In the run-up to the holidays, it’s important to ensure that your B2B holiday customer experience (CX) is top-notch. Consumers are more likely to spend money with companies that have a positive experience, so it’s vital to get ahead of the game if you want to succeed in the new year.
You should always make it a point to keep in touch with your customers. But this time of year is especially important. If you don’t plan properly, you’ll find that your customers will fall by the wayside. This is especially true if you are a B2B company.
Now, it’s crucial to note that creating the optimal B2B holiday customer experience isn’t the same as creating the best B2C holiday CX. Before diving into tips to improve your B2B CX this season, take a moment to look at the difference between the two.
B2B Holiday Customer Experience vs. B2C Experience
The holiday season is a high-pressure time for businesses. While customers are eager to shop, they also want to be treated with respect and receive a great experience.
However, it’s crucial to understand that there are some significant differences between the standard B2C and B2B holiday customer experience.
Source: awware.co
B2C Holiday Customer Experience
A typical B2C holiday customer experience is one full of chaos and excitement.
Customers are eager to get their holiday shopping done, and retailers are eager to get their customers in the store. There is a lot of last-minute scrambling to find the right gifts, and when your customers finally find the perfect gift, they want to share their excitement with the world.
The best way to provide a great experience for your B2C customers during the holiday season is to provide them with an amazing customer service experience. Instead of being stressed out and frustrated, shoppers want to feel like they’re having fun when buying gifts for loved ones.
B2B Holiday Customer Experience
While the B2B holiday customer experience can emulate some of the same chaos like that of the B2C CX, some notable differences are worth studying.
While the B2C subset is looking for an experience filled with joy and wonder, your B2B audience is looking for a more direct approach to finding what they want as they enter the new year.
Yes, the B2B holiday customer experience should include the same warmth and feelings of togetherness as you would expect in the B2C experience. However, instead of shoving promotional materials in front of your audience at every turn, you need to focus more on delivering a memorable experience. Your B2B customers aren’t looking to spend their holiday season adding to their chaos.
Whether it be helping them find the perfect SaaS solution for their brand in the new year or simply providing them with information throughout the season so they can make an informed decision once they are back in the office – the best B2B customer holiday experience will focus on their needs, and providing the personalized experience they expect.
How You Can Improve Your B2B Customer’s Holiday Experience
If you’re the CEO or Marketing Director of a business, you know how important your customers’ holiday experience is. Experiences matter. If your customers have a great holiday experience, they’ll return and purchase more from your business.
To provide your B2B customers with a great holiday experience, you need to understand their needs. The holiday season is crucial to provide your customers with the information they need to make informed decisions. However, you don’t need to be overly promotional – just be helpful and informative.
Not too sure where to begin when prepping for your B2B CX this season? Here are a few tips to get you going:
1. Calm the Chaos with a Service Team Ready to Act
The average B2B customer won’t be spending their holidays in the office trying to search for the next best product to help their business succeed. However, those who are looking to implement new technology into their company’s operations during the holiday season will be looking to your company for guidance.
Your ability to provide a calm and informative environment for your customers can make a significant difference in their holiday experience. By being proactive, you can ensure you’re prepared for the holiday rush and can effectively provide your customers with the information they need to make informed decisions.
2. Provide Your Client’s with Relevant Content at their Fingertips
The right content in the right environment can increase customers’ overall experiences significantly. This becomes especially important during the holiday season when there is so much competition for the attention of your B2B audience. Therefore, you need to carefully manage your content so it reaches your customers when they’re looking for it.
There are several ways you can approach the distribution of your content, including segmenting your audience based on the types of content they are looking for and/or providing them with personalized content hubs. This ensures that you aren’t overloading your B2B audience with information they don’t need and help create an ideal holiday experience.
Source: Hushly
3. Spread Cheer This Season and Less Promotional Content
The holidays are a time for fun and celebration. It’s a time to spend with the people you care most about. Unfortunately, businesses have a lot of pressure to provide consumers with promotional content during the holiday season.
While you may be tempted to get those sales during the holiday season, it’s important to note that the traditional holiday season is considered the “slow” period for those in B2B. By focusing on relationship building during this period, you are building a stronger business for the long term. This means spreading cheer and providing your clients with helpful content they can rely on when making an informed decision about their future.
Turn Your Next Campaign into a Successful ABM Campaign with Hushly
If you’re struggling to ensure your customers have a positive holiday experience, it may be time to make Hushly part of your holiday plan. Our ABM platform helps you to create a strong, lasting relationship with your customers every day of the year. From customer service to content, Hushly helps you to ensure that your customers have a great holiday experience and drive more revenue as a result.
Curious how we can help you create the ideal B2B holiday customer experience this year with our ABM solutions? Contact us today!
