Update: We originally published this article in 2009 after watching a video featuring business leaders discussing marketing and customer experience. The video is still available, and the central lesson remains relevant: a strong customer experience can become one of a company’s most effective marketing tools.
Marketing can attract customers, but their experience with the business determines whether they return, leave a positive review, or recommend the company to someone else.
Here is a 2 minute video mashup, from Inc magazine, of a collection of interviews about marketing. My favorite is the quote from Tony Hsieh of Zappos.
Zappos – the hot eCommerce company with 11 million customers – was acquired by Amazon recently for a valuation of $928 million.
Tony’s approach to marketing?
Our philosophy is to take most of the money that we would’ve spent on marketing, and instead put it into the customer experience, and let our customers do the marketing for us through word of mouth.
Customer Experience Extends Beyond Customer Service
Customer experience includes every interaction a shopper has with a business, not only conversations with a support team.
For an eCommerce company, that experience can include:
- Accurate product and inventory information
- A smooth checkout process
- Clear order confirmations
- Reliable shipping updates
- Accurate fulfillment
- Straightforward returns
- Helpful customer support
Each part of the process shapes how customers view the brand.
Operations Can Strengthen or Hurt Your Marketing
A marketing campaign may convince someone to place an order, but operational problems can quickly undo that work.
An item that appears in stock but is unavailable can lead to a canceled order. A fulfillment mistake can create a return and a poor review. A lack of shipping updates can cause customers to contact support or lose confidence in the business.
On the other hand, accurate inventory, organized order management, and dependable shipping can make the customer experience feel effortless.
Turn Better Operations Into a Better Customer Experience
Customers may not see the systems working behind the scenes, but they notice the results.
Ordoro connects inventory, orders, shipping, and fulfillment so eCommerce businesses can deliver a more reliable customer experience. See How Ordoro Simplifies eCommerce Operations
