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How user experience and customer focus help you truly satisfy the consumer in an increasingly volatile and uncertain era

If there is something that is constantly desired by any business these days it is to achieve customer satisfaction, whether in a product or service. And do you know what the real reason for this great dispute is? It is that a satisfied and happy customer, with a good shopping experience, is much more likely to become a loyal customer – and this is one of the most valuable types of consumers for any company, especially in the digital world.

Retail is no different! As mentioned in another post here on the blog, according to a study by the Brazilian Electronic Commerce Association (Abcomm), in this period of pandemic caused by Covid-19, 150 thousand new online sales channels were created, while the monthly average was 10 thousand . In other words, most potential customers throughout the retail are ready to buy in this format.

But as the use of social networks increases, with paid content and content appearing in different forms, a multitude of mobile applications, streaming for all tastes, how are you getting your customer’s attention and satisfaction? Is the experience you are providing for him positive? Has this journey been continuously improved?

If you don’t have answers to these questions or if these questions didn’t even cross your mind at some point, we’re sure this article will help you better understand this topic and rethink your future strategies.

The importance of being customer centric 

Before understanding what the term user experience is in practice, it is important to know what is customer centric and its impact on truly modern and digital businesses. The term customer centric (in free translation means customer at the center) is used to denominate the concept of putting the customer really at the center of all decisions and planning of a company/product. 

From the first moment a potential consumer has contact with the brand, through the different stages of the purchase journey, after-sales and even the way you use the product, all strategies for these processes are developed by putting the customer at the center of that plan. 

This way of thinking, which has been gaining more and more space with the digital transformation that companies have been undergoing, is directly related to user experience practices, which we will explain below. 

Also Read: You Look Agile But Not Customer Focused? You’re probably losing the game!

Practical user experience 

The term User Experience (UX), that is, User Experience is the real experience that the consumer has when having contact with a product and/or service. The objective of UX practices is to make businesses more attractive, intuitive and desirable, of course, always striving for efficiency, in order to make that user a customer, in the best possible way. 

This positive experience can be created in any user contact channels. On websites and mobile apps, for example, the focus is on making the navigation much more fluid so that the customer can quickly find the information they are looking for, without having difficulties in solving what they need in that particular channel. 

To ensure this journey focused on the customer and their needs, User Experience specialists work with functional and practical issues, but also with all the emotional side of the experience, thus promoting better results for a company, since the chances of conversion grow with these practices.

This planning, focused on the user experience, can also save effort and money, and increase your company’s profits. According to Robert Pressman’s book, “Software Engineering: A Professional Approach”, for every $1 spent in UX to solve a problem during product planning, $10.00 would be spent to solve the same problem in development and $100 or more for the issue to be resolved after the product was released.

In other words, in addition to avoiding problems, this user-focused planning can also direct and facilitate the path between the customer and your product. It’s also worth noting that a recent study by Forrester Research revealed that a well-designed user interface can increase a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%, and a good user experience can raise conversion rates by 400%.

How to make this transformation?

Being more digital and more agile is not just about being in a digitized environment and being ready to respond quickly to change. To be prepared for these constant changes, a company must, first, evolve its mentality and culture.

Okay, but what are the characteristics of organizations that are really customer centric and care about user and customer experience? These are:

• Teams start solving situations by the customer’s need to define the best viable solution;
• People know the journey of users and personas clearly;
• Business and Information Technology areas, for example, work together daily in a collaborative way;
• Deliveries are focused on actually creating value;
• Similar experiences across all channels (omnichannel), whether digital or physical;
• Teams work in short cycles to gather feedback from customers;
• Data-based analytics;
• Focus on the customer and also on their emotions;
• Company goals focused on business or customer, that is, to generate value and not just goals for project delivery;

Get started now!

Finally, it is important to remember that any change in mindset is a long journey, but full of benefits for your company and your customers. Therefore, look for qualified specialists to co-create with you this map of the transformation of your business, to be more agile and digital in the right way.

See how we transformed the user experience of the Sem Parar app, one of the main payment services for tolls, parking, drive-thrus, gas stations and other accredited establishments, which had a 315% increase in the user base with our consultancy. Schedule a chat with one of our consultants and understand how we can help you get better results.

The world is changing and it’s becoming more technological and digital. With this, it is already a fact that people are really adapting and adhering to new ways of consuming any type of product and/or service.

According to the Brazilian Electronic Commerce Association (Abcomm), between January and November 2020, online purchases grew 70.3% compared to 2019.

Invoicing reached R$115.32 billion, 69.6% more than the previous year.

And one of the leverage points of all this movement, caused especially by this period of pandemic (caused by Covid-19), was the closure of physical stores.

Companies had to adapt and migrate their businesses to e-commerces and those who were already selling online had to scale and expand their operations.

According to this Abcomm study, 150,000 new online sales channels were created in this pandemic period, while the monthly average was 10,000. In other words, these data indicate that the sector has undergone a major transformation.

Speaking of online commerce, if this was already a growing market, both the pandemic and the growing wave of digital transformation only accelerated this movement.

The invoicing buying and selling products online, grew 41% in 2020, with more than 194 million orders made by Brazilian consumers in the year.

According to data from the Webshoppers study (Ebit/Nielsen & Bexs Bank), this was the highest percentage increase since 2007 and sales totaled around R $87.4 billion in the period.

But if you are in this sector or have a business impacted by it, you must be asking yourself now: what’s next? What is the future of post pandemic retail?

 

Go digital or die!

That’s right! Regardless of what your retail business is, from fashion to supermarket, digitization is the thing!

During the first quarter of 2021, Neotrust data show that there was a continuity in the growth of online sales in Brazil.

According to the study published in Exame, digital retail had revenues of R$ 35.2 billion in the first quarter of 2021 – an increase of 72.2% over the same period of the year past.

This year alone, 78.5 million online purchases were made in the period (volume 57.4% higher than in 2020), with an average ticket of R$ 447.90, 9.4% higher than that registered in the same period of the previous year.

All this increase makes businesses increasingly digital and more secure, focused on consumer needs and with a more flexible and adaptable operating model.

And this goes far beyond adopting new and better technologies!

Being a digitized organization is using digital technologies to enhance business models . For example, new and more new service channels, services through mobile applications, updates that help to improve the relationship with the customer.

Already a process of digital transformation goes far beyond the adoption of the best technologies. It encompasses several practices, tools and, above all, a new organizational culture.

The change companies that want to have a competitive advantage today need to make is much more about people than technology. This process is guided by:

• • Customer-centric organizational changes;
  • Supported by a servant leadership;
  • Along with a new corporate culture;
  • By leveraging technologies that enable people’s autonomy.

 

In other words, if this whole process of digitization and digital culture is still not happening in your organization, you are losing money!

 

How to initiate these changes in practice

To be truly digital, it is important to understand that some pillars are the main ones to start this digital transformation process:

 

Culture

As mentioned before, it is very important that there is a change in the organization’s culture, as this is one of the main areas that show if a company is truly digital.

After all, it all boils down to a change of culture and mindset.

In this pillar, the main changes that we see in the day-to-day work here at Agile.Inc helping companies are:

• Really put the customer at the center of your business;
• Having a culture of applied innovation;
• Empower teams, but with high alignment;
• Create a culture of “not being afraid of failure” and
• be more transparent in actions, decisions and plans 

 

Internal Capabilities

Your company teams need to start solving more complex issues, so they will need to have new skills and be able to follow the transformation.

It is important that the professionals in your organization:

• Know how to work with new technologies (Big Data, Blockchain, Machine Learning, among others);
• Have agility in product development,
• Have a lean management in product design;
• Make use of design strategically.

 

These are some of the skills professionals need to develop to be more digital, depending on the context of each business.

When it comes to buying and selling online, for example, there will be several other specific skills that are important to adopt.

 

Structure and Governance

How is your company organized? The way your company’s structure and governance is composed shows whether it is still in a traditional or digital paradigm.

To find this out, you need to raise some questions, such as:

• How are the areas of the company structured?
• How to break the organization’s silos?
• How is the budget defined?
• How are initiatives prioritized?
• How is work tracking done transparently?
• How to create greater operational efficiency, for example with automation?

 

These are just a few examples of issues that are addressed during this transition from companies that work in a traditional way, to those that are already suited for the digital age.

That’s why it’s important to have the right experts helping you in this process of change, pointing you to the best oneway of structuring your company to be more modern and technological.

 

People

Do all members of your teams know their roles and responsibilities? In an organization with a digital culture, it is important to have these issues resolved clearly, to have more engaged people.

• Roles and responsibilities (noting that it’s no use just being defined, but must be followed and monitored in a natural way by everyone involved),
• How are people motivated;
• And which leadership model to apply.

 

Business Models

The fifth pillar that we believe is essential for a process of digital transformation is to think of new business models for these new forms of consumption – which are increasingly adaptable.

As we mentioned earlier in this text, the way people buy services and products is changing and companies need to adapt as quickly as possible.

Your business may already have some of these pillars already well developed, others less so…

For us at Agile.Inc, there is no rule of thumb as to which area needs to be worked on first, however, we strongly believe that some points are driving levers for a company’s transformation, such as :

• Develop and empower leadership;
• Develop and empower teams in a custom way;
• Apply and implement Agility concepts to work more efficiently and effectively.

 

In closing, it is worth noting that the entire process of change, especially a digital transformation and the implementation of new technologies and/or a new way of working, is complex and full of uncertainties .

But it is in an environment like this where the best innovations emerge, with simple solutions that generate much more value for an organization and its customers.

 

Our final tip is to gather the best experts you can to help you with this digital transformation and we can help you with that! Talk to one of our consultants and understand how we help large Brazilian companies to modernize their businesses.

The search of companies for innovative solutions to complex and common problems in the day-to-day of modern business is enormous.

Therefore, most leaders and those responsible for taking certain types of decisions are formed by people who have creative, critical and quick thinking.

However, at some point the blockage arrives and the difficulty of solving problems increases more and more.

With this in mind, it is necessary to structure new working conditions and models to resolve these issues.

Among them, the Design Thinking process is essential for companies that need more innovation and competitive advantage.

 

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is the name given to a process of critical and creative thinking that allows the organization of ideas that help in decision making.

It is important to make it clear that it is not a method to be followed, like a cake recipe, but rather a way of approach to better help with solutions.

This model can increase insights and how to apply them.

The main concept of Design Thinking is that the process is carried out in a collaborative and collective way, gathering as much information and perspectives as possible.

There are different moments and actions where companies apply Design Thinking, one of them is in solving problems independent of their size and magnitude.

Through different perspectives it is possible to have a bigger vision and a clearer solution.

Another common way to use this process is in the design and creation of new products and services.

With the participation of all areas of the organization, it is possible to add value to the items that are being created, increasing the chances of success.

Let’s make it clear that each case is different, the important thing is for the company to follow the process in the way that best suits its way of working, there is no correct formula to follow and implement Design Thinking, but there are some steps that can help you in this process.

 

The 4 Steps of Design Thinking

As we said before, there is no process to be faithfully followed for you to start applying Design Thinking in your company, however there are some steps that if you follow can facilitate the implementation and the results.

 

Immersion

This first step can be considered one of the most important because it is through it that you will go deeper into everything that happens within the company.

We suggest you carry out a SWOT analysis, which maps your business’ strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities, in addition to presenting an internal view referring to outside perspectives, ie, how people are seeing your business.

Thinking about having this perspective, always collect feedback from customers, employees, non-customers and prospects, delve into the company’s organizational policy.

With all this vision of your business, it will be possible to create more accurate solutions to the problems they used to face.

But don’t forget to NEVER forget to analyze behavioral scenarios in the region and in the country, this influences many aspects of the points you will analyze.

 

Ideation

After the immersion, you and your team will have already been able to see which points need urgent attention and change, which ones can stay longer in the future and which ones do not need to be moved.

By identifying this part, you are already able to start with the ideation that is nothing more than putting into practice the ideas you had regarding the conflicts identified in step 1.

When it comes to bringing out ideas, it is important to use techniques such as big data to increase the chances of success for ideas and reach the desired goal.

 

Prototyping

After joining ideas, it’s time for the team to get together and define which of these ideas can bring more results for the business.

For the main idea to have a good result, it is necessary to create prototypes and go on testing, so as the results delivered, it is possible to improve at each stage and in the delivery, there will be few or no flaws that will have to be adjusted.

If it is a service, your prototype can be something more visual and theoretical, such as graphics, images that represent the expected result of that service.

 

Development

The last step is the time to get everything off the paper, have done all the tests and put it into practice!

It is at this stage that you will launch your product or service and you will need to use all methods to draw the public’s attention to it, such as marketing actions, actions with existing customers, presenting to employees, and so on.

However, it is not because this stage has reached the end that the whole process has come to an end, quite the contrary, it is necessary to continue measuring and monitoring the performance of this new merchandise or service.

 

 

The benefits of investing in Design Thinking

We all know that a company evaluates its profits and investments through the return it gets for me. io of its sales, costs, and so on.

This is where Design Thinking comes in, as its implementation cost is extremely low and the result it brings to your business in the face of competition is enormous.

And this can actually be a differential for your company to put itself ahead of its main competitors, resulting in greater profit, a stronger brand.

In addition to benefits in terms of money and image in the market, design thinking manages to aggregate and engage employees from all areas and the result becomes very positive.

Because, employees will feel valued by the company and this motivates them to increasingly embrace the organization’s purpose, making the journey to the main objective even faster and more efficient.

 

What Design Thinking Provides for Your Company

Currently, this theme is widespread, especially among companies that have a product vision.

With this article, we now know what Design Thinking is and what it works for, but if you are still in doubt about how this process can help your company, it is worth highlighting some benefits:

 

Understanding customers: Design Thinking allows the business to be seen from the outside in, that is, the view of those who are being impacted from outside the company. With this, you can understand the types of customers you have and attract, in addition to being able to create a greater experience for them and deliver more value.

 

 

Understanding the business: Understanding the people inside the business/company is essential to map work processes and thus be able to understand what can or cannot be done and improved.

 

 

Co-create solutions: This is where it is possible to suggest process improvements along the company’s culture in collaboration with internal and external business teams.

 

3 tools that can be used in the Design Thinking process

To finish the topic, still talking about how to structure this Design Thinking process, it is important to define the tools that best suit the reality of each product to be used at this time:

 

Brainstorm

Brainstorming is a group dynamic that consists of sharing ideas and solutions to a problem the team is facing.

These are sessions without any kind of judgment of what is right or wrong, as the literal translation says “brainstorm”.

 

Mental Maps

Mind maps are very effective in organizing, developing ideas and thoughts. The goal is to make the whole creation process visibly, as clear as possible, and it can be very useful for new insights along this Design Thinking process;

 

Co-creation with Clients

It has become increasingly common for users and consumers to participate in the creative process of the project, whether it is a product or a service.

This is because you will have a view of your brand from the outside world of your business. In addition, your customers can bring great insights into the evolution of your project, as their vision is completely different from that formed by the organization’s stakeholders.

 

And if you still have difficulty finding the ideal model to improve the results of your business or digital product, make an appointment with us.

In a brief diagnosis, we help you draw up a concrete action plan to give you more results and a competitive advantage. Come and chat with us!