call-queuing system).
As for Corporate Inc taking the initiative and reaching out to you? Chances are, you’ll only hear from them when it’s time to renew.
Or the real kicker: they send you a bunch of generic marketing emails asking you to buy more stuff – or worse still, offering you a discount on the thing you just bought.
It all adds up to a hugely underwhelming experience at best – and a relationship-ending one at worst.
Why it really pays to get CX right
Brands that fail to put the customer experience front and centre of their business are missing out on a lot of potential revenue.
Why?
Because 96% of B2B buyers say the customer experience directly affects whether they’ll buy again – that’s pretty much all B2B buyers.
Also, customers who enjoy a great experience spend 140% more than those who receive a poor one.
And it doesn’t end there – 83% said they’ll offer a referral on the back of a positive experience.
Which really matters, when 84% of buyers turn to their peers and other customers for advice.
And now that you know why delivering great CX is so important, find out how you can achieve it with our 12 ways to deliver a stellar customer experience.
