For those of us who spend our days building out the ideal customer experience, it may seem that thinking like a customer is ingrained into everything we do. But the truth is, sometimes we get so wrapped up in our backend processes that we forget what it’s like to be on the other side—we can’t see the forest for the trees, as they say.

While we live in these tools and systems every day, the average customer only reaches out to your brand a few times a year at most. They don’t know everything you do, and they certainly don’t think about how each interaction fits into an overall CX strategy—nor should they. All they think about is whether or not they can get what they need from your brand, when they need it. And that’s something you need to know too, otherwise you run the risk of a misalignment between brand intention and customer perception; in other words, what you meant to say vs. how your customers perceived what you said.

The ultimate goal of your CX messaging is to drive conversions and revenue. That’s why it’s absolutely critical that you figure out a way to measure how effective your messaging is, so you can align your CX more closely to specific business goals or outcomes. Here are some tips to help CX professionals look at the bigger picture—to see the forest and the trees.

Hear it from the horse’s mouth

We spend a lot of time and money designing content, experiences, and conversations to communicate our core brand messages to customers and prospects. But once that content’s out there in the world, how can you tell if it’s hitting the mark? This may sound like an over-simplification, but start by asking your customers. After all, they’re the ones on the other end of the interactions. And this doesn’t have to be time-consuming or invasive. Ada makes it easy to capture real-time feedback with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down review, which you can offer to customers after every interaction.

Watch what they do next

Tracking behavior post-interaction provides additional insight into whether your message landed or fell flat. For example, Ada can track when a customer books a demo, clicks a link, or escalates to an agent. The first two are good indicators that the conversation or interaction was effective, because the customer took a step towards a specific business goal—such as making a purchase or finding out more about what your brand has to offer.

Escalating to an agent, on the other hand, is often a sign that they didn’t get what they needed from an automated conversation. In some cases, though, it could mean they’re ready to go ahead with a transaction and just need a little human support. The more context you can tap into, the greater your understanding of both your customers and the overall effectiveness of your messaging.

Add it up: 1+1=3

To get the best measure of what messaging is making an impact and what’s not really resonating, put the first two steps together. Combine the qualitative feedback you collect from your customers with the quantitative data you can gather from tracking their behavior. This will give you true insight into what’s working and help you figure out where you need to make some changes

So, once you know how to gauge the effectiveness of your messaging, how do you course-correct where needed? Consider these strategies.

Put yourself in their shoes

It’s easy to fall into the habit of assuming your customers know all about your CX strategy, tools, and systems—but this won’t help you get through to them. Instead, try taking a step back. Put together an internal testing team and assign them various personas, such as a new user or VIP.

Be sure to test your messaging on the internal team across various channels, including web, native app, chatbot, social media, and messaging. Some content may perform well on one platform, but not so well on another. Ask your team how the messaging works from the other side of the screen. Not only is this a fun exercise, but you might also be surprised by what you learn.

Make it personal—but not too personal

Tailoring your message to a customer’s specific needs can make a big difference to how well it’s received, and how well it works. Plus, this helps your brand stand out from the crowd—which is no small feat in today’s oversaturated digital world. 

Marketers are buzzing about hyper-personalization, but there’s a fine line between effective customization and invasion of privacy. Cross it, and you’ll lose the customer’s trust.  

The key to effective personalization is to use all the data that’s available to you, including personal information, where the customers are in their journey, and what steps they have or haven’t taken, and customizing the message to make it resonate. Focus on being helpful, but don’t over-do it. 

Finally, choose a conversational AI partner that can handle customer data in a secure and compliant way, while also enabling easy personalization at scale. It’s all about finding the right balance.