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Customer experience is an all-important prerequisite for driving loyalty and subscriptions

Berlingske Media Digital Director, Christian Stavik, describes at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Asia 2019 conference in Hong Kong, how a mobile-first and customer-first strategy takes the lead.

by WAN-IFRA External Contributor info@wan-ifra.org | November 21, 2019

Christian Stavik, Digital Director of Berlingske Media in Denmark, told publishers at WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media Asia 2019 conference in Hong Kong that prioritising and embracing a mobile-first and customer-first strategy is becoming increasingly important as a way of addressing customer needs and growing business.

“Talking to (the) customer is my mandate,” this Customer Experience (CX) expert told the audience at the conference. “2018 reset the company to (a) mobile-first and customer-first strategy,” Stavik said. Copenhagen-based Berlingske Media is a leading publisher and owns the largest Danish mobile subscription news site.

Stavik described how Berlingske Media’s pageviews started climbing in September 2018. After a period of steady development, followed by rapid growth peaking in September of this year, the company was seeing 17 million monthly pageviews on mobile alone!

“At Berlingske Media, (a) development sprint is selected every two weeks to help navigate and create value in the dashboards of various CX-departments,” he said. “After every sprint…, we measure, communicate and take action from our user research,” Stavik added.

CX transformation is no longer just an ideal, it’s a necessity, Stavik said. Being an integral facet of technology, CX modelling must form part of a brand’s strategy enhancement and standing in the digital era. CX is also a vital factor in customer purchasing decisions.

Listening to the customer more is critical

“Bad CX affects (the) CEO, editorial, advertising and marketing,” Stavik says, as it has adverse effects on the business, such as reduced satisfaction and customer loyalty. “Listening to (the) customer more, even if the CEO is unhappy about it” is critical, added Stavik. Using surveys and panel discussions to constantly “measure customer experience is crucial.”

CX is at a very critical juncture in its digital evolution, he added. A substantial proportion of the development registered in CX has been improved by advancements in product innovation and digital technology. “Users are loyal to our sites, and respondents are deeply engaged with the brands,” Stavik said, citing survey data.

The key steps to get going are “to build CX as a currency, agree on governance and copy a set-up,” Stavik said. Customer experience should include clearly defined, actionable measures put in place to deliver a positive, meaningful insight across customer interactions. To create loyalty, you need to provide exceptional customer experience.

For example, “It doesn’t matter if your page is beautiful. What matters is fast load, otherwise you can fail badly,” Stavik said, referring to the tool that analyzes page’s speed performance. “I think everyone should have some currency when it comes to CX.”

Author Malick Gai is a freelance journalist and undergraduate student at the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University.

WAN-IFRA External Contributor

info@wan-ifra.org

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