How To Reduce Customer Friction in Your Startup?

Customer friction is caused when the customers feel hesitant to buy goods or services or are unhappy with your company. Friction is something that slows down the customers or they lose interest in your products and services. Friction arises because of numerous flaws in the product or design or delivery. This will lead to poor customer service. ‌‌

An example of customer friction is that when you are a software company and the app developed by you is in trouble. The company’s website has chat-bots which instantly gives solution for the problems faced by the customers. A chatbot is a solution for customer friction which otherwise need the customers to make a call to the customer care who does not respond quickly. ‌‌

According to the survey, 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. ‌‌

Friction can be reduced when you make the business as easy as possible for the customers. This is when you will increase the customers and retain the existing customers.‌‌‌‌

How to reduce customer friction?
Conclusion
FAQs

How to reduce customer friction?

Understand the customers’ need

In the business, As a first step, understanding customer’s problem is important. Know who your buyer is and what they are looking for. When you identify the customer’s needs and understand what they are expecting from you, then you will reduce the customer friction and make their experiences will be more pleasing.

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Happy employees create happy customers

A business is successful when they have happy employees. It is the responsibility of a business to prepare their employees well so that they can clearly explain and brief it to the customers. This type of clear human interaction will reduce frictions. The employees will also know the skill to satisfy the customers with theirs needs. When the employees are made comfortable they in turn help in increase the business by understanding the customer’s needs. When the employees are happy, the customers are also happy. ‌‌

Improve customer Interaction

Lack of customer interaction is the major cause of customer friction. If you want your customers to invest more in your company or brand, then it is important to improve your company’s website, train your employees well as they represent your company’s pride and create informative posters. Whether it is online or offline, provide a helpful platform for your customers to directly interact with your products or services.‌‌

Maintain quality design

It is important to have a well-oriented and clutter-free website or an interface that will allow customers to show more interest in your company or brand. When you have a clear web design that equalizes the market standards, half of the friction is reduced. When a company provides many useful ways to stay connected with your product like pamphlets well-informed websites, et cetera this will ease the customer friction and increase your business. ‌‌

Use persuasive content

The content must be clear and to the point, where it is a website or social media or blog. Proper content will answer many of the questions of customers and they show more interest in your brand or product. There must be a clear call to action that will lead the customers to additional information or the opportunity to buy your products. ‌‌

Answer the questions before they ask

Having good communication with the customers is the best way to serve your customers well. Communication means having real-time notifications about the purchases, shipping and follow-ups to make sure that your customers are satisfied with your products or services. Also, place a FAQ section on your website which will help the customers to know more about your company and its products. ‌‌

Taking the feedback

When people buy your products, ask them for their valuable feedback. Feedback also give insights into the customer’s satisfaction. You can improve your weak points and serve your customers with the best quality of products. You can also make customers interview to understand their pain points and try to fill those gaps. In this way, you can remove the customer friction completely and focus on building your brand/company.

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Follow-up with the regular customers

Regular customers are the best source to know about the hindrances created by any of your products/services. On this basis, you can improve the defective areas and reduce customer friction. If you follow up with these customers they will identify the changes exactly and also help to boost the word of mouth marketing.

Conclusion

Customer friction lowers your brand and also affects your business. Following the above strategies will help your company to have happier and loyal customers. When a company or business reduces the frictions, it will decrease your unnecessary investments in other things, increase the purchasing base for your customers.

The digital world has eliminated the global barrier, thus it is important to make your process and information as simple as possible to reach out to a more customer base. Simplifying the content and website is very important as research says that- “78% of customers cancelled their orders/purchases because they were not happy with the company’s services”. So invest in good website design, train your employees well, attract more customers by reducing customer friction as 'word of mouth marketing is still a KING'.

FAQs

What are the other frictions that reduce your customer base?

The friction varies from business to business. Some of the common customer frictions are poor website quality, poor customer service, limited business hours, negative reviews, improper content and many more.

What is the difference between customer friction and poor customer service?

Customer friction is caused by flaws in the product or its process. This will reduce the customer base. Whereas poor customer service is a service that does not meet the customer’s needs. An increase in customer friction leads to poor customer service.

How to improve customer satisfaction?

There is a number of ways to track your customer needs and serve better. Few are taking feedback, conducting customer interviews, create customer journey maps etc.

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