CXM: The Secret Weapon in Your Small Business Arsenal

Working your way up from the ground to start something new is not easy, and SMB owners know it all too well. When creating a product or service in this web & social-based world, you must think of who is going to use your product and how it will feel to them because a customer’s attention and retention are the most valued business assets today.

Many small businesses do it intuitively, while trying to make the experience for customers special- whether it be personalised note cards with every purchase, uniquely customised toggle buttons on websites, or a cracking brand story that makes you teary eyed- this is all a part of a bigger magical trick that helps all business make their way into the market.

This magic is CXM.

Simply put, CXM or Customer Experience Management (also called CEM) is how you manage the look and feel of your business for and from the customer’s perspective.

When small businesses are starting up in an already existing market, it often becomes one of the biggest product differentiators, alongside the product itself. If you are an SMB owner and you resonate with what we have just written above, but never really thought about it in a structured manner- now is a great time to think of it. The definitive moment where a customer will say yes to your business is when they feel delighted about it, and find value in your product. This begins from the moment they discover you, but it (ideally) must never stop.

As a loved philosophy at Marinoid, we always say that you must never drop a customer out of this funnel-

A delighted customer is the one that stays, comes back and does so with a party of ten others. CXM is the foundation for this, so let us dive deeper into how you can crack the formula better-

1. Always try to know your customers better: Who are you selling to? What does your business’ target audience look like? What are their likes and dislikes? Gather as much data as you can- this part of your CXM management can be aided with softwares that are specially designed to track your target audience, and through interacting with your customers more with methods like surveys, feedback forms, ratings, and reviews.
2. Make sure you break up with your bottlenecks (they truly are toxic partners): Tracing out your customer’s journey to weed out existing and potential hiccups is a great way to keep ensuring that your business appears welcoming to all. This must be done both as a preemptive and reactionary measure.
3. Your business’s support system is your sweet spot: A very important thing in every customer’s experience is how they feel while clicking “proceed’ on transactions and how your team supports any queries and complications. There are many great examples of super customer service and support systems online, where the users had such a positive experience that they even furthered the goodwill online through social media and other mediums organically. Customers LOVE this, and there is even a TEDx talk about it! You can watch it here.
4. Make sure your team members are your best wing-men: Training your employees and team members on interaction, and a cohesive brand image with consistent communication, look, and feel throughout gives a comforting feeling to the viewer and buyer. Get your team to do your customer’s bidding, and ultimately yours.
5. Give them something to remember you by:
   Personal touches in your business for the customer, solving a direct problem that you repeatedly encounter with your target audience or show of gratitude- all are ways your business feels unforgettable to customers.

This process is similar for when an SMB becomes a big corporation, only the scale starts evolving. It is also the same for when an SMB is just a tiny idea in someone’s brain- making it the common factor that can make you uncommon in today’s market when done right. As the world becomes more informed and saturated with everything, it is ultimately how the customers feel when they meet your business that turns into better goodwill and ultimately- big bucks.

If you are curious about how your SMB can unveil its hidden potential through CXM systems more than how it is already doing it- let’s have a chat?