logo
logo
Sign in

How to Improve B2B Customer Experience

avatar
Larry Reed
How to Improve B2B Customer Experience

Improving customer experience (CX) is an important factor for any company that wants to stand out amongst its competition. According to research, by 2020 CX will have become even more important than prices or products. A detailed research by McKinsey & Company reveals that customer experience index ratings are much lower between B2B than B2C interactions. B2C companies typically score 65% to 85% while B2B companies often score below 50%. Depending on the business details, strategic discussions can be explored between various stakeholders at the beginning of the transactions. Representatives from both sides of the B2B partnerships can sit down to discuss challenges and map out solutions. Open communication is key to solving problems and creating a successful partnership for any business. Depending on the type of business, you might want to create a customer experience journey map to guide your customers through the sales process. Even though B2B can be challenging, here are a few general guidelines that can help you succeed in most situations.

Use Technology To Transform Your Business

It’s important for companies to use data and technology to transform customer interactions. A staggering 72% of businesses say that improving CX is their top priority. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and more can help companies to inform and guide their customers to make the right purchase decisions. Taking advantage of technology such as voice search optimization and chatbots can help to improve the user experience.

laptop

Improving CX can give a competitive advantage because research shows that companies that excel at customer experience can grow their revenues anywhere between 4-8% above the market. While improving B2B customer relationships can be challenging, it can be done using the right strategy and approach.

Create Omni Channels

Think of the big picture as to how your customer interactions might look like when dealing with your business. Create a customer journey map from start to finish in order to see where customer pain points might happen. Improve customer channels by creating a consistent omnichannel experience so that your B2B customers can get the same great service no matter where they interact with your company. Instead of just focusing on sales, think of ways to improve your CX by making it more cohesive, enjoyable and easy. Since 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated, it’s important to create excellent interaction points no matter how your customers interacted with your brand in the first place. One of the ways to do this is create a B2B social media strategy to enhance your digital marketing and CX efforts. 

Customize Your Sales Process

Do not treat all of your customers the same because everyone is (mostly) unique; therefore, every individual customer experience should also be unique. In this day and age you need a personalized and professionally executed website. There are tons of high-quality website design and development agencies out there. But whether your customer is dealing with your company offline or online, it’s always important for them to easily find products that are carefully tailored to their specific needs.

Sales representatives must be well trained in order to propose customized business solutions.  Identify your potential customers by their demographics, geographics, and psychographics in order to provide personalized offers that are customized to their unique persona.

Speed Up Your Sales Cycle

B2B sales cycles are often unique because your B2B clients might have different business size and background from each other. According to Marketing Insider Group, the average B2B sales cycle lasts about 10 months; however, customers would prefer it to be 6 months instead. Since B2B customers are often busy with their internal business, it’s important to follow up in order to accelerate sales tasks.

Knowing when to call can help close out potential sales and improve efficiency from both sides. A study shows that 55% of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience; therefore, always follow up with your customers to make sure they have everything they need and if not ask them how you can improve their CX. When dealing with B2B customers, it’s crucial to create long-lasting and reciprocal relationships.

Improving B2B CX Will Strengthen Your Brand

In conclusion, CX is an important area that companies should take seriously into consideration in order to achieve more sales targets by strengthening their B2B relationships. When dealing with a B2B customer, you are not dealing with a single customer. Instead you are dealing with an entity that is comprised of multiple stakeholders. There has never been a more important time as the current moment to create a strategy to improve B2B customer experience. This area of marketing is complex and challenging yet when done right, it can improve the whole buying process. Since every business model is unique, it’s crucial to take important steps to truly understand how customers interact with your business. Improving customer experience throughout their buying journey can increase sales and create brand recognition.

collect
0
avatar
Larry Reed
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more