Customer Experience Analytics: Measure What Works and Make Improvements That Last

Do you want a simple way to refine your customer experience? Then look at your CX analytics.

The data doesn’t lie. It tells you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. Once you’re armed with your customer experience analytics, you gain the necessary information to offer prospects and buyers the best possible care.

When you provide a stellar customer experience, you boost efficiency and humanize your service while enhancing loyalty and recommendations.

Yet, according to a report from PWC, 54 percent of consumers feel the customer experience at many businesses needs improvement.

However, there are more benefits to examining your CX analytics.

For example, 44.5 percent of global organizations feel that an amazing CX differentiates them from competitors, and who doesn’t want to stand out and get noticed?

Now you know the importance of customer experience analytics. In this article, I explain which ones you should measure and why they’re so crucial to your business.

What Is Customer Experience Analytics?

Customer experience (CX) analytics uses customer data to improve customer interactions.

You can use the data to track customer behavior and preferences to better understand how customers interact with your company and its products or services. You can then use this information to improve the CX by changing designs, the way you market to customers, or how you deliver your products or services.

There are many different ways to collect customer data. Analytics tools for customer experience often use various data sources. However, some of the most common sources include website visits, purchase histories, contact centers, and social media data.

Benefits of Tracking Customer Experience Analytics

By understanding customer behavior and preferences, analytics for customer experience can help businesses deliver a better CX faster and more consistently. Additionally, CX analytics can contribute to a positive customer experience by identifying and resolving issues early.

Below are just some of the benefits of tracking your analytics.

Customer satisfaction tracking: Perhaps the most crucial benefit is that customer experience analytics can track customer satisfaction over time. This information enables companies to identify areas where they need to make changes to keep their customers happy.

Understanding customer interactions: By analyzing your data, customer experience analytics lets you understand how customers interact with your products/services. You can then use this information to enhance the customer experience and increase sales.

Lower customer churn: When you use them correctly, customer experience analytics improve the CX and lower churn rates by increasing retention. For example, if many customers are contacting customer service about a particular issue, you can address it. This aspect is vital because consumer demand for a positive CX is increasing. However, Zendesk says 54 percent of shoppers feel businesses see it as an afterthought.

Enhanced loyalty through targeting: Understanding customer behavior lets you create targeted marketing campaigns that are more likely to convert leads into customers and encourage loyalty.

Increased value and lower spending: Predictive customer experience analytics can identify high-value customers in terms of lifetime value and customer satisfaction. However, it also finds high value, dissatisfied customers. When this information is clear, it allows you to spend money strategically and save money. McKinsey cites one example of a company that shaved over 25 percent off its planned budget using this technique.

Metrics to Consider for Customer Experience Analytics

Customer experience analytics (CEA) is a growing field. With that in mind, it’s important to choose the right metrics and analytics tools for customer experience to measure customer CX to get the most accurate results.

While there are multiple metrics you could focus on, to keep it simple, we’re going to focus on six of the most valuable.

Let’s begin with the promoter score.

1. Promoter Score (NPS)

To arrive at your promoter score (NPS), you look at your customer feedback and customer loyalty.

While there are many ways to calculate NPS, the most common is to use a 1-10 scale, where 1 is very dissatisfied, and 10 is very satisfied. To get an accurate reading, it’s important to ask customers how likely they are to recommend your company on this scale.

You could also use a free calculator or a tool from this list.

The higher your NPS score is, the better your customer retention, brand awareness, and customer acquisition.

An excellent example is the jewelry company, Taylor and Hart.

They consider NPS as their most important metric. By focusing on it, breaking it down, and applying the data, the company experienced a 70 percent increase in revenue.

Although you can’t guarantee the same results, you can take the same approach as Taylor and Hart by:

  • identifying your most crucial metrics and compiling the data
  • organizing the data, and rating your NPS
  • keep tracking your NPS and making changes

By tracking the NPS, the company:

  • spotted patterns for its most popular designs
  • found its top customer types, and average revenues
  • identified geographical campaigns and how customers found them
  • optimized their advertising

2. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

CSAT is a numeric representation of satisfied customers with a given product or service.

Many companies use customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) to track their customers’ overall happiness and identify areas where they need to make improvements.

When you track your CSAT customer experience analytics, you:

  • discover unsatisfied vs. satisfied customers
  • prioritize areas of your business that need improvement
  • enhance your internal processes.
  • guide future product development

However, despite CSAT being one of the most essential customer experience analytics, Gartner found that more than 70 percent of “CX leaders struggle to design projects that increase customer loyalty and achieve results.”

There are several different ways to collect CSAT data, but the most common way is to ask customers to rate their satisfaction on a scale from 1 to 10. You can do this through surveys, feedback forms, or chatbots. Alternatively, you can use a free calculator.

You should be aiming for a CSAT score of 75-85 percent. However, there are some variations between categories.

3. Customer Effort Score (CES)

The customer effort score (CES) metric measures how much effort a customer perceives they expend when interacting with a company.

You calculate CES by averaging the responses to questions about how much effort the customer felt they exerted during their most recent interaction with your company.

By identifying areas where customers are experiencing high levels of effort, businesses can focus on making changes to reduce the amount of work customers have to do to get what they want.

But there’s more to it.

When you get your CES right, it improves customer satisfaction, and loyalty, and lowers costs associated with handling customer complaints or support requests.

In addition, according to Gartner, when CES is high:

  • NPS improves
  • repurchase rates increase by up to 94 percent
  • employee retention improves

Your CES score is also more accurate than understanding customer satisfaction rates.

Andrew Schumacher, Senior Principal, Advisory, Gartner, says:

“Customer effort is 40 percent more accurate at predicting customer loyalty as opposed to customer satisfaction,

Calculate your CES with this free calculator. There is no standardized CES score, but the higher the better.

4. Churn Rate

Churn rate is an essential metric for companies to track because it provides insights into why customers leave and what you can do to retain them. Most businesses focus on this metric because a high customer churn is costly and leads to lost revenue.

There are several ways to calculate customer churn rate, but the most common is to divide the number of customers who have discontinued their relationship with you by the total number of customers at the beginning of the period. This gives you a percentage of how many customers have leftover a given period.

The average churn rate is 5-7 percent, while ten is high. However, it does depend on the industry. For instance, the average churn rate for online retail is 22 percent, while it’s 11 percent for big-box electronics.

customer service analytics on churn rate from Statista

You can calculate your churn rate online. If it’s high, delve into your CX analytics and look for patterns.

Remember, several factors contribute to churn rate, and businesses can take steps to reduce it by improving customer experience by tracking their CX analytics. Another way to improve customer experience is by providing an excellent support system and giving them what they want.

5. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

From Costco to American Express to Verizon and AT&T, they’re also using customer lifetime value as a critical metric with good reason.

CLV is a CX metric that helps business owners and CX professionals understand the value of a customer over the entire span of their relationship with their company.

It considers not just the monetary value of a customer but also how long they are likely to continue doing business with them, how much business they are likely to do moving forward, and how profitable each interaction is.

This information allows you to make strategic decisions about what types of customers to invest in acquiring and retaining, what kinds of experiences to offer them, and when it might make sense to let them go.

There is an easy-to-use online CLV calculator. For guidance, with your CLV, you are looking to make three to five times your acquisition cost.

Once you have your number, you can apply it. As a Bain & Co explain, you can use CLV to:

  • segment your existing customers
  • enhance conversions and ROI through better customer understanding
  • create data-focused hypotheses regarding the tools needed for customer acquisition and retention
  • segment new customers to target them according to limit low-value leads
  • make data-focused decisions on customer prioritization, acquisition, onboarding, and retention.

However, with your tracking, you might want to use a range of CX analytics tools, rather than focusing on one or two; research from Bain and Co shows that companies are most satisfied with results when they use a combination of tools. Further, by 2023, 92 percent expect to be using CX experience analytics tools for customer relationship management.

Percentage of respondents who will use customer analytics tools

6. Social Media Engagement

Engagement metrics track how people interact with your brand on social media. There are many different types of engagement metrics, but some of the most common ones include clicks, likes, shares, and comments.

I can’t overemphasize the importance of tracking social media analytics. If you post something and no one clicks on it, shares it, or comments on it, you know that you need to rethink your content strategy.

The potential of social media is best explained by looking at the runaway success of TikTok. According to its stats, 44 percent of visitors visit the site every month to find something new.

TikTok also impacts every stage of the customer journey, including:

  • discovery
  • consideration
  • purchase

Then, post-purchase, buyers head back to the site to create reviews, unboxing, tutorials, and how-tos.

The above should be enough to persuade you of the power of social media. If you’re already on sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, make sure you’re paying attention to your tracking with tools like Google Analytics, SproutSocial. and HootSuite.

Customer Experience Analytics Frequently Asked Questions

What are the types of customer experience analytics?

CX analytics come in various forms, including CES, CLV, and social media engagement. They come in a mix of categories, including marketing analytics software, and customer service analytics software, which measures the effectiveness and quality of customer service interactions. Then there are social media and web and behavioral analytics.

Can I track my customer experience metrics with free tools?

There are several free tools businesses can use to track their cx analytics. One such tool is Google Analytics. Google Analytics allows companies to track website visits, engagement, conversions, and goal completions. Another free tool is Survey Monkey. Survey Monkey allows businesses to create surveys and collect customer feedback to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Finally, another free tool you can use for CX analytics is Simply Measured, for social listening and analytics.

How does data analytics improve customer experience?

Data analytics can improve customer experience by helping businesses better understand their customers’ needs and preferences. Data analytics can also help companies to identify and respond to problems quickly. For example, if lots of people are complaining about a particular issue, data analytics can help businesses identify the cause of the problem and take corrective action.

Why should marketers care about customer experience analytics?

Customer experience is one of the most critical factors for businesses today. In a world where consumers have endless choices, it’s essential to provide an exceptional customer experience to stand out from the competition. Finally, studies show that improving customer experience can increase sales and revenue.

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Customer Experience Analytics Conclusion

Customer experience analytics is a valuable tool for businesses. Businesses can improve customer service and make strategic decisions about their products and services by tracking customer interactions and analyzing the data.

With the right tools and data, businesses can improve their customer service and boost their bottom line.

However, you need to be measuring the correct data. Although there are several metrics you could focus on, don’t get overwhelmed.

The six metrics featured in the post are enough to get you started and give you a clearer picture of what’s going on in your business.

To further optimize your results, you can adopt a range of automation tools to enhance the overall CX experience.

Do you use customer experience analytics in your business? Which ones work best for you?

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How To Use Google Autocomplete for SEO

When you type in a keyword into the search box, you know how you get a list of keyword predictions?

This is called Google Autocomplete. Its purpose is to save users time. In fact, according to Google, it lowers typing time by 25%.

There’s no doubt that this feature makes our lives easier, especially when using Google Search on mobile devices.

Google Autocomplete is often overlooked by digital marketers, so taking the time to understand it can give you an edge over your competition.

What Is Google Autocomplete?

Google Autocomplete is a Google Search feature that provides search term predictions.

For example, if you type “what is the capital of” into the search bar, you will see something like this:

Google Autocomplete predictions 1

As you continue typing, predictions will adjust accordingly, until you see the search term you want to use.

You can then simply click on that option instead of typing it all out.

Google Autocomplete’s purpose is to help you save time by completing the search query that you had in mind.

Where Do Google Autocomplete Keywords Come From?

Here’s how Danny Sullivan, public liaison for Google search, explains it in his blog post on Google Autocomplete:

“How do we determine these predictions? We look at the real searches that happen on Google and show common and trending ones relevant to the characters that are entered and also related to your location and previous searches.”

Are Google Autocomplete Predictions Different in Various Countries?

Google Autocomplete predictions depend on which country you’re in.

For example, if you’re in Vilnius, Lithuania, and you type “best pizza in” into the search bar, you will see something like this:

Google Autocomplete predictions 2

All these locations (except for Milan) are either in Lithuania or near Poland, Latvia, and Estonia.

If you change locations, Google will “follow” you, and your autocomplete options will adjust accordingly.

Are Google Autocomplete Predictions Different for Various Languages?

Google Autocomplete predictions differ based on the language(s) you’re using to enter queries into Google.

For example, if you set your default language to English, you will be shown English predictions.

However, if you add other languages that you understand, say, German and French, you’ll also be shown predictions in those languages.

Does Your Search History Affect Google Autocomplete Predictions?

When you’re logged into your Google account, Google Autocomplete considers your search history when showing predictions.

When you see a prediction that has a “Remove” option next to it (it shows up as an “X” on the far right), know that this is a prediction based on your search history—it remembers that you searched for this, but recognizes it may have been a one-time search.

What Are the Google Autocomplete Guidelines?

Not all search queries are deemed appropriate to display as predictions.

These types of predictions go against Google Autocomplete policy:

  • Violence and gore
  • Sexually explicit, vulgar, or profane language, though medical and scientific terms are allowed
  • Anything related to hate speech or approval of hateful acts
  • Sensitive information or terms about named individuals
  • Dangerous predictions, meaning searches for things that could allow serious harm to people or animals to happen

Google admits that while they do their best to remove inappropriate predictions, they don’t always get it right, so they provide a way to report a prediction.

How Can You Use Google Autocomplete for SEO?

Before you start analyzing Google Autocomplete predictions for SEO, it’s essential to do these three things:

  • Log out of Google or use incognito mode to make sure your search history doesn’t influence the predictions you get.
  • Use a VPN if you are based in a different location than your target audience. For example, if you’re currently in Thailand, but you’re focusing on people in the United States, use a VPN to make it seem like you’re in the United States. You want to see predictions for the location where your target audience is.
  • Adjust your language settings to be similar to the language settings the people in your target audience use.

These parameters will help you see the predictions similar to those shown to your target audience.

Keyword Research

Google Autocomplete can be a useful keyword research tool.

Here’s how you can make the most out of it.

Type in a Keyword, Look at the Predictions

Simply type in a keyword that is relevant to your niche and look at the predictions. This research is a great way to discover valuable long-tail keywords. (Answer The Public is another free tool that does this for you.)

Then, use an SEO tool like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Moz Pro to analyze those keywords and identify ones that are worth going after.

Go Through the Alphabet

What if you don’t like any of the predictions that you got?

Brett Farmiloe, the founder and CEO of Markitors, advises to type in your keyword, then just go through every letter of the alphabet to see what predictions come up.

He uses the keyword “equipment financing” as an example:

Google Autocomplete predictions 4

You can add the letter “a” to get a new set of predictions:

Google Autocomplete predictions 5

And then you can add the letter “b” to it:

Google Autocomplete predictions 6

…and that’s how you go through the entire alphabet.

“This is particularly good when you are really stuck, and you are really just in need of some inspiration,” says Brett.

Let Google Fill in the Blanks

Tom Dupuis from Online Media Masters suggests using the underscore character “_” in a phrase so that Google would complete it.

He uses the keyword “chicago _ photographer” as an example:

Google Autocomplete predictions 7

“Instead of having Google complete only the last part, this can show you a better selection of keywords depending on what type of phrase it is,” explains Tom.

Experiment With the Position of the Underscore

Dupuis also encourages people to experiment with the underscore’s position to see what new Google Autocomplete predictions show up.

For example, if you already tried “chicago _ photographer,” why not try “_ chicago photographer”?

Google Autocomplete predictions 9

Try Both Singular and Plural Form of the Keyword

Another valuable piece of advice from Dupuis is to try both the singular and plural forms of the same keyword because this leads to different Google Autocomplete predictions.

Take one more look at the predictions for the “chicago _ photographer” keyword:

Google Autocomplete predictions 7

And now look at the predictions for the “chicago _ photographers” keyword:

Google Autocomplete predictions 8

As you can see, the predictions are different, so try both forms of the same keyword.

Online Reputation Management

This tool is also useful for researching results about your branded terms, such as company, executive, or product names. Google Autocomplete can present a serious threat to your public image if an unflattering search term appears in the predictions using your brand terms

What can you do if you find yourself in that situation?

You have several options:

Address the Problem

If the unflattering prediction refers to something true, fix the problem.

The resolution won’t make the autocomplete issue go away immediately, but if the problem is solved, then over time, people will forget about it and stop searching for it. As the volume for that search term goes down, it ultimately will drop off the prediction list.

Work on Your Brand Image

Again, if the prediction is about an actual incident, you can help people forget whatever happened faster by giving them something positive to focus on.

For instance, you can feature loyal customers on your website, do a giveaway, or organize an event.

Even directly engaging with your customers on various social media platforms can go a long way towards creating a positive brand image.

Other Ways to Use Google Autocorrect Research

Google Autocorrect is a simple tool — but it can be quite powerful. From keyword research to maintaining your reputation, those suggestions can super-charge your digital marketing efforts.

In addition to finding popular keywords, there are several other areas where Google’s suggestions can be useful concerning SEO.

Uncover Key Words for Local SEO

Google Autocomplete can also provide suggestions for local SEO searches you might not have considered.

Say you are looking to rank the website of a coffee shop in Denver — would you just target “coffee shop Denver”? Or do people use neighborhoods, cross streets, or even zip codes?

Google Autocomplete will tell you what terms people search when looking for a coffee shop in Denver:

google autocomplete local SEO

Looking at this example, what can we learn?

Denver Tech Center is a business and trading center in the southeast portion of Denver, Colorado. It’s a popular destination for business workers, so if your shop in that area, you’d want to include Denver Tech Center in your key terms list.

Denver Airport shows up on the list, so if the shop is near there,  you’d want to target that term as well.

Google autocomplete shows several major landmarks (including the airport), so you will want to research if your shop is near any popular locations, such as a museum or shopping center.

There are also listings for Denver, NC, and Denver, PA, which means it’s probably a good idea to include the state.

It’s easy to assume you know what people will search — but it’s worth the few seconds it takes to check and see what inspiration Google autocomplete might offer.

Create a User-Friendly E-commerce Website

Ecommerce is big business — according to Oberlo, more than 2 billion people make online purchases annually. Despite many online shoppers, there’s also a stiff competition to get shoppers to your site.

Using autocomplete to find key terms to target is just one way to use the feature to create a better ecommerce store and create a user-friendly site.

Let’s say your e-commerce sells shoes, clothing, and accessories. Your goal is to make it as easy as possible to find what they want and make a purchase.

Google Autocomplete can help by:

  • Showing which categories are most popular: For example, if you search “women’s shoes” in Google, the search engine will also suggest: “women’s shoes near me,” “women’s shoes on sale,” and “women shoes size 12.”  That means people often search for shoes on sale and by size, so those are categories you’ll want to include on your website.
  • Uncover popular brands: A search for “women’s tennis shoes” tells you which brands users search for most often, including Adidas and Nike. Those are brands your audience is likely to purchase.  
  • Get ideas for your FAQ page: Searching “are women’s shoes…” provides a list of questions people often ask, including “are women’s shoe sizes the same as men’s?” and “are women’s shoes more narrow?” Those are questions people are asking, and providing those answers could help drive more traffic to your ecommerce site.

User experiences can impact search rankings, so making a user-friendly site should be a top priority.

Get Inspiration for Content Topics

Google Autocomplete features searches that people make regularly. Targeting any of those terms or phrases is going to drive traffic. (At least it will if your content is good!)

Here are a few suggestions for getting content inspiration:

  • Who, What, Where, How, Why: Use your primary key term with question words before or after (whichever makes more sense). See what Google suggests — you might uncover the bit of inspiration you need to write your next great piece of content.
  • Use action verbs: This can provide creative angles for your next blog post or ebook. Searching “content marketing is…” shows a list of quirky title ideas, including “Content marketing is like a first date.” Other ideas for action verbs include: are, will, show, be, build, and replace.
  • “Key Term and…”: Looking for related topics? Search your primary key term with “and” to see what associated terms searchers are looking for. For example, if you search “content marketing and…” Google suggests social media, lead generation, storytelling, and sales.

Content marketing is a critical part of SEO, so finding topics that users are searching for can improve the ranking for specific pages and a site.

Conclusion

Google Autocomplete isn’t just a neat user feature that allows you to complete a search term without typing it out.

You can also use it to discover valuable long-tail keywords that you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.

Of course, it can also wreak havoc on your life if an unflattering prediction appears next to your name or your company’s. It’s wise to keep an eye on what shows up on Google Autocomplete so that you can address a problem immediately.

Just don’t make a bad situation worse by using black hat techniques. It’s not worth it.

How do you use Google Autocomplete for SEO?

The post How To Use Google Autocomplete for SEO appeared first on Neil Patel.

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Location: Hungary Remote: Yes (Preferred) Willing to relocate: No Technologies: Java, Spring, Linux, front-end (js, angular6+) Résumé/CV: I can send it in email; https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoltantoth/ Email: hn [at] tozo [dot] info I am a senior (10+ years) backend developer (but pro-efficient on front-end as well) working for financial and telecommunication companies. I spent the last 7 …

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