Designing new customer journeys and communication that are easier, simpler and quicker for customers.
Client: Next & Next Directory
Type of project: Customer Journey & Experience, Communication
Region: UK
Background
Next and Next Directory (ND) are one of the most familiar names on the high street and in mail order. They were in the middle of looking at the experience they have to customers and needed some support. Customers expected the same quality of experience, the same care and the same standards after they have ‘bought’ as before and Next wanted to find ways to create cost-effective improvements to the way it delivered its service.
What needed to change
Improved customer journey: There were a range of pain points across journeys which were having a negative impact on satisfaction. Bloated steps or confusing, internally-focused approaches were impacting the experience customers had.
Simpler communication: There was a need to review a range of post- sales communications letters and e-mails, statements and responses they sent to customers. They ranged from credit chaser letters and responses to complaints to simple confirmations of changes of address.
Reduction in complaints and queries: The complexity of customer processes was leading to an increase in queries and complaints. This was putting pressure on the contact centre to field or resolve these issues.
Streamlining process: Key customer-focused processes needed to become easier for teams to manage.
What we did
Analysing the “as is” customer experience
We undertook a detailed analysis and audit of all Next’s customer journeys, processes and content – through which we were able to highlight key pain points and immediate issues.
We focused on key journeys that could enhance and improve then experience for customers – looking for ways to rationalise their procedures.
simpler, human communication touchpoints
There were two key issues:
- overall structure and procedure for managing the comms process
- how customer-centric the content was in tone and message
We worked alongside key stakeholders to co-design a suite of communication developed to build positive customer perception. We also introduced key behavioural nudges to illicit the right response from customers.
We gave Next a set of customer communications and rationalised procedures that communicated clearly, minimised negative responses, encouraged the right behaviour and demonstrated their brand values clearly.
We also refreshed tone to be more aligned to the way Next expressed itself through their brand and pre-sales literature.
Simpler customer journeys
From an operational perspective, we looked for ways to streamline the customer journey flow. We also found ways to make experiences simpler and more cost-effective without cutting corners. Our objective was to maintain a level of service that actively engaged customers and improved satisfaction rates.
We focused on key areas highlighted from our initial research:
- How customers were recruited and welcomed
- How up-selling and cross-selling messages were delivered
- How we could deal with problems and complaints so that they promoted satisfaction and retention
- How we could use post-sales communications to promote referral
- How we could streamline process to reduce costs
In summary
Next wanted to improve the experience it gave to customers as well as streamline process to make it easier for teams.
We worked with them to transform customer journeys, communication and internal process.
Next Directory reduced their query and complaint level by over 30% through improving the revised approach.
If you’re doing something similar at the moment we’d love to chat and see if we can help.