How 2021 Redefines Customer Experience (and What You Can Do About It)

Saphyte Team

2 min read

Updated: May 18th, 2022

The pandemic has redefined what customers need and expect businesses to do. Check out these essential tips for businesses this 2021.

The way businesses and customers interact has drastically changed since the pandemic began. The massive move online benefitted businesses that prepared for it, leaving those that refused to digitalize for the past years rattled and shaken. However, the year 2021 has given businesses enough time to study how customers behave, what they need now more than ever, and what they expect businesses to do.

Customer experience has been redefined. But as a business, do you know what you can do about it? Check out these tips to take advantage of the shift and trends of customer experience.

What is customer experience

Customer experience is anything that deals with how customers feel about your business during the consumption process and what they do about it. It involves their thoughts, how they perceive your brand, and what they plan to do with you in the future after any direct or indirect contact with you.

How 2021 redefined customer experience

The year 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. This year, we’ve seen significant changes and improvements in terms of COVID-19 responses. Vaccination programs have been rolled out and we’ve come to understand the disease better than before. But the changes that occurred during the worst months of the pandemic are more likely to stay.

These are the changes (in terms of customer experience) that experts have noted will likely stay throughout the year:

Customers will expect smooth digital services from companies.

Customer experience will become a crucial competitive advantage.

In a digital environment, customer trust is paramount. Hence, cybersecurity should be top priority.

Automation will give companies an advantage in terms of customer experience.

Businesses must exert efforts to bring about social impact across all marketing channels.

4 Essential tips to deal with the post-pandemic customer

The change in customer behavior that the pandemic has brought about will likely last long, even after the crisis is gone. So how can businesses deal with this change? What should they do to take advantage of it? Check out these four simple but impactful tips below.

Create a smooth digital experience for the customer

Customers are moving online to make their purchases. And a bad digital experience may dissuade them from buying from you again. It’s simple really. Ensure that you can provide a fast-running website (or app) where they can make their purchases easily.

Make sure that your product and service lists provide the necessary information so customers won’t have to do the guesswork when buying from you.

Add curbside pickup and delivery options, if necessary

While vaccination has been readily available in some areas, many customers still aren’t too willing to mingle with others in store spaces. Practicing physical distancing will become a long-term habit to some. That’s why adding curbside pickups or even delivery options will remain essential so you can cater to this type of customer.

Create customer confidence across all marketing channels

Customer confidence is hard to win these days— be it in assuring that you’re implementing health and safety policies or in providing cybersecurity.

It’s best to communicate all your efforts to customers (through newsletters, prints, or trust marks on websites) so you can win their trust from the get-go.

Listen to your customers

With so many changes going on lately, even experts can’t fully predict what customers want without conducting a study. And when it comes to studies, information is key.

Gather feedback from your customers regularly and reward honest participation. Gain actionable insights from them using tools. Make appropriate adjustments based on these insights so you can achieve customer satisfaction at the end of the day.