Mongezi Mtati talks about how seamless CX can grow brands and lift consumer satisfaction by 20%

Congratulations on your slick advertising. Well done on your memorable social media posts. Bravo on your clever PR. Now, why isn’t your brand growing? Because no matter what you do, what happens on the web should mirror or surpass real-world interactions – that is what matters to your customers.

Consultants tell us that effectively organising and managing customer experience (CX) can result in a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction. Twenty percent! Most brands would be thrilled with much less than that. 

Even better is that good CX can result in a 15% increase in sales conversion. Yes, people seek physical value from products and services, but the actual event is the emotional and psychological connection.

Sasol’s Head of Digital Communications, MJ Khan, attributes some of his organisation’s successes to close collaboration between the brand and its agencies. This is no mean feat: Sasol uses more than 15 different agencies. 

A common thread

He says that despite the necessity for unique messaging across multiple audiences – both B2B and B2C – there must be a common thread running through all communication, whether in an ad campaign, social media or PR. And that thread has to be experienced on the ground.

How does Sasol ensure that every customer, whether a business or individual, has the same experience when dealing with the company? 

According to Khan, the common purpose guides how the organisation does everything because that is what holds it all together and enables seamless digital and offline CX. He warns against creating self-serving content and following fads – especially on social media – that take you off course and make you less authentic.

He advises investing in customer service rather than platforms because the latter are constantly evolving. Depending on a platform for your CX strategy may mean that when the platform changes, as they tend to do, there will be a significant gap in your community interaction.

Constant measurement is key

Sasol is constantly learning and making changes to its communications, measuring how well it connects with people so that its brands and businesses can make necessary improvements. For this reason, Khan says that brands need suitable feedback mechanisms.

These insights come from a recent conversation with him on my podcast, The Lead Creative. This is my take on it, but you can form your own opinions by listening to our conversation wherever you get your podcasts.

Mongezi Mtati is a brand strategist at the award-winning digital agency, Rogerwilco. He has a keen interest – bordering on obsession – in the intersection between human insight and data that creates compelling brand content. In The Lead Creative podcast, Mongezi talks to creative minds and brands that created memorable marketing moments.

This article was originally published on IncAfrica.com