Delivering a great customer experience (CX) is essential for any business that wants to stay competitive. Research consistently shows that satisfied customers generate more revenue and remain loyal for longer periods.

According to 22 CX Statistics for 2022, 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience, with a potential 16% price premium following a positive interaction. Similarly, an Emplifi study (2021) found that CX has a stronger impact on purchasing decisions than product range, brand image, or social responsibility.

It’s no surprise then that more than 80% of organizations recognize the need to improve their customer experiences to remain competitive. Yet, CX is not a one-time initiative. Since 86% of customers will stop buying from a brand after three negative experiences, it must be a continuous, adaptive process.

How to Build a Great CX

Building a great CX starts with understanding customer expectations at every interaction. Your goal is to make their journey smooth, intuitive, and consistent across all touchpoints.

The product or service itself is just one piece of the puzzle. Customers begin forming opinions long before they buy: through your marketing, social media presence, and conversations with other customers.

Their experience continues during and after the purchase: from navigating your website or store, placing orders, and receiving notifications, to interacting with customer support, joining loyalty programs, and leaving feedback.

To exceed expectations, you need personalization, tailored experiences that reflect each customer’s preferences. Collect insights through surveys, behavioral data, direct feedback, and ongoing dialogue. Then, map out the customer journey: every step, touchpoint, motivation, question, and decision along the way.

A journey map helps you pinpoint friction points and uncover opportunities for improvement. Once you have that clarity, you can optimize each stage, ensuring your teams, systems, and messaging work together seamlessly.

Consistency is key. Customers expect your staff to know their history and preferences, and they value offers or communications that feel relevant. Train your teams, align internal processes, and ensure that your IT systems communicate effectively.

And above all, keep your promises. If you guarantee next-day delivery or 24/7 support, make sure you deliver exactly that – every time.

The Tools for Great CX

Having an online presence is no longer optional. But to deliver exceptional CX, your digital platforms must go beyond basic functionality.

Consider:

Salesforce and SAP for CX

Salesforce provides Customer 360, an integrated CRM platform connecting every department around a unified customer view. Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Commerce Cloud (B2C and B2B) empower sales, support, and commerce teams to deliver consistent, connected experiences.

Agile Networks Technologies (ANT) brings Salesforce B2B Commerce expertise to help businesses adopt, integrate, and optimize Salesforce solutions for improved customer loyalty and revenue.

SAP offers a comprehensive Customer Experience Suite built on SAP® C/4HANA, transforming digital sales from B2C to “Me2B”, emphasizing personalization and customer centricity. ANT supports businesses through every stage, from assessment to full omnichannel CX implementation.

eCommerce Solutions

When launching or expanding your business, you might start with an eCommerce shop and integrate CRM, ERP, and delivery systems later. Solutions like Shopware and Bagisto offer flexibility and speed for such scenarios.

ANT builds tailored eCommerce solutions that are scalable, visually appealing, and easy to maintain, leveraging technologies such as Shopware, Laravel, Symfony, Pimcore, and Bagisto.

Partnering with Milkman Technologies

Delivery is a critical part of the customer experience. Even a flawless online journey can be undermined by poor shipping.

Milkman Technologies bridges that gap through a cloud-based delivery solution that empowers retailers to offer flexible, sustainable, and customer-centric delivery options.

Its Smart Promise feature tackles inefficiencies in standard delivery windows by letting customers choose time slots and pricing dynamically, improving satisfaction while optimizing logistics and reducing costs.

ANT’s partnership with Milkman Technologies completes its CX ecosystem, enabling seamless delivery experiences as part of a unified customer journey.

Integrating It All

True CX success depends on collaboration across the organization. Your teams need real-time access to accurate data, but many companies struggle with information trapped in silos.

Zendesk CX Trends 2023 reports that 74% of agents consider tools and data access vital to personalization. Yet, ARM and Treasure Data (2019) found that 54% of companies still face data silos.

That’s where Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) comes in. By connecting your storefront, CRM, ERP, and delivery systems, iPaaS ensures data flows freely and instantly, empowering teams to deliver consistent experiences. It also enables automation and data-driven decision-making through business dashboards.

ANT partners with Jitterbit, a recognized leader in iPaaS, to design and manage integrations that eliminate silos, improve efficiency, and enhance CX.