Welcome to our series of themed blog posts where we unpick the often complex areas around starting or growing a business, and spotlight a few of the organisations and experts who offer guidance and support in these areas. This blog is focused on the hot topic of customer experience for social impact businesses.
What do we mean by Customer Experience?
In the bustling landscape of business, the term ‘customer experience’ has evolved beyond the realm of mere transactions. It encapsulates the entirety of a customer’s journey with a brand, from the first point of contact to every subsequent interaction. It’s more than a product or service; each step influences perceptions, loyalty, and, as we’ll explore, social impact.
By fostering strong connections with customers, you can amplify your mission and build a community that believes in and supports your cause. This transformation is invaluable, translating into increased brand loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and a broader reach for your social impact message.
Simple steps like active engagement on social media, personalised communication, and a commitment to transparency can go a long way. When customers feel genuinely cared for and connected to the purpose of a business, they become advocates, driving both the business’s success and its ability to make a positive impact on society.
Customer Experience Strategies
Enhancing your customer experience involves a combination of strategies that prioritise customer satisfaction, engagement, and a transparent connection between your brand and your audience.
Let’s explore some of these strategies so you can better understand what could be applicable to try for your business:
1. Active Engagement on Social Media
- Consistent Presence: Regularly post content that aligns with your brand values and resonates with your audience. This could include updates about your social impact initiatives, behind-the-scenes looks, or user-generated content (UGC).
- Prompt Responses: Actively monitor and respond to comments, messages, and mentions. Timely and personalised responses show that the brand is attentive and values its customers’ input. You can also look into automating some of those responses, so you don’t feel like you have to be always active on social media.
2. Personalised Communication
- Segmentation: Divide your customer base into segments based on preferences, purchase history, or demographics. This allows for more personalised and targeted communication.
- Personalised Emails: Send personalised emails with relevant content, such as product recommendations based on past purchases or updates on the social impact projects your customers have contributed to.
3. Commitment to Transparency
- Clear Communication: Be transparent about your business practices, including your social impact initiatives. Clearly communicate your mission, values, and the steps you are taking to make a positive impact.
- Honesty about Challenges: If faced with challenges, be open and honest. Customers appreciate transparency, and admitting mistakes while outlining what steps for improvement you’re planning to take can build trust.
Putting these Ideas into Practice
Here are a few ways you can implement these customer experience strategies in your own business or organisation:
- Social Media Calendar: Develop a content calendar for social media, ensuring a mix of posts that showcase products, highlight social impact efforts, and engage with your community.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System: Implement a CRM system to track customer interactions, preferences, and feedback. This data can inform personalised communication strategies.
- Automated Personalisation: Use automation tools to personalise communications. For example, automated email campaigns triggered by specific customer actions can deliver tailored content.
- Feedback Loops: Actively seek and respond to customer feedback. Use surveys, reviews, and social media polls to understand customer preferences and concerns.
Watch these videos from our expert partners, Piper, to get some top tips on creating an outstanding customer experience, particularly as a social impact business.
Hatch On Demand: How to Demonstrate to Customers that You Care
Hatch On Demand: Utilising Mystery Shopping for Your Business
Hatch On Demand: Looking at Your Available Delivery Options
Hatch On Demand: Why Should You Treat Every Customer Differently?
Now that you’ve watched the videos from our partners, Piper, let’s try and make all the advice we’ve shared so far practical.
Taking the example of a sustainable fashion brand, good customer experience could look like:
- Active Engagement: Your brand regularly posts on social media about its eco-friendly materials, fair labor practices, and updates on its carbon footprint reduction. It responds promptly to comments and encourages customers to share their sustainable fashion choices.
- Personalised Communication: Your brand sends personalised emails to customers who have made previous sustainable purchases, offering them exclusive previews of new eco-friendly collections.
- Transparency: Your brand publishes a yearly sustainability report detailing its efforts and challenges. It hosts live Q&A sessions on social media where customers can ask questions about the brand’s practices.
By implementing these strategies, your business can build a customer-centric approach that not only enhances the overall experience but also aligns with your social impact goals.
Brands that are Getting it Right
- Patagonia: Known for its commitment to environmental sustainability, Patagonia has cultivated a loyal customer base by aligning its values with those of its consumers. Through initiatives like the Worn Wear programme, which encourages the repair and reuse of clothing, Patagonia not only promotes sustainable practices but also fosters a community of conscious consumers who are passionate about the environment.
- TOMS: With its famous One for One model, TOMS has built a powerful community around the idea of giving. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates a pair to a child in need. This philanthropic approach has created a strong emotional connection with customers who feel they are part of a movement for positive change.
- Warby Parker: Beyond disrupting the eyewear industry with affordable and stylish glasses, Warby Parker is known for its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair programme. This initiative has resonated with customers, creating a sense of shared purpose. Through their purchases, customers know they are contributing to providing glasses to those in need, building a community around accessible vision care.
- Ben & Jerry’s: This ice cream giant is renowned not just for its delicious flavours but also for its commitment to social justice. Ben & Jerry’s actively engages in various social and environmental causes, reflecting the values of its customer base. By taking a stand on issues like climate change and fair trade, the brand has built a community of advocates who support not only the product but also the values it represents.
And we wanted to include this example too as food for thought:
5. Etsy: As a platform for independent sellers, Etsy has created a community-driven marketplace where buyers connect directly with makers. The emphasis on handmade and unique products fosters a sense of personal connection between buyers and sellers. Customers appreciate the opportunity to support small businesses and artisans, contributing to a thriving community of creatives. Read about Etsy’s 2023 Social Impact Goals here.
However, Etsy has also faced challenges in the past year due to controversy around its policy to withhold sellers’ money, resulting in widespread news coverage and a boycott campaign. We have included this to demonstrate the importance of considering all aspects of the customer experience, as elements of the supply chain could impact on your customers and community.
Building a Sustainable Business
In each of the examples of brands getting it right, the brands go beyond delivering a product; they create a unique customer experience tied to a larger purpose. This fosters a sense of community among customers who share similar values, transforming the act of buying into a meaningful and impactful experience.
These brands have illustrated that beyond providing quality products, fostering a community-driven customer experience can be transformative. By integrating these principles into their practices, these businesses have not only cultivated customer loyalty but have also empowered their customers to be advocates for positive change.
In the dynamic landscape of socially conscious businesses, prioritising the customer experience proves to be a strategic pathway toward building lasting relationships, amplifying impact, and ensuring that your journey toward sustainability is a shared and memorable one.
Related Posts:
ADHD Awareness Month: The Potential For Growth Through Alternative Education
This ADHD Awareness Month we spoke to Andy Hoang, the founder of Beyond Blocks, who is building problem-solving skills in children.
A Best Practice Guide to Inclusive and Accessible Recruitment
Inclusive and accessible recruitment best practice guide for attracting and recruiting Disabled and neurodivergent people.
The Entrepreneurs Club
The Entrepreneurs Club is a new research report from Hatch Enterprise on perceptions of entrepreneurship across the UK.
