翻译：Understanding modern customer experience expectations

How we can use marketing technology not just to meet but exceed these sky-high expectations? It starts with knowing what the customers want.
They expect ease in their interactions

In the B2B environment, customers are often dealing with complex products and services, and that’s after dealing with difficult buying journeys. In a world of one-click shopping, customers have higher expectations for any company they interact with. They want interactions to be as easy and frictionless as possible. This includes intuitive user interfaces, clear communication, and responsive support.
They want quick access to information

Time is of the essence. B2B buyers want immediate access to information, whether it’s product specifications, pricing, or support documentation. A well-designed FAQ section, a (helpful) chatbot, actual live chat on your website, and easily accessible customer service can fulfill this need.

Your customers expect to have multiple options when contacting you when they can’t find info quickly — from live chat to email to phone calls. If you’re taking advantage of a service platform, it’s easy to manage live chat, and to quickly route leads/inquiries based on who is available. 

Whatever platform you’re on, don’t ignore features like these if you have them at your disposal. I’ve seen this to be true, with the excuse being that B2B buyers don’t have the same customer service needs as B2C. While that may be true in some respects, poor availability makes for a frustrating experience overall — and one that further colors the trust with the company in question.
They desire a feeling of being well-informed

Talk to any marketing director trying to select an automation tool and you’ll quickly realize — buyers want to feel confident in their decisions. They want to know that their decision to go with product A versus product B is a smart one and one that they can be proud of — not one that haunts their past and may put their job security in jeopardy. 

This requires transparent and comprehensive information from vendors. They want customer reviews, comparison tools, analytics, and detailed explanations that help them understand the value and functionality of a product or service. Too often SaaS companies especially paint a very rosy picture of what a software does, but in reality, it doesn’t measure up. 

I’ve seen this in promises of how one software platform may integrate with another. We’ve come to realize that the word “integration” is tossed around loosely. The buyer wants to know “how” this will work and see an example if possible.
They want to avoid repetitive conversations

You can probably remember a time when you’ve had to repeat your information three or four times as you got handed from request form to a bot to a rep (and then to another rep…). Or when a sales rep starts asking you questions that you already answered extensively in the lead form. How much did you still want to do business with the company after a moment like that?

Nothing frustrates a customer more than having to repeat themselves. This is true when dealing with service for you automobile or changing cell phone plans. And this holds true for B2B buying — especially because most B2B buying scenarios involve anywhere from 5-10 stakeholders. 

Ensuring consistency in customer data across various touchpoints is vital — and this is the point to drive home when using a CRM and actually saving data in the system. Too often, teams will put sales information into a CRM but fail to add notes and details that accelerate the conversations when bringing new folks into the deal meetings. When the reasons behind these data points are emphasized, teams are more likely to utilize them. 

As we move into the second half of the year, I’d recommend taking time to reflect how successfully your team is syncing information across sales, support, and marketing — whether it’s a sales call, a complaint submitted, or a form filled. Each customer’s data should live in the same place.