Building a CX Tech Stack for Durable Goods Brands

What should you include in a CX Tech Stack? 

In today's competitive landscape, brands are bombarded with a vast array of technology solutions that promise to revolutionize the customer experience. Wading through this sea of options can seem overwhelming, but it’s much more manageable and effective with a focused set of goals in mind.  

In our last post, we explored how brands can build a CX tech stack that helps them support the goal of optimizing the Ownership Experience, which encompasses everything that happens after a customer makes a purchase, from initial setup and first use to ongoing support and engagement. By implementing customer-centric solutions that cater to the post-purchase needs of customers, brands can foster deeper connections with their product owners, build loyalty, and ultimately drive long-term success. 

In this deep dive, we'll explore specific examples of technology solutions that support and elevate the Ownership Experience. We’ll look at both point solutions that address a specific use case and also more robust platforms and explain the role of these solutions in a CX tech stack.

Point Solutions

Collecting First-Party Customer Data for Personalized Experiences

• Challenge: Customers expect personalized and relevant post-purchase interactions with brands.
• Solution: Registria Onboarding

A product registration solution enables brands to collect and leverage first-party data for a more personalized and informed post-purchase customer experience. Using this verifiable and comprehensive data, brands can effectively:  

• Personalize post-purchase experiences: Offer a welcoming onboarding process including tailored guides, relevant accessories, and digital support based on the registered product and customer information.
• Enhance communication: Collect communication opt-ins and craft targeted email campaigns and promotions based on product owned, usage data, fostering customer engagement and loyalty.
• Proactively address issues: Identify potential product concerns by combining registration data and usage patterns, allowing you to proactively reach out and offer solutions, improving overall customer satisfaction.

Increasing customer loyalty and revenue with Extended Service Plan Sales

• Challenge: Getting more customers to purchase extended service / customer care plans
• Solution (Branded): Registria Managed Care Programs
• Solution (Generic): Extend or New Leaf 

Offering an extended service plan to your customers requires technology to be added to your CX tech stack. The payoff of offering an extended plan backed by strong technology is that is makes it easier for customers to access the claims support and service they need and makes it more efficient for your brand to manage these plans. An integrated solution helps you:

• Unlock new revenue streams: Service plans offer an attractive additional revenue source, allowing you to monetize your customer base.
• Offer proactive customer support and claims management: Providing easy access to service plan coverage and status and digital claims means customers get the information or assistance they need quickly, which minimizes both customer inconvenience and support costs.
• Gain valuable customer insights: Data from service interactions provides deep insights into customer behavior, product usage, and potential issues, informing future product development and improvement strategies.
• Boost customer satisfaction and loyalty: By demonstrating a commitment to long-term product well-being, you build trust and foster stronger relationships.

In this category, you can choose either a branded or a generic solution provider.  

• A branded solution is developed and offered by the original product manufacturer and often has premium features such as priority support, exclusive repair options, and genuine manufacturer parts. Due to brand recognition and additional features, this type of plan can be successful at a higher price point (Our research shows that 60% of customers prefer brand-backed protection plans).
• A generic solution is offered by a third-party provider that is not directly affiliated with the product manufacturer. Terms and conditions, support options, and repair processes vary depending on the provider. In general, this type of plan can offer similar coverage as branded plans at a lower cost.

Choosing the right option depends on your specific goals and customer needs. Branded plans offer premium features and stronger brand association, while generic plans can be cost-effective alternatives with similar core coverage. 

Empowering Customers with Easy Access to Product Resources

• Challenge: Customers get frustrated when they can’t find the information they need quickly for set-up and/or care of their products, and brand resources are spent on first-level support
• Solution: Bilt or Registria Product Resources Journey 

Integrating a product resource solution into your CX tech stack strengthens customer 
relationships by empowering them with readily available information. This type of solution provides a central location for:

• Comprehensive product information: Easy access to user manuals, FAQs, 
  troubleshooting guides, and video tutorials.
• Eliminate unnecessary frustration: Personalized product resources at the touch of a fingertip eliminates the frustration of digging through drawers and not knowing where to look online. 

By empowering customers with self-service resources, your brand can:

• Reduce customer service inquiries: Freeing up agents to handle complex issues and personalized interactions.
• Reduce Product Returns: Set your customers up for success with the answers they need to get the most out of their new product.
• Enhance customer satisfaction: Providing immediate access to information empowers customers and reduces frustration. 

Prioritizing Customer Convenience with Digital-First Support

• Challenge: Customers expect convenient and efficient support options on-demand
• Solution: Mavenoid or Registria Digital-First Support Journey 

Digital solutions are readily available 24/7, regardless of location or time zone, ensuring consistent and convenient support for your global customer base. Integrating a digital-first support solution into your CX tech stack is crucial for:

• Meeting customer expectations: Offering self-service options like online knowledge bases, chatbots, and FAQs that empower customers to find answers on their own time, aligning with their preferred communication style.
• Reducing support costs: By deflecting simple inquiries to self-service channels, you free up agents to handle complex issues and personalize interactions, optimizing resource allocation and potentially reducing overall support costs.
• Gathering valuable insights: Digital solutions can capture user behavior and search trends, providing valuable insights into customer pain points and frequently encountered issues, enabling continuous improvement of your product and support offerings.

Building Social Proof with Review Management Solutions

• Challenge: Increasing the volume of customer reviews while efficiently responding to reviews and analyzing customer feedback
• Solution: BazaarVoice or Power Reviews 

Integrating a review management solution into your CX tech stack enables you to go beyond passively collecting reviews to actively cultivating customer feedback, fostering stronger brand loyalty, increasing online visibility, and gaining valuable insights for continuous improvement. Review management offers several benefits including:

• Increased verified review volume: By actively soliciting and collecting reviews, you amplify the voice of your customers and gain a more comprehensive understanding of their experience. Incorporating the request for the review at key engagement moments such as confirmation of registration or upon accessing product resources can significantly boost review quantity and quality.
• Wider reach and brand visibility: By leveraging the solution’s network, you can distribute reviews across various online marketplaces and relevant websites, increasing brand visibility and influencing potential customers.
• Enhanced engagement and reputation management: Respond to both positive and negative reviews promptly and professionally, demonstrating your commitment to customer feedback and building a stronger brand reputation. 
• Actionable insights: Analyze review data to identify product strengths and weaknesses, customer preferences, and potential areas for improvement to help inform product development and service optimization. 

Unlocking Customer Insights with Surveys and Consumer Feedback Tools

• Challenge: Elevate customer insights and feedback to the next level to inform data-driven decisions in product development and customer experience
• Solution: Registria Concierge Surveys, Qualtrics, or Numerator 

By incorporating a survey or consumer insights solution, you gain a deeper understanding of your customer base to identify areas for improvement and help you make data-driven decisions that enhance the overall customer experience. Advanced customer insight tools enable you to:  

• Gather in-depth customer feedback: Go beyond customer reviews and delve deeper into customer preferences, motivations, and intent through targeted surveys.
• Identify areas for improvement: Gain actionable insights into customer satisfaction levels, product strengths and weaknesses, and potential service gaps, allowing for targeted improvements.
• Make data-driven decisions: Quantify customer sentiment and feedback, enabling you to make informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, and service optimization.
• Improve customer engagement: Proactively seeking feedback demonstrates your commitment to listening and fostering deeper customer relationships. 

Cultivating Brand Advocates with Customer Loyalty Solutions

• Challenge: Improving customer loyalty and cultivating brand advocates
• Solution: Yotpo 

By nurturing customer loyalty through dedicated solutions, you foster a community of brand advocates, increase customer lifetime value, and fuel sustainable business growth. Integrating a customer loyalty solution within your CX tech stack empowers you to:

• Reward and recognize loyal customers: Implement personalized loyalty programs that incentivize repeat purchases and engagement, fostering a sense of value and appreciation.
• Drive deeper customer engagement: Offer exclusive benefits, early access to new products, and personalized experiences, encouraging consistent interaction and building stronger brand relationships.
• Gain valuable customer insights: Analyze loyalty program data to understand customer preferences, purchase behaviors, and lifetime value, informing targeted marketing strategies and product development. 

Turn loyal customers into brand advocates: Empower satisfied customers to become brand ambassadors, encouraging positive word-of-mouth marketing and attracting new customers organically.

PLATFORMS

Personalizing Customer Experience with Marketing Automation and CDPs  

• Challenge: Leverage data from multiple sources to create a unified view of each customer to enable personalized marketing and engagement
• Solution: Registria OXM Platform, Klayvio, or BlueConic 

Forging genuine connections with your customers requires a deeper understanding of their individual needs and preferences. This is where customer experience, marketing automation and customer data platforms (CDPs) come into play, offering powerful tools for:

• Personalized communication: Leverage customer data for targeted email campaigns, promotions, and recommendations, fostering a sense of individual relevance and value.
• Automated workflows: Streamline repetitive tasks like triggered email sequences, abandoned cart reminders, and loyalty program updates, freeing up resources for personalized interactions.
• Omnichannel engagement: Deliver consistent and cohesive experiences across all customer touchpoints, from email and social media to in-app notifications and personalized website experiences.
• Data-driven decision-making: Gain insights into customer behavior and preferences, informing targeted marketing campaigns, product development, and personalized support strategies. 

It’s important to note these platforms can be integrated to build a robust, well-rounded CX Tech stack to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels.

Streamlining Customer Transactions with an E-commerce Platform  

• Challenge: Enable seamless e-commerce transactions for both new and existing customers
• Solution: Adobe Commerce or Shopify 

Whether you sell products, accessories, consumables, service plans or even branded merchandise, your e-commerce solution needs to foster customer trust and enable shoppers to easily find and purchase what they need. An integrated e-commerce platform is essential for delivering:  

• Seamless product discovery: An intuitive and user-friendly interface allows customers to easily browse, search, and filter products, ensuring a smooth and efficient shopping experience.
• Secure and streamlined checkout: Secure payment processing and streamlined checkout processes minimize friction points and encourage effortless completion of purchases.
• Order management and fulfillment: Streamlining order processing, inventory management, and fulfillment ensures efficient delivery and keeps customers informed throughout the journey. 

 Building a Strong Product Foundation with a PIM Platform

• Challenge: Centralize and manage product information so it can be easily updated and distributed across various solutions and/or platforms
• Solution: Salsify, Amplifi, Acquia 

A product information management (PIM) platform creates a strong product foundation for marketing, sales and customer support by ensuring accurate and engaging product information across all touchpoints. Ultimately, this enhances the customer experience and drives sales. A PIM platform plays a crucial role in your CX tech stack by:

• Centralizing product data: Ensuring consistency across all touchpoints, which minimizes customer confusion and fosters trust.
• Enriching product descriptions: PIM allows you to add rich media content like high-quality images, videos, and detailed descriptions, enhancing the customer experience and influencing purchasing decisions.
• Personalizing product recommendations: By understanding product attributes and customer behavior, PIM empowers you to recommend relevant accessories, compatible products, and upgrades, leading to increased customer satisfaction and potentially higher average order value.
• Streamlining content creation and updates: PIM simplifies the process of creating and updating product information across various channels, saving time and resources while ensuring consistent messaging. 

Integrating Service and Support to Foster Positive Customer Interactions

• Challenge: Provide reliable and convenient customer support that empowers self-service and optimizes support resources 
• Solution: Intercom or Zendesk 

Every business requires a customer support solution, but often the technology deployed is not well-integrated with either customer-facing or internal solutions. By integrating a service and support platform, you establish a reliable and efficient support 
infrastructure, empower customers to find solutions more quickly and conveniently and foster positive interactions that contribute to overall loyalty. A service & support platform is integral to you CX tech stack and allows you to:

• Deliver seamless customer service: Using a unified platform for various support channels like email, phone, chat, and social media, ensuring convenient and efficient issue resolution.
• Personalize interactions: Leverage customer data to personalize support interactions, offering targeted solutions and fostering a sense of valued connection.
• Gain valuable insights: Analyze support data to identify recurring issues, understand customer pain points, and inform product improvements and service optimization. 

Maximize the Impact of Your CX Tech Stack with Registria Concierge  

In today's digital landscape, building a robust CX tech stack is crucial for any brand's success. However, simply implementing a collection of individual CX technology solutions isn't enough. These point solutions and platforms often become siloed, creating a fragmented experience for both customers and internal teams.  

This is where Concierge steps in, acting as a game-changer for your CX tech stack. 

Concierge goes beyond mere integration. It orchestrates a unified, relevant and personalized experience for customers by consolidating journeys into one digital resource which guides customers to the best next resource. Behind the scenes, it’s seamlessly connecting your existing point solutions and platforms. This central hub empowers your customers with effortless access to all the resources and support they need, fostering a smooth and intuitive experience.  

But the benefits extend far beyond convenience. Concierge increases the collective investment of your tech stack, enabling you to proactively anticipate customer needs and deliver personalized experiences that exceed expectations. By harnessing the power of Concierge, you break down silos, unlock the full potential of your CX tech stack, and ultimately, cultivate lasting customer loyalty. 

Ready to experience the power of Concierge firsthand? Take a self-guided tour and discover how you can transform your CX tech stack into a unified powerhouse, delivering exceptional customer experiences every step of the way.