Does Customer Experience Really Matter in the Print and Mail Industry?

Delivering a personalized customer experience is the goal of companies across nearly all industries. This level of customer care often encompasses delivering targeted emails, mailings, and social media content, as well as being courteous, helpful and informed in all direct interactions. In the print and mail industry, customer service often encompasses a knowledgeable discussion with the customer, quality output and timely delivery of the order. The challenge is that most print and mail companies deliver this experience and you need to do a bit more to truly stand out from your competition.

Why does Customer Experience Matter?

With online options and local choices for print, mail and fulfillment services, how customers perceive your business has taken on a new importance. Much of that perception is based on their personal experience of your employees and services, but for potential customers, it includes reviews and other information. What this means is that how well you meet your customer’s needs and expectations must be a key component of your brand, and this will continue to grow in importance because:

• According to the Walker Group, by 2020 customer experience will be more important than price and product as a brand differentiator.
• Over 81% of shoppers conduct online research before purchasing a product or service, so your reviews, both good and bad, will impact their choice.
• Getting it wrong hurts your business – in fact, 13% of unsatisfied customers will tell 15 or more people about their negative experience and 67% of people say a bad experience why they chose to find a new vendor.
• Getting it right boosts your sales because 72% of happy customers share this experience with 6 or more people.
• Customers who had a poor experience with a business are more likely to share this fact on social media than those who had a positive one.
• It costs up to 5 times as much to attract new customers than to retain current ones.

What does Customer Experience Mean in Print and Mail?

Customer service is consistently delivering a positive experience to the people who walk through your door. While the details of what this entails will depend on the types of services you offer, it must at least include:

• Deliver value across every service or component you provide.
• Understand your customers’ needs and strive to address them.
• Be professional, friendly and helpful throughout every customer interaction.
• Use your expertise to help customers avoid pitfalls and/or improve their order.
• Be efficient, accurate and timely in order fulfillment.
• Address customer complaints professionally, not emotionally.
• Keep your customers informed of things that may impact them, such as a new service being offered or encouraging them to order by specific dates to avoid seasonal delays.
• Follow-up after large orders to assure satisfaction.

How does Customer Experience Impact your Business?

You will see the impact of delivering a consistent and meaningful customer experience through:

• Increase in repeat customers;
• Fewer customer complaints;
• More positive reviews on social media;
• Increase in new customers who have read the positive reviews or been referred by satisfied customers; and
• Increase in revenues.

Providing a great customer experience in print and mail doesn’t need to cost you anything – it is simply considering every aspect of what you do from the customer’s perspective and delivering meeting or exceeding their expectations. This shift in perspective should be instilled in every employee and become a cornerstone of your brand.