How Businesses Can Give Customers the Personalized Experience They Crave

No matter the industry, businesses always have to adapt to what their customers want. Nowadays, one thing that customers want from every business is a personalized experience. They want to feel like they matter to a business and not just another number. Thus, every business must consider ways to give its customers the personalized experience they crave. While different options work better in certain industries, here are some options worth exploring and examples to follow that can help any business create a more personalized customer experience.

Use Their Name

Using the name of a customer in all interactions is the easiest way to create a more personalized experience. Think of the TV show “Cheers” and how happy people are to go places where everyone knows their name. Decades later, that is still true. Even if your contact with customers is via email or text message, make sure that communication includes their name. If you can address customers by their name on the phone or in person, go ahead and do so. It sounds basic, but it does make customers feel more comfortable and believe that they are being treated like an individual.

Customized Recommendations

One of the biggest trends in retail nowadays is giving customers personalized recommendations. Often, companies can do this by collecting and analyzing data about that customer’s past purchases and behavior. With AI and data analytics readily available in today’s world, it’s easier than ever to understand customer trends and make personalized recommendations. Modern industries like online casinos have already mastered how to do this, recommending games, promotions, and marketing materials based on past behavior or a particular customer. By exploring casino.com Canada, you can learn more about the online casinos that are excelling, in part because they are giving customers accurate recommendations for games and promotions. 

Conversational Tone

The tone of communicating with customers, especially via email, text messages, and other types of marketing materials, is critical in creating a welcoming and personalized experience. Similar to using someone’s name, customers know when they are being treated like an individual and when they are being treated like just another customer who doesn’t matter. The trick is to use a friendly, conversational tone at all times, whether it’s marketing material or customer service. Even if the customer is reading words off a screen, make them feel as if they are talking to another person using language that is both friendly and genuine.

Omnichannel Support

One mistake that too many companies make is operating within a silo when it comes to communicating with customers. Too many businesses focus too much on one specific channel for all of their customers rather than taking an omnichannel approach. Some customers would prefer not to talk on the phone, while others don’t want to sit and wait for an email response. An effort needs to be made to support customers on a variety of channels, allowing them to choose their method of interaction. Otherwise, you risk taking some customers out of their comfort zone, which isn’t going to help build loyalty. Of course, the customer experience has to be consistent across all channels. This will take some work, but it will ensure that each customer receives a more personalized experience.

Loyalty Programs

For companies that want to go the extra mile, offering VIP or loyalty programs is a great way to create a personal touch for your customers. Most customers love the idea of being able to earn rewards by sticking with the same business. They feel more invested that way, as if they are working toward something. It’s also important to give loyal customers choices when it comes to rewards and benefits. If nothing else, the rewards need to be relevant to the products and services they tend to purchase. Again, this is where AI and big data can collect information about customer behavior and offer rewards that are tailored to specific customers to make everything feel personal.

Ask for Feedback

While AI and big data have become trendy in today’s world, asking for customer feedback is still a good way to collect the information needed to create a more personalized experience. Likewise, merely asking for feedback can also make things feel more personal for customers. The trick is to ask specific questions about a customer’s experience and give them the freedom to give honest answers rather than just check boxes. Of course, you don’t want to make it difficult or invasive. Yet, it’s best to seek customer feedback in a way that encourages honesty from customers and makes them feel heard and valued.