The Art of Customer Experience
We recently hosted an event on supporter experience and why it matters to charities. The session was led by Olivia Honigsbaum, Senior Planner at GOOD, who was joined by Stephen Brown, Senior Performance and Innovation Manager at Dogs Trust.
Olivia reflects on why it’s such an essential topic in the third sector today.
Over the last decade, our relationship with many brands has shifted. Love or hate it, the likes of Uber, Netflix and Monzo have disrupted the market and shaped consumers’ expectations today. How? By building experiences that put the customer first. And through these customer experiences (Cx), they’ve created brands that have meaning in people’s everyday lives. You could even say it’s no longer about the product; it’s the experience we have that matters most. Commercial brands are becoming very good at creating experiences that put feelings first.
This makes the experience that an individual has with any organisation vital – commercial or charity. A recent report showed that Cx drives over two-thirds of customer loyalty, outperforming brand and price combined.
But what does this mean for charities? We often say that we’re in the ‘business of feelings’ – in most cases, our communications are focused on creating a feeling rather than selling a product. And whilst we’re great at creating strong initial feelings that connect with audiences, we’re not as good at turning this feeling into a longer relationship. 9 in 10 donors only take a single action with a charity*, which raises the question – could a better supporter experience deepen the relationship between charities and their audiences? And can we learn from commercial brands what great Cx looks like?
In our session, we explored precisely this – including the four key pillars that underpin great Cx. We used winning examples in the commercial world to bring this to life.
- Simplicity from the start
The rise of digital-first brands has changed people’s expectations – they choose brands that simplify their lives.
Uber did this well from the start – developing a travel experience that made the hassle of booking a taxi frictionless.
Implication: How can charities make the supporter experience simple and hassle-free? Are there simple changes to the digital experience that could make a big difference?
- Overcome pain points
Small changes that make everyday experiences easier can significantly impact the customer experience.
Duolingo changed how we can learn a language, making it fun, free and effective. Customer data has helped shape features, including tips and push notifications to help make language learning effective and keep users motivated. They have successfully created a rewarding customer experience that makes language learning stick.
But digital brands don’t always get this right – Netflix is a case in point. Customers were outraged when they changed their password-sharing options, many threatening to cancel their subscriptions. This shows the higher expectations of consumers today – who aren’t willing to settle for a subpar experience.
Implication: What are the big pain points or frustrations for supporters? How can we better alleviate them to create a seamless experience?
- Bring everyday joy
Small moments that lift the spirits can make a big difference in times of permacrisis. This may explain why Barbie massively outperformed Oppenheimer at the box office.
But it’s also relevant to customer experience. Revolut made daily transactional experiences like transferring money joyful simply by adding the option to send a GIF to a friend when they have either sent/received money.
Implication: In the charity world, we always have to balance messages of positivity alongside the need. But where are the most significant opportunities to bring everyday joy to supporters that uplift their day?
- Give customers a voice
Connecting people with the organisation is the fastest way to change the customer experience in ways that matter.
Monzo’s business strategy was built around understanding the customer. Platforms like Monzo Labs made it possible for the bank to hear straight from customers about what was and wasn’t working, introducing changes to the app based on these needs.
Implication: This example from Monzo is quite sophisticated. But how can we open up a two-way conversation with supporters so that we’re continually learning about their needs and what isn’t working for them? And how can we act on these insights?
Ultimately, what Monzo did is design an experience that put customers first, enabling the bank to build up a highly loyal base of customers, or in their words:
“The goal is broadly to get to a stage where customers are referring their friends because they love the product and feel like they’re part of the mission – you need to take customers away from being ‘standard customers’ to being advocates feeling like they’re part of it.”
Tristan Thomas, Monzo Head of Marketing and Community
For more information on our approach at GOOD, please get in touch.
*Wood for Trees, State of the Sector Report 2023
Posted by Katie Daley
