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A complete guide to customer experience and digital transformation

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The GoCardless content team comprises a group of subject-matter experts in multiple fields from across GoCardless. The authors and reviewers work in the sales, marketing, legal, and finance departments. All have in-depth knowledge and experience in various aspects of payment scheme technology and the operating rules applicable to each. The team holds expertise in the well-established payment schemes such as UK Direct Debit, the European SEPA scheme, and the US ACH scheme, as well as in schemes operating in Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand. See full bio

Last editedMar 20233 min read

In many industries, customers are the driving force behind digital transformation. For businesses to remain competitive, they must consider the modern customer who expects a seamless transaction at any time, from any device. If you limit yourself to traditional working hours or outmoded platforms, you could miss out on valuable sales. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at how digital transformation is driving the customer experience – and what you can do to keep on top of the latest trends.

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is a blanket term applying to any strategy applying the use of technology and data to improve business efficiency. While its specifics may vary by industry and region, generally this process looks at ways to improve a company’s processes and culture using real-time data. In the case of digital transformation and customer experience, it refers to the use of technology to create a more personal, customized buying journey. This leads to quantifiable benefits. For example, digitized companies reported 45% higher revenue growth according to a recent Deloitte report. They also reported an overall positive impact on innovation and growth by incorporating digital technology into everyday processes.

What is the impact of digital transformation on the customer experience?

Digital transformation impacts the customer experience in a variety of different ways. Businesses can pull data from every step of the customer’s experience, analyzing interactions to identify pain points and find valuable solutions. By tailoring experiences to everyone, you can then increase customer satisfaction. Engaged customers are more likely to try new products and services, make referrals, and complete a purchase. Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and marketing automation help contribute to the goal of improved engagement.

For customers, the appeal is straightforward. They can access the content they want at any time of day, receive answers to questions, and make a purchase across multiple devices and platforms. They might see product or service recommendations based on their interests, for a more personal purchasing experience.

How digital transformation is driving the customer experience

So, what does a customer experience digital transformation look like? Here are a few examples.

Sales teams interact with customers using social media, where it’s easy to build a relationship over time using relevant content. Compared to traditional cold calling, this provides a more effective way to meet the customer where they are and build trust.
Digital outreach extends to the marketing team. Rather than traditional advertising methods like direct mail and TV ads, you can use a more targeted, data-driven approach. Customers aren’t spammed by irrelevant content; instead, they receive targeted ads based on interests and buying behaviors.
Digital transformation extends to the ecommerce platform, app, and company website. Customers are recognized and greeted by name, with product suggestions based on past purchases. They have the option of granting access to this data in order to improve the overall buying experience.

How to get started with a customer experience digital transformation strategy

It’s clear that digital transformation offers fresh sales and marketing opportunities for businesses. At the same time, it offers a smoother customer journey to improve satisfaction. To get started with formulating a new strategy, you’ll need to identify problems and pain points. Think about where your business stands today, and where your future goals lie. The next step is to use digital technology to fill in the blanks. Connect SaaS applications to your customer databases and inventory to create agile infrastructure.

In terms of the customer journey, gather insight from your buyer demographics. Analyze buyer behavior and interactions at every step of the journey. Are there steps of the sales funnel where you’re more likely to lose customers? From onboarding to point of sale, make sure your systems are all efficient and available across multiple channels. Today’s customers expect to shop online, in person, and using mobile apps when and where they like.

Improve digital transformation and the customer experience with GoCardless

Don’t let your digital transformation strategy fail at the final hurdle. If your payment process is outdated, you could lose valuable sales. Be sure to choose payment methods to improve the customer experience. GoCardless can help streamline the checkout process with convenient, secure bank debit transactions. These are not only end-to-end digital but are less prone to fraud in comparison to alternative forms of payment. GoCardless is quick and easy to set up for the customer and merchant alike, accessible from a central dashboard showing payment status. It also integrates with other cloud-based accounting systems to reduce your reliance on paper-based or manual processes. Improve efficiency and convenience at checkout for a better customer experience overall.

We can help

GoCardless is a global payments solution that helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of financial admin your team needs to deal with. Find out how GoCardless can help you with one-off or recurring payments.